It's the school holidays once again and there are some treats in store for families this May half term.
While most children are off for a week, in some areas it's a fortnight, so we've been busy putting together a list of places to visit to give you a little inspiration.
From the Carnival Capers happening at Knowsley Safari, to The Tiger Who Came to Tea Garden Trail at Tatton Park, there's something for kids of all ages to enjoy.
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Check out our full round-up below....
Knowsley Safari
A Seaside Carnival is taking over the Foot Safari this half term offering families even more entertainment.
Expect acrobatic skills workshops, pier-themed games stalls, traditional performers, striped deckchairs, and of course, sand.
The adventurous types can immerse themselves in a range of interactive workshops, including plate-spinning, aerial hoop and silks, hula-hooping, and acrobatics.
Giant stilt walkers will be overseeing the goings on, ensuring guests are entertained, while food outlets will be serving up delicious ice creams.
There'll also be seaside favourites including Coconut Shy, Bottle Ring Toss, Beat the Buzzer and Ball in a Bucket between 11am and 4pm.
As well as Carnival Capers, running from May 27 to June 4, there's all the usual fun included in the ticket price too, including the Safari Drive and the Foot Safari, with the chance to see animals including Amur Tiger, giraffe, African lions, white rhino, and Iberian wolves.
For tickets, from £19.50, visit the website.
Knowsley Safari, Prescot, L34 4AN
Spring Escape, The Trafford Centre
The giant outdoor funfair is running outside the Great Hall.
Spring Escape features vintage fairground rides and attractions for all ages, including Starflyer, Rock Rage, Waterballs, Bumper Boats, Waveswinger, Funhouse and a giant inflatable clown.
As well as the fair, there are lots of foodie treats to enjoy including burgers, donuts, crepes, ice creams and more.
Families pay a £2.80 entry fee (£3 on the door) to access the area and rides are either paid for with individual tokens or wristbands, which can be purchased online or from kiosks at the venue.
Spring Escape runs from now until June 4, opening daily in the school holidays. Book online.
The Trafford Centre, Trafford, M17 8EB
Heaton Park
'Seven days of stuff to do' is taking place at Heaton Park.
Whether it's meeting the beekeepers at the park, or enjoying some craft activities, there's all sorts happening to keep little ones entertained.
Events run from May 28 to June 3. See the Facebook page for updates.
Heaton Park, Middleton Road, Manchester, M25 2SW
Open Air Bounce
The outdoor bounce park with inflatables is back for half term.
The fun will kick off over bank holiday weekend when the Dinosaur Invasion takes place on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a disco with live DJ on the Monday. The site will stay open as usual for the rest of May half term.
With huge inflatables including bouncy castles, slides and obstacle courses, Open Air Bounce is at Umberton Farm, in Over Hulton, Bolton and can be seen from the nearby M61.
Sessions run three times a day - 10am to 12pm, 1pm to 3pm and 4pm to 6pm.
Tickets cost £9.95 for ages one to four and £12.50 for ages five and above, including adults. Under 12 months go free and adults who aren't bouncing pay £2.50 entry. Book online.
Open Air Bounce, Umberton Farm, Over Hulton, Bolton, BL5 1BP
RHS Garden Bridgewater
Things are about to get 'sow awesome' at RHS Garden Bridgewater this half term.
A week of fun family activities all about the joys of planting and harvesting vegetables is planned from May 27 to June 4.
From seeds and soil, and field and vine, then onto our plates – learn where fruit and veg come from and grow your very own edible feast.
Visit the Kitchen Garden to spot food growing in its natural environment and take home your own packet of seeds. Join the Vegetable Nannies for their walkabout theatre, and get stuck in with The Mini Makery, whose workshops are all about encouraging children to feed their 'gut pet' rainbows.
For more details and to book, visit the website.
RHS Garden Bridgewater, Occupation Rd, Worsley, M28 2LJ
BeWILDerwood Cheshire
A fun-packed day out in the woods is promised at the popular BeWILDerwood attraction over the holidays.
There's so much to see and do at the award-winning attraction, which is inspired by the children's books of the same name by Tom Blofeld.
