With school holidays about to begin for most children in Staffordshire, Daily Focus has compiled a list of places to visit and ways to keep the kids entertained over the next six weeks.
From wallabies to crafts and dinosaur fun to festivals, Staffordshire has a whole host of fun activities on offer meaning there is no need to travel far to make it a summer to remember.
A Where’s Wallaby? sculpture trail launches in the Staffordshire Moorlands today, organised by OUTSIDE and Peak Wildlife Park, near Leek. Residents can hunt for the sculptures at sites including Rudyard Lake, Biddulph Grange Country Park, Manifold Valley and in Cheadle. Further details including a trail map can be found here.
For more outdoor activities, try the free treasure hunt trail running at Tittesworth Water, take a trip to Cannock Chase Forest for its Stick Man trail and special meet and greet event on 8 August or sign up to one of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s many family events including nature tots, nature crafts, wildlings and wildfamilies.
And the National Forest Adventure Farm, near Burton upon Trent, is having its biggest beach party yet with 250 tonnes of sand, five gigantic paddling pools, flash mob dances and seaside shows.
There’s an inflatable play area visiting Longton Rugby Club in Stoke-on-Trent from 26 to 30 July and Mega Bounce Play Park will be coming to Tamworth Castle’s grounds on 2 and 3 August.
Trentham Monkey Forest will celebrate 20 years in business with a ‘Birthday Bonanza’ on 19 July.
Neighbour The Trentham Estate really comes alive for families during the summer, and this year there is everything from dog meet ups to a dinosaur trail and dinosaur takeover day to a Macbeth outdoor theatre , character meet and greets, as well as the popular summer concerts.
Dinosaurs can also be found at PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm in Penkridge over the summer. The attraction has different activities happening each week including bubble shows, reptile shows, rides to see the harvest, a birthday celebration, a dinosaur maize maze and a sunflower maze.
The 10-acre maze at Lichfield Maize Maze is also a popular spot for exploring and also picking sunflowers.
Children can enjoy more roarsome fun at The Potteries Centre in Stoke-on-Trent with a Jurassic trail running daily and free weekly activities including facepainting and interactive shows. Find out more here.
Also in Hanley, Smithfield’s urban beach returns on 2 August and a series of free weekly events and activities will form part of Smithfield Summer, a programme including live music, kite flying and a family BBQ. Click here for more information.
The Beach at Lichfield Cathedral has also returned for this year.
In Tamworth, there’s a summer carnival at Ankerside Shopping Centre tomorrow (19 July), a dinosaur takeover there on 30 August and pool parties, a ‘snow beach’ and glow skating sessions being held at Tamworth Snowdome.
Tamworth Castle has a summer programme of events which includes Saxon storytelling, workshops and a wizarding school.
On the subject of history, Staffordshire History Centre, in Stafford, has a series of family shows, story time sessions and drop-in crafts over the summer.
In a similar fashion, the Mitchell Arts Centre, in Stoke-on-Trent, has films, make and bake sessions, dance and drama workshops and a ‘build it cinema’ film adventure offering a cinema experience with a twist. Discover the events here.
Fun Fridays at Longton Exchange in Stoke-on-Trent means free entertainment for children and families every Friday in August between 11am and 3pm. Expect the likes of bouncy castles, live music and surprise animal guests.
Meanwhile, Newcastle-under-Lyme’s The Brampton Museum is hosting free family craft sessions most Wednesdays throughout the holidays.
At McArthurGlen West Midlands, in Cannock, there will be a daily food festival, an appearance from Peppa, Evie and Mummy Pig and a doodle trail as part of the outlet village’s Great Summer Social.
Fellow outlet shopping centre Affinity Staffordshire, in Talke, will host maze-based activities with a weekly theme, character visits every Thursday with details of its summer events available here.
The Great British Food Festival on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border at Weston Park promises to be fun for the whole family next weekend. The estate is also hosting a summer fiesta over the summer bank holiday weekend and is home to a new interactive story trail ‘Oli & Nel’s Hare-Raising Adventure: The Tale of the Lost Lyrebird,’ which follows the story of Weston’s resident hares.
Family fun can also be had at the Sensasian Festival at the New Vic Theatre in Basford on 26 July, held to celebrate South Asian culture.
There are circus-themed events at Gladstone Pottery Museum and the National Memorial Arboretum’s summer programme aims to spark curiosity in the great outdoors and unlock the tales behind trees. There’s a new sound installation, musical theatre performances, workshops, storytelling, arts and crafts and more.
Canalside Farm, in Great Haywood, is running various workshops for primary school aged children as well as being home to a pick your own strawberries and raspberries experience.
Other farms offering fruit picking experiences include Manor Farm Fruits in Tamworth and Bearstone Fruit Farm on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border.
For a bit of quiet time, don’t forget the Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2025 inviting children aged up to 11 to read at least six books over the summer holidays and there are hundreds of events planned throughout July and August at libraries across Staffordshire to support the challenge. Find events happening at your local library here or get in touch directly.
To tie in with this, ‘Dr Dolittle’, a 35-minute story performance featuring playful puppets, is running between 7 and 15 August across Staffordshire for children aged four and over. Contact your local library to find out more.
At Barlaston’s World of Wedgwood, there are factory tours, pots to decorate, hands-on clay sessions and also special activities for Wedgwood Wednesdays. Click here for more information.
Lichfield District Council’s Active Lichfield Communities team have organised free Getin2it activities – from soft archery to street dance and rock climbing – for seven to 19-year-olds to enjoy over the six-week holidays. Find out more here.
And if your children have had new bikes for the summer – or are likely to be out on them a lot – consider getting them ‘marked’ and on the National Bike Register Scheme for free at bike marking events being held in Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley town centres tomorrow (19 July).
Please post details of other summer events worthy of a shout out in the comments section below.
