Easter nature trails and scavenger hunts
Easter holidays bring all kinds of adventures around the grounds at Llanerchaeron with the National Trust's Easter adventures in nature trails. Explore the beautiful farmyard, gardens and grounds of Llanerchaeron as you make your way along the trail, finding nature-inspired activities for the whole family.
Cardigan Castle has a grand Easter Egg hunt as well as other activities, including a ' sow a seed' session for younger family members.
Denmark Farm is a 40 acre nature reserve offering a range of courses and events for adults and children. For Easter there are themed woodland crafts and a scavenger hunt after a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Easter Surprise and an opportunity to learn about bird eggs nests.
At New Quay Honey Farm’s woodland there are regular 2 hours family bushcraft sessions with Knight-Fox Wild about Learning.
Easter is usually when the wildlife spotting boat trips start operating at New Quay. You're likely to spot dolphins, seals and a variety of coastal bird life.
The Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre carries out regular dolphin watch surveys and children, accompanied by adults, can help out and learn about Cardigan Bay’s bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and Atlantic grey seals by becoming a Dolphin Detective. The Centre, based near the Harbour Beach in New Quay also organises beach cleans and everyone is welcome to join in.
The Welsh Wildlife Centre has regular children’s activities. Over Easter there is a minibeast safari and a reptile ramble as well as pond dipping and nature inspired craft activities including clay modelling.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre's Family Fun Day includes a big bouncy castle as well as art and craft activities.
Why not do a spot of stargazing – as the sun sets Jupiter becomes visible and in the early morning sky Mars and Venus can be seen. Late March is a good time to spot Mercury and April brings the Lyrids meteor shower, or shooting stars!
Meet the Easter Characters
Children can meet, chat and have a photo taken with the Easter Bunny whilst receiving an easter egg as part of the EGGstravaganza Hunt at Cae Hir Gardens on Easter Monday. The visit includes a hunt around the garden looking for all manner of things from Easter eggs to bunny tracks, spring flowers to playing cards.
Jemima Pudleduck will be joining Knight -Fox Wild About Learning at New Quay Honey Farm to greet the youngest visitors (aged up to 5, but older children welcome too). She needs help to find her eggs! The activity includes an Easter themed scavenger hunt and making an Easter Woodland crown. Book ahead.
The new Easter chocolate tour at the Silver Mountain Experience is a chance to meet Mr Balcome, the enterprising mine manager himself, as he takes you on a tour to see how he is embarking on the challenge of chocolate making!
There’s also a Chocolate Challenge for children (and parents of course!) to go on their own quest to help Mr Balcombe produce the ‘Balcombe Bar’ to sell in his sweet shop. Find all of the Silver Tickers to complete the challenge. Rumour has it, there may even be a chocolate fountain and marshmallows!
Alongside the special Easter activities, there are guided/actor-led tours, play areas and much more to explore. Pre-book your tickets online through the website.
Mr Jon Jon will be at the Moody Calf Playbarn near Aberaeron on Good Friday and entertaining at Fantasy Farm Park on Easter Monday.The entry price to Fantasy Farm also includes entry to the farm parks usual attractions of lamb feeding and pet handling in the animal barn, a play barn pedal boats crazy golf and tractor and trailer rides. See the website for details and charges.
Indoor family fun
You can escape the rain at indoor attractions, but can you solve the mystery of the missing pearls at the escape room at Cardigan Castle. There are four slots bookable daily for for groups of between 2 and 6 players.
There are two escape room challenges at the Ultimate Escape at the Silver Mountain Experience - a Diamond Heist and a Jack the Ripper mystery.
Ysgubor Events at the Moody Cow have joined forces with Air Assault UK for a Nerf Gun session (suitable for children aged 6 - 11) with an an Easter Egg Hunt. Book online for one hour sessions between 4.30 and 6pm.
The Loft is a family entertainment centre for all ages with a nine hole crazy golf course, a climbing wall, kurling, escape and challenge rooms and a variety of Obie interactive games. There’s also a small soft play area for under 5s.Check the website for opening times and prices.
On the summit of Constitution Hill, reached by funicular railway there’s an indoor games room with pool, air hockey and 10-pin bowling. Outside there’s a crazy golf course, and if the sun is shinging bright, visit the Camera Obscura for an unusual view of Aberystwyth and the surrounding countryside.
For the Easter Holidays Lampeter Wellbeing Centre has a programme of indoor activities each day including a Nerf maze, and bouncy castle fun, a Pirate playzone, messy play a treasure hunt. Check the website for what’s on when, and which activities need booking ahead to secure a slot.
Playbarns
The Moody Calf Playbarn combines outdoor and indoor soft-play in pre-bookable sessions between 9.30 and 6pm. daily
Felinwynt Café and Playbarn is a family run business offering a soft play area for children up to the age of 10.
Water based adventure activities
Cardigan Bay Watersports Centre’s Kids’ Splash is two hours of fun on the water in different craft with an instructor playing games and learning. Kids’ Splash is one of Cardigan Bay Watersports Centre’s most popular activities, and fills up fast and early! Booking is online only.
Llain Activity Centre, between Aberaeron and New Quay have activity days running over Easter. The Activity Days involve a full day of kayaking, paddle boarding, climbing, a high ropes course and the famous Mud run! Bespoke days available most other days for groups of 8 or more people with potential group discounts.
The lake at Llandysul Paddlers is open over Easter for taster sessions. It’s gentle waters like adjacent to the wilder rapids of the Teifi river.
Adventure Beyond embody the spirit of adventure over the Easter holiday, whether it's tubing the rapids, kayaking along the coast or canoeing down the Teifi there's activities galore to choose from.
Swimming pools
Aberaeron Swimming Pool has a family swim session as well as daily general public swimming sessions from 10am to 6.30pm.
Lampeter Swimming Pool has a programme of water based activities including kayaking and water polo as well as family swim sessions. Check the website for details of what’s on when and booking details.
Take a trip on a narrow gauge railway
Take a trip on the Vale of Rheidol Railway and get free entry into the new Vale of Rheidol Railway Museum. Exhibits from across the world will be put on display, including some on display for the very first time. They include rolling stock from the Railway’s own collection (saved by the late Peter Rampton), as well as engines on loan from other railways.
The Teifi Valley Railway is open daily over Easter (except Fridays) for hourly train trips between from 11.30am to 3.30pm. There is also a miniature railway, play areas, crazy golf and quoits and the ever popular ‘mystery name game’ which is a chance to win a chocolate or prize. Check the website for details.
Children's theatre and cinema
Do you know how to rock out? Will you win the Grand Dance Contest or the Penguin Race? What noise does a Hedgehog make? And can you catch the floating sandwich? Kid Carpet produces simple, catchy songs and disruptively charming shows, creating superheroes out of everyday people and ordinary things. Aberystwyth Arts Centre welcomes the lively and interactive Kid Carpet Super Mega Rockin’ Rock Show this Easter.
Theatr Mwldan also has a live show – the People’s Theatre Company’s production of There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly.
Both venues have children’s cinema over Easter too as do Aberystwyth’s Commodore Cinema and Borth’s Libanus 1877 cinema.