Families planning an October half-term day out in Hexham will be able to choose from three activities at Hexham Old Gaol, including a trail running throughout the holiday, a storytelling event and a session designed for visitors with sensory needs.
The activities are part of Ways to Play, an ongoing collaboration between North East Museums and Tyne and Wear Metro. The programme brings together free and low-cost cultural experiences at museums, galleries and heritage attractions across the North East. North East Museums said the initiative has been helping families enjoy school-holiday activities for five years.
Activities at Hexham Old Gaol
The Escape the Gaol Trail will be available throughout the October half term at Hexham Old Gaol. The listing says children can attend for free, although the announcement does not state the trail’s daily opening times, adult prices or whether advance booking is needed.
On 31 October, the venue will host Tales from the Gaol. This event is also listed with a “kids go free” offer. The announcement places it among the programme’s family activities but does not provide further information about its format, start time or capacity.
A third Hexham event, Sound Down Sunday, is scheduled for Sunday 25 October. It appears in North East Museums’ section for relaxed sessions for people with sensory needs, and children can attend for free. The source does not give additional details about the adjustments available at the session.
What else is happening across the region
The wider October half-term programme includes creative workshops, play activities, exhibitions, live experiences and heritage events. Headline attractions include Arborialis Luminarium by Architects of Air at Woodhorn Museum, Spooky Night at the Museum at Discovery Museum, Phantom Flyer heritage train rides at Stephenson Steam Railway, a Halloween Takeover at Great North Museum: Hancock and Soft Sounds for Creative Wellbeing at Shipley Art Gallery.
Several free play spaces and exhibitions will be available throughout the holiday. These include the Tiny Tyneside play space at Discovery Museum, the Playspace at Laing Art Gallery and the Mouse House play space at Great North Museum: Hancock. Discovery Museum will also offer the free Things That Go exhibition.
Other date-specific activities include the Pumpkin Trail at Woodhorn Museum from 14 October to 1 November, Time Odyssey at Great North Museum: Hancock on 29 October and a Hammer and Hound Forge blacksmith demonstration day at the same museum, also on 29 October.
Families can find further events at venues in Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields, Wallsend, Ashington and North Tyneside. The programme includes Mouse Tales Storytime for under-fives on 27 October, Art Camp at Laing Art Gallery on 28 and 29 October, an animal-handling session at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery on 29 October, and a special-effects make-up class at Laing Art Gallery on 30 October.
Outdoor and heritage activities include Curious Crawlers at Great North Museum: Hancock on 23 October, the Autumn Gala at Stephenson Steam Railway on 24 and 25 October, heritage train rides on Thursdays and Sundays during half term, and Phantom Flyer at the railway on 31 October.
Crafts, Halloween and relaxed sessions
The programme also lists indoor creative activities across the region. Weaving for Wellbeing will run at Shipley Art Gallery from 10 to 24 October, while Crafty Kids sessions are scheduled for 13 and 20 October and 3 November. A Family Art Class is listed for 17 October, followed by a Motherfolk writing circle on 21 October and Soft Sounds for Creative Wellbeing on 24 October.
Other craft events include Masterpiece Tour Craft Sessions at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery on 24 and 31 October, Make a Monster Shield at Segedunum Roman Fort on 26 October, and family crafting, drawing and watercolour activities at Shipley Art Gallery and Discovery Museum between 27 and 29 October.
Halloween-themed options include Halloween Crafts at Hatton Gallery on 28 October, Roaming Romans: Stay and Play Sessions at Segedunum Roman Fort on 28 October, a Still Life Drawing Workshop and Young People’s Art Workshop at Hatton Gallery on 29 October, and a Birds of Prey Display at Woodhorn Museum on 31 October. The programme also includes a Halloween Takeover at Great North Museum: Hancock and a Trick or Treat Spooky Challenge at Discovery Museum.
Alongside Hexham Old Gaol’s Sound Down Sunday on 25 October, Woodhorn Museum will hold a similar session on the same day. Great North Museum: Hancock will offer a relaxed early opening and relaxed storytime on 27 October.
Travel and affordability
North East Museums said the programme is intended to help families manage the cost of school-holiday trips at a time when rising household costs are affecting many people. Many of the participating venues can be reached by Metro, bus or Shields Ferry.
During school holidays, children under 11 can travel free on Tyne and Wear Metro, the Shields Ferry and buses when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The supplied announcement does not provide specific travel directions to Hexham Old Gaol, nor does it confirm whether the free child travel offer applies to every journey a family might make to the venue.
Ways to Play won the Best Arts and Business Partnership at the North East Culture Awards in 2022 and the Not-for-Profit Marketing Award at the North East Marketing Awards in the same year. It was also shortlisted for Partnership of the Year at the Museum + Heritage Awards in 2023.
Families intending to visit should check the North East Museums event information before travelling, as the announcement does not include complete times, booking arrangements, prices or access information for every activity.