From slippery slides and muddled mazes, to extra-long zip wires, there's no end to the activities in the magical woodland.
It's not just a playground though, there's storytelling, face painting, shows, crafts and a whole lot more included in the ticket price - and you can stay all day to make the most of it.
Tickets, from £13.50, can be booked online.
BeWILDerwood Cheshire, Bickley Moss, Whitchurch, Cheshire, SY13 4JF
Totally Jurassic
Half term is your last chance to catch the Totally Jurassic dinosaur experience which arrived in Walkden earlier this month.
Billed as 'an immersive dino experience' it features more than 100 models, with everything from the mighty T-Rex to the spiky stegosaurus.
Families can walk among the huge static models at the exhibition in Walkden Town Centre, Salford, as well as learning fun facts and taking photos along the way.
Family tickets cost £20. Single tickets cost £5.95 for adults and children and under twos go free.
The event is aimed at all ages, but organisers say it'll mostly be enjoyed by pre-school and primary aged children.
Slots can be booked every half an hour between 10am and 3pm and the event is running daily until June 4. Visit the website to book.
Totally Jurassic, Walkden Town Centre, Walkden, M28 3BT
Lyme Park
There's lots of family fun on offer at Lyme Park over the break.
Weave your own bookmark workshops are running on May 30 and June 2, indoors if the weather is bad. These take place 11am, 1pm and 3pm and cost £5. Book online.
Families are also invited to enjoy a story telling trail around the house where you can be the hero of your own story.
Explore the house to uncover the stories at Lyme and draw your own adventure tale. What can you spot to build your hero's adventure? Complete the trail and collect a nature prize to take home.
The event runs 11am to 4pm daily over half term, except for Wednesday. It costs £2.50 per trail.
Lyme Park, Disley, Stockport, SK12 2NR
Science and Industry Museum
May half term promises to be packed full of digital discovery at the science museum.
Starting this Saturday, families will be able to get hands-on with free activities, from playing with CHiP the robot dog, to an introduction to programming with BeeBots.
There's a full programme of events running from May 27 to June 4, suitable for all ages.
The ultimate gaming experience, Power Up is open every day throughout the holidays with five decades of games and over a hundred different consoles to enjoy.
And from May 25, visitors will be able to see the new display, Stephen Hawking at Work, which 'will provide insights into Hawking’s remarkable life as a scientist, science communicator, and as a person who lived with motor neurone disease'.
Tickets for Power Up cost £8 for adults and £6 for children and must be booked online.
Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Rd, Manchester, M3 4FP
Vue cinemas
If you fancy a trip to the cinema over half term there are some new releases coming out just in time.
Almost 34 years since the original film, Disney is once again inviting families under the sea to discover their incredible new take on the popular classic The Little Mermaid, splashing onto the big screen from May 26.
Miles Morales also makes his animated return in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, the sequel to Sony’s award winning animated adventure, which sees Spider-Man face off against an awesome array of different Spider-heroes from across the Spider-Verse from June 2.
Vue will also be screening Epic Tales as part of the Vue Mini Mornings series, costing from £2.49 a ticket and showing daily at 10am.
Cockfields Farm
A new Camelot event comes to Cockfields this May half term.
Little ones can meet Princess Pru, Sir Lance a Boil, Pester the Jester, Sir Veillance and Alan the Dragon.
A whole day of amazing activities is promised, finished off with one of the venue's infamous foam parties, which take place at 3.45pm.
There's all the usual fun of the farm too.
Tickets, costing £14, £3 for under ones, can be booked online.
Cockfields Farm, Ashton, OL6 8AR
The Lowry
If you're considering a theatre trip over the holidays, there are a few options at The Lowry.
You Choose runs from May 31 to June 2 and is 'an interactive musical show for all the family'.
Based on the picture book by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, Nonsense Room Productions (Shark in the Park and Hairy Maclary Shows) brings the unique show to the theatre, where the audience helps decide what happens.
Using the picture book as inspiration and through a series of games and challenges each show will be unique with different characters, locations, costumes and much more every time.
Recommended for ages two to seven, tickets, from £7.50, can be booked online.
