Lots of Winter & Christmas trails to be found in the local parks all around Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole and surrounding areas! Happy Exploring!
Come and see this beautiful stately home lit like you have never seen it before. The gardens will come alive with stunning woodland creatures, even fairies, sprites and the odd dragon are dotted around the stunning light displays to excite and delight all the family.
The trail takes about an hour, with surprises around every corner. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear as the trail takes you along woodland paths, amongst shrubs and bushes before you return towards the main house.
Gates open at 5.15pm last entry 7.15pm.
Tickets
Adults £17
Children (2-16) £8.50
Under 2’s Free
Tickets are sold on timed entry basis to ensure the car park does not become too congested and so visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the lit garden.
Well behaved dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on leads and you clear up after them. All terrain pushchairs are recommended as the going can be tough especially after a lot of rain.
Linsay Rd, Bovington, Wareham BH20 6JG.
Date: 16-17 November 2024 Time: 10am-5pm
Watch live entertainment, buy unique Christmas gifts from local makers and sellers and get in the Christmas spirit with ‘A Dorset Christmas Fair’.
Date: 21 December 2024 – 5 January 2025 Times: Daily 10am-5pm (except 24-26. Dec)
Wartime Winter – Enjoy free Christmas colouring, Frank on a Tank Elf Trail, special talks from the Guide Team and a Christmas-themed 1940s House and Shop.
Tickets available in advance or on the door.
New Barn Road, Weymouth DT3 4JG.
Date: 26 October – 3 November 2024
Spooky science and space, discover the mad professor skeletons and crazy aliens around the Swannery. Hidden within the Swannery grounds will be a secret word carved in the Pumpkins. Follow the trail to collect the letters and uncover the secret word!
Kids for £1 with a full paying adult (max. of 3 kids) pay at the ticket office.
Daily Spooky Science Workshop – Hands on experiments, potions and explosions for ages 2-8yrs 11month book directly via Mini Professors/Weymouth.
Date: 7&8 16&17 December 2024 Time:10am-5pm
Make your own Reindeer – Add a little festive spirit to your house and choose between making a small (£10) or large reindeer (£15).
Head to Avon Heath Outdoors website to book.
30 November & 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22 December 2024
Meet Father Christmas in his magical grotto, includes a present for every child, and afterwards jump aboard Santa’s sleigh for a great photo opportunity. £15 per child (accompanying adults go free).
Date: 1 December 2024 Time: 2-3pm
Kids Christmas Craft Workshop. £6 – More info here.
Winter Trail TBC.
All across Christchurch High Street.
Date: 23rd November – 20th December 2024
We need your help to uncover the secret hideouts of these naughty little elves! If you happen to spot one of them in a Christchurch business, proudly waving a golden Christchurch BID flag, don’t be shy – approach them!
Ask for a golden ticket, fill in your details, and drop it in Santa’s postbox at the Regent Centre! By joining in on the hunt, you have the chance to 𝙒𝙄𝙉 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 £100 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨, just in time for Christmas!
Wimborne, BH21 4EA.
Date: 30. November 2024 – 5. January 2025 Time: 9.30am-4pm
A Christmas Wish at Kingston Lacy – Discover the magic of Christmas wishes this festive season!
Free Event. Normal admission applies.
Date: 30 November & 1\7\8\14\15 18-23 December 2024 Time: Slots every hour between 10am-4pm
Storytelling with Santa – 0-12 years – Join us on an adventure to find Santa in his hidden storybook nook for a cosy Christmas tale, an early gift and a photo with the man himself!
Tickets £15 per child (0-12 years old) with one accompanying adult per child. Booking essential normal admission applies.
Date: 19. November 2024 – 5. January 2025 (closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.)
Follow our Christmas Trail and find out more about Christmas traditions at the house. Plus you can book a Christmas Afternoon Tea.
Father Christmas at the Russel Cotes – more info here.
26 November – 17 December – Christmas Tours.
7 – 8 December – Victorian Christmas Weekend – more info here.
11 December – Enchanted Christmas Evening – more info here.
19 December – Museum Late – Candlelight Night – more info here.
Date: 29th November 2024 – 6th January 2025 Time: 9am -4.30pm
Christmas Quiz Trail – Seasonal fun and general knowledge questions. £1.50 per trail sheet.
