Date: throughout May
Date: 25th & 26th May
Railway next open on the bank holiday weekend 25th & 26th May from 11-4pm all rides are free, donations are welcome.
📍Wimborne BH21 3DA.
Colin’s Nest Coffee Shop, 25 Birds Hill Road, Poole BH15 2QJ.
Date: 28th May 2025 Time: 11am – 1pm
Free Event! Loads of fun and games and activities including a pirate themed soft play. FREE parking, and food and drinks available in the cafe.
Outside South Coast Adventures, Hamworthy Park.
Date: 29th May 2025 Time: 10am-12pm
Join us for a fun, family-friendly Beach Play Session perfect for children aged 4–11!
Sand & water play
Shell collecting
Nature crafts
Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
Free Event thanks to Dorset Community Foundation.
Click here to book a free space for Half Term Beach Play at Hamworthy Park.
Date: 27th -30th May 2025. Time: 1.30pm to 4pm
Discover more about some of the creatures that live at Moors Valley with fun activities and hands-on displays.
In Ranger Den, you can also discover more about the fish which live in our rivers and meet the adorable European tree frogs.
Free Event
27th May – Pond dipping – £3, ages 4+. More info here.
29th May – Minibeasting. £4, ages 4+. More info here.
For more info about all the events click here.
Cost? Various from Free up to £4
When? See dates above
Where? Moors Valley Country Park
27th May – Pond dipping – £3, ages 4+. More info here.
29th May – Minibeasting. £4, ages 4+. More info here.
Trails (Open Daily 9am-6pm)
Forest Walkies with Wallace and Gromit – £5 per trail pack
Stick Man Trail – £4 per pack
Wimborne’s biggest and best family festival is back on the first weekend of June in 12 acres of working farmland!
Click here for more info!
Cost? Adult: £5 day ticket – Child £2 – Under 4’s FREE
When? 30th, 31st & 1st June from 10am to 6pm
Where? The Meadows (Julians Field), Julians Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1EF
Odeon has a deal where adults pay the same price as a child with the deal running every day during the school holidays.
For more information head to the website to see whats on and to pre book your tickets
When? Throughout all the school holidays
Where? Odeon Bournemouth at the BH2 Centre
If you are visiting Moors Valley Country Park and Forest check out all the fantastic free trails there are on offer from the popular Play Trail to the Music Trail or the high up Tree Top Trail or how about the brand new Zog – A Forest Adventure Trail there is something for everyone plus pop into the Ranger Den for FREE and check out what events they have running.
You can also see if you can spot the life-size sculptures of Gruffalo and all his friends. More info here.
Cost? Free but parking charges apply to visit the park
When? All year round – Open from 8am
Where? Moors Valley Country Park
Various locations in Bournemouth and Poole
Thanks to local gallery, Ambassadeur Art, a variety of artists have created a series of murals that make fun and colourful backdrops for your selfies. The Selfie Wall Trail stretches from Sandbanks all the way to Southbourne meaning wherever you are on the seafront, the perfect selfie opportunity isn’t far away.
You can pick up a Selfie Wall Trail leaflet from the Bournemouth Tourist Information Centre and various other places around the seafront.
Date: 5th April – 1st June 2025
More than 40 giant mermaid tail sculptures will be making a splash in BCP this April with the launch of The Great Tail Trail, an exciting community art adventure in aid of Julia’s House children’s hospice and delivered in partnership with Wild in Art. Find tails in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Castlepoint and Christchurch libraries and download the app to visit all the other locations. Plus enter the ‘Design a Mermaid Tail’ competition at Castlepoint Library.
Spring Trail – Track down the clues and crack the code to find out what the babies of different animals are called.
Tasty Treats Trail – Hunt down the clues to find out the puss moth caterpillar’s favourite food and learn about what creatures eat our heathland plants along the way.
The Sensory Trail – Along the trail there are different activities to take part in, from tasting different herbs, to listening to the birds. 0.5km walk.
The Short Wander – 1km long and is perfect for families with pushchairs, mobility scooter-users and those looking for a gentle, relaxing stroll. It takes about 30 minutes and the green arrows guide visitors on to the open heathland.
The Viewpoint Trail – 3km long and the purple arrows take walkers along winding, sandy paths to the heart of the heath.
Cost? Free (except the Spring & Tasty Treats Trail £3.50 per sheet from Visitors Centre) but parking charges apply to visit the park.
When? All year round except Holiday themed Activity trails – 10am-4pm.
Where? Avon Heath Country Park
Date: 24th May – 1st June 2025
Fortune Finders Adventure Trail – Find out what it takes to make your fortune as a Georgian merchant. FREE Trail maps available at the Welcome Centre.
Take a trip to our beautiful sandy beaches – check out our list of Beaches around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to find some hidden gems or how about a nice stroll and a visit to a park with a play area to wear the kids out you can find some in our ‘Mumbler Must’ Parks & Play areas in BCP.
ℹ️ Find out more on Mumbler here
💷 Free
📅 Opening times vary, but generally all are open during daylight hours
📍 Various location across BCP
If you want to save some money this May Half Term, but still want to enjoy eating out, we’ve listed all the places kids can eat for free or £1 (or with special discounted meals) locally in BCP & Nationwide just click here.
As always there are plenty of half term activities for all the family. Whether you want to celebrate Elmer the elephant, make some crafts inspired by nature, or do a treasure hunt, there’s something for everyone across the BCP Libraries & some Dorset Libraries in the surrounding areas.
ℹ️ For more information about School Holiday Events at your local BCP Library click here.
💷 Free, unless otherwise stated
📅 Various dates over the May Half Term
🗺 Where? Various BCP & Dorset Libraries
Did you know that there are over 450 parks and open spaces in BCP? The Parks Foundation have a list of fun and FREE nature activities in a park near you!
Catch the last of the leaves and feel the first of the frosts with us in the parks, you’ll be sure of a warm welcome!
Check out the Spring Program and book your place today – more info here.
You can explore the Bournemouth Natural Science Society & Museum which is a natural history museum with fossils, minerals and an Egyptology collection and a large garden. Entry donations are welcome.
For more museums check this list out here.
BCP has plenty of Skate Parks where the youngsters could throw some shapes on their boards with their mates here are just a few of our favourite ones: Duck Lane, Slades Farm, Baiter Park, Friers Field in West Moors, Pottern Park in Verwood, Riverside, Corfe Mullen REC, Bourne Valley, Kings Park, St George’s Field in Ferndown, Cavers REC in Ringwood plus Fordingbridge.
Some are a bit more hidden:
There is a great skate park at the back of the car park (infront of the allotments) at Wimborne football club.
Near Tesco Blandford – past Homebase on the left Tesco on the right then follow the road past the Brewery Storage Gate thats where you find the skate park.
Drive over the roundabout as you drive past Homebase on your left.. and the Tesco on your right.
You can also check out some more ideas for Teen Days Out on here.
💜 Let us know if we’ve missed anything HERE and we can add it on!
💜 Don’t forget you can join the Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole & Dorset Mumbler Chat Group on FB for advice and recommendations, or follow on Instagram where we post in real time what’s going on for families this half term.
We hope you have a great May Half Term in BCP and that the sun shines all week long 