On May 28, Michael Foreman's Dinosaurs And All That Rubbish comes to the venue, and from June 3 to 5, it hosts the stage adaptation of the popular book The Snail And The Whale, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
Suitable for ages four plus, it runs for 55 minutes with no interval. Tickets, from £18, can be booked online.
The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
We Invented the Weekend Festival
There are loads of family activities taking place as part of the free festival held across MediaCity and Salford Quays.
It runs over two days - June 3 and 4 - and will include something for all age groups.
CBeebies Bedtime Stories LIVE will descend onto MediaCity and delight children of all ages, with festival guests and celebrities reading stories, as well as CBeebies’ stars making guest appearances on the festival main stage.
It will also host the first ever Junior Art Battle Manchester, where young artists will compete in live painting competitions at The Lowry to be named champion and families will also be able to take part in more than 100 We Get Creative Workshops.
There will be a range of Try Outs in the Weekend Arena hosted by Salford Community Leisure, where children will have the chance to try out tennis, cricket, climbing, street cheer and parachute games.
As well as the main stage on MediaCity’s piazza, the festival will also feature satellite stages and a dedicated BBC stage across the festival site, plus activities on the water and a whole host of indoor spaces, including the newly announced Central Bay waterfront food and drink destination.
Visit the website for more details and specific times.
MediaCity, Salford Quays, M50 2EQ
National Football Museum
With this year's FA Cup final being the first time that Manchester's two top teams have met one another in a major cup final, the National Football Museum is helping fans get in the mood with a little medal-making in the Pitch Gallery.
Get inspired by some of the traditional old-school medals in the FA Cup display - including the very first (and very tiny) medal awarded in 1872 - or come up with your own unique engravings to draw onto the golden card medallions.
Each medal comes with a choice or ribbon - naturally, red or blue - as well as a customisable presentation case.
This activity will be taking place from 11am to 3pm on weekdays and 11.30am to 2.30pm on weekends across the half term holiday, May 27 to June 4, and is included in the price of admission.
Tickets, costing £13 for adults and £7 for children, can be booked online.
National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester, M4 3BG
Tatton Park
A Tiger who Came to Tea Garden Trail is running across half term.
Pick up a trail pack for £2, put on your tiger mask and explore the tea-party trail in the spring gardens.
From May 27 to June 4, you can enjoy storytelling sessions in the gardens between 11am and 4pm each day.
Sit a while and listen to some of Judith Kerr’s classic tales, including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Mog the Forgetful Cat and Mog and Bunny.
It opens 10am to 6pm, last entry 5pm. Standard entry fees apply. Book via the website.
Tatton Park, Knutsford, WA16 6SG
Peppa Pig at Sea Life
It's your last chance to see Peppa Pig at Sea Life Manchester this half term for an amazing Aquarium Adventure.
Guests will be able to meet and greet Peppa, and dive into the fun of the attraction, meeting some incredible creatures and discovering how to keep them safe in the oceans.
Follow the interactive, immersive trail, where visitors will be tasked with several activities, from spotting seahorses and crabs to counting starfish and learning how fast sharks can swim.
There will also be fun workshops where little ones can create ocean friendship bracelets and join in with other Peppa-themed crafts.
The Peppa Pig Aquarium Adventure is running from now until June 4. To book tickets, from £18.50, visit the website.
Sea Life Manchester, Trafford Palazzo, M17 8AS
Inflata Nation
Families can take advantage of 15% off throughout half term when booking online.
The indoor attraction offers slides, climbing walls, giant ball pools and assault courses, with something for all ages and abilities.
It's open 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday during the holidays, and 10am to 7pm on Saturday and Sundays.
One-hour bounce sessions cost £5.99 for under-fours and £10.99 for everyone else. Use the code SPRINGMANC to book.
Inflata Nation Manchester, Textilose Road, Trafford Park, M17 1WA
Z-arts
A brand new multi-themed escape room created especially for families and young people opened at Z-arts in April.
Z:escape: The Library of Enchantment challenges visitors to solve a series of baffling clues, riddles and puzzles to unlock a succession of doors.
Children aged six plus can enjoy the adventure as part of a family group, or children as young as eight can enter the rooms without an adult, as they will be accompanied throughout by a librarian.