In the true spirit of Christmas parking is free at Moors Valley when you buy a tree from the Christmas Tree Shop or for all pre-booked Christmas meals at Seasons Restaurant.
Furzebrook Road, Wareham BH20 5AR.
Date: 30 November – 23 December 2024
Woodland Walks
Festive Drinks
Christmas Gifts
Arts & Crafts – £5
Date: 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd December 2024 Time: 10am-4.30pm
Follow the festive trail leading to Santa’s grotto, take magical photos on Santa’s sleigh, then meet Santa himself and receive a special gift! £15
Normal admission fees apply – book online.
Marwell Wildlife, Thompsons Lane, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1JH.
Date: 29 November – 30 December 2024 Time: 5pm onwards
Join us for an immersive light extravaganza as we turn the grounds into a twinkling wonderland full of fairy lights, magic and delight & book to meet Santa. *NEW* for 2024 VA Headset Experience.
Please visit Marwell Zoo to book.
Sir Harrold Hillier Gardens, Romsey SO51 0QA.
Date: 28 November 2024 – 1 January 2025
Step into 2024’s “Christmas Wonderland” at Light Up Trails discover the Festive Light Trail in Romsey, featuring stunning theatrical performances and magical live entertainment (exclusively on super peak nights).
Adults from £20, Kids from £12.50.
Running from October to December 2024.
Explore Lulworth Cove this Autumn on our seasonal rhyming trail.
£1 for the activity sheet and map.
No need to book pop into the Visitor Centre BH20 5RQ between 10am-3pm.
Winfrith Heath, Winfrith Newburgh, Nr Dorchester DT2 8DT.
Date: 29 November &1 December 4-8 11-15 17-24 27-30 December 2024
Follow the tale of The Lost Reindeers and discover 20 hidden reindeer characters along our illuminated trail, and enjoy meeting Nutley Farm’s real-life magical reindeer, Rudolph, Prancer, Sprout and Parsnip.
Father Christmas tickets now sold out.
Date: 23 November 2024 – 1 January 2025 Times: 12pm-11pm
Enter a world of Christmas in Poole, with this FREE Christmas attraction! Be prepared to be dazzled as
thousands of twinkling lights take you on a nautical journey.
Immerse yourself in a magical maritime Christmas as you follow the light trail from Falkland Square,
through the High Street and onto Poole Quay.
Date: 18 December 2024 Time: 10am – 5pm
As well as meeting Santa and receiving a special present from him, your little monkeys can enjoy festive fare, a Christmas trail around the park, and even make a present for the primates with Santa’s elves!.
SEN Date 18 December.
Tickets £10 per child (Park Entry not included). To book, please call 01929 401013.
Date: 14th November 2024 – 1st January 2025
– Collect your FREE activity booklet from the Alpine Lodge until 6pm daily
– Find our Christmas Trail map
– Start exploring the Market, Wonderland and Skate to find your clues and letters
– Find our Reindeer, fill out your answer in the squares provided, tear off and submit via the ‘Letters to Santa’ postbox located at the entrance to the market Old Christchurch Road (opposite WHSmiths).
Be in for a chance to win some great Christmas treats every Friday.
28, 29 & 30 November 2024 – 9.30am-4pm – Santa Paws – more info here.
30 November & 1 December 2024 – Christmas Makers Market – more info here.
10 December 2024 – FREE Festive Beginner Bird Watching with BARI – more info here.
7 – 31 December 2024 – 10am-3.30pm
Artic Explorer Family Adventure Trail – Are you ready to go? Can you find out who’s left these tracks in the snow? Use your explorer skills to finish the expedition and receive a cuddly prize!
Expedition maps (£6 each) available from the Welcome Centre.
There are also Rustic Wreath Making & Creative Writing Workshops throughout December.
On Friday 1st of November, Mother Christmas gave Santa a shopping list and told him the 12 shops in Wimborne to visit. Being old and forgetful, poor old Santa left one item he will need for his trip on Christmas Eve at each shop. The shopkeepers are kindly displayed the item left in their shop window.
Pick up a trail sheet at the Museum of East Dorset to find the 12 items.