There are a few slots remaining for half term. Book via the website, or by calling 0161 226 1912.
Z-arts, Stretford Road, Hulme, M15 5ZA
Imperial War Museum North
Families can get hands on with real artefacts at the popular Story Seekers sessions running at weekends.
Drop in between 10am and 4pm for the sessions, aimed at children seven plus.
As part of the We Invented the Weekend festival, a special event is running on June 3 and 4 from 10am to 3pm.
There's the chance to play and get creative as the venue marks the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.
See the full list of activities on the website.
IWMN, Trafford Wharf Rd, Trafford Park, Stretford, M17 1TZ
Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester
The City of Champions event is running at Legoland over the break.
It features stunts, builds, secret trails, games and a Miniland Mega Parade.
Visitors can collect exclusive limited edition mission cards for four brand-new mini figures and meet the mini figure team Ricky Rocket Racer, Mech-Max, Go-To Gary and Fearless Fi.
There'll be all the usual fun too including Merlin’s Apprentice ride, Kingdom Quest, Mini Land and the 4D cinema.
The event runs from now until July and tickets, costing from £15, can be booked online.
Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester, Trafford Palazzo, M17 8AS
Arcade Club Bury
You can play earlier and for longer at the Arcade Club in Bury, which extends its opening hours in the school holidays.
The Ela Mill venue features hundreds of retro and modern machines over four floors and gamers have been flocking there since it opened in 2015.
There's everything from Pac-Man and Space Invaders to Donkey Kong and Sega Rally and kids can play their modern favourites like Fortnite and Rocket League.
It's open 11am to 11pm on Saturday, May 27; and 11am to 8pm on Sunday and Monday, May 28 and 29.
It'll then open at 11am daily from June 1 to 4, closing at 11pm on the Thursday and Saturday, midnight on the Friday, and 8pm on the Sunday.
The £9 entry fee is for kids aged five to 15 to play all day long. If adults want to play too it's £17 per adult, or £43 for a family.
For more information, or to book tickets, visit the website.
Arcade Club, Ela Mill, Cork Street, Bury, BL9 7BW
Treetop Adventure Golf
There are two 18-hole mini golf courses to enjoy at Treetop Adventure Golf inside The Printworks and if you get there early enough you can play two for the price of one.
The offer applies to anyone playing the Tropical Trail or Explorer courses between 10am and 1pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 12pm on Sunday.
You get a shot at the Bonus 19th Hole for the chance to win a free game and there's a free photo booth to snap a memory of your day to take home.
Treetop has its own cafe area with the Pizza Cabana serving up handmade pizzas.
Treetop Adventure Golf, The Printworks, Dantzic Street, Manchester, M4 2BS
The Pankhurst Centre
Manchester's Pankhurst Centre is going suffragette green this half term.
On Sunday, May 28, Thursday, June 1 and Sunday, June 4 - from 11am to 4pm - a series of Family Friendly activities has been designed to celebrate the joys of nature, including creating wildflower seed bomb necklaces and a new garden trail.
If the sun is shining this is also the perfect spot to enjoy refreshments from the tearoom.
The garden is designed to be like an Edwardian knot garden, in reference to the time period that Emmeline Pankhurst lived in the house with her family, and the planting mirrors the suffragette colours with reds interjected to symbolise the hardship endured during the for votes for women campaign.
There is the museum to explore, including a visit to the parlour where the first meeting of women who would become known as the suffragettes took place, and the shop where (whilst stocks last) seeds collected from the garden will be available to purchase.
Entry to the Pankhurst Centre is free, with visitors asked to consider making a donation of £5 to support the work of the Pankhurst Trust. You can book your tickets for spring half term at the Pankhurst Centre online.
Pankhurst Centre, 60-62 Nelson Street, Manchester, M13 9WP
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Victorian-related activities and workshops are running over half term.
Activities, running Tuesday, May 30 to Friday, June 2, include creating traditional Victorian peg dolls, Victorian wash day, cardboard creations and pick and mix playtime.
Some are free, others are £3 per child. See more details and book on the website.
Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Peel Park, The Crescent, M5 4WU
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