Rainy Day Activities During the Easter School Holidays

Spring has sprung, but you can’t always rely on the weather. We’ve got you covered for exciting activities to keep the kids entertained – and dry – during the Easter school holidays.

Darlington

4Motion Skate Park

There’s wheely good fun to be had at 4Motion – whether you’re on a BMX, scooter or skateboard.

The indoor skate park doesn’t require booking, just check the timetable and turn up. Or if your child wants to brush up on their skills, there’s a range of bookable coaching sessions.

There are even dedicated times for toddlers, if you want to make them the next Tony Hawks start them really early.

Find out about sessions and pricing here.

Sim King Gaming

Sim King Gaming is the ultimate social gamers lounge.

The multicolour UV utopia is Decked out with state-of-the-art video game consoles and top range vehicle racing simulators for an unmatched innovative experience. The lounge also serves hot food, hot and cold drinks, snacks and even fresh popcorn.

Click here for information on their pricing, as well as their opening times and food and drink menu.

Hartlepool

Hartlepool Heugh Gun Battery Museum

If you want to teach your children about the sheer scale of the First World War, visit the Heugh Gun Battery Museum, where you can learn about the only battle to take place within the British Isles during the conflict.

The former battery was built in 1860 to protect Hartlepool’s once prosperous port and now homes a museum dedicated to its regional and historical importance. The museum commemorates the brave local soldiers who fought off the German High Seas Fleet in 1914, using the Heugh Gun Battery, as well as the first soldier to have died in a world war on British soil.

Admission is pay-what-you-decide and dogs are welcome.

The Museum of Hartlepool

See Hartlepool through the ages as history is brought to life in this recently transformed museum, with artefacts and exhibitions focusing on key events over 5,000 years, which includes a poignant First World War poppy memorial.

Explore toys that are more than a century old, see Anglo-Saxon jewellery or even try on a medieval gown or Victorian jacket. Or check out a new free exhibition on Nature & Ecology, featuring works from Northern School of Art students.

Click here for more.

Middlesbrough

Captain Cook Birthplace Museum

If you get caught out in Stewart Park, why not dive into the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum?

It tells the story of one of the world’s greatest navigators and mariners, famed for his voyages to Australia and New Zealand, and is located next to the site of Cook’s birthplace cottage.

Admission is £4 for adults, £3 for children and over 60s, and free for kids under three.

Hatchet Harry’s Axe Throwing

Hatchet Harry’s is all about teaching the Canadian pastime of axe throwing to people in the UK.

The indoor venue is suitable for everyone aged eight and up, and Hatchet Harry’s prides itself on excellent customer service, teaching axe throwing in an enjoyable – but safe – way.

Book your 90-minute session and find out more at the website here.

Redcar & Cleveland

Holey Molies

If it’s too damp to tee off outdoors, Holey Molies is another great option that’s definitely above-par.

The world’s longest indoor golf course is great for adults and kids alike, where you can take on drops, challenging loops and a half-pipe as you try to score a hole in one!

And the fun doesn’t have to be restricted to the Easter holidays because it offers an after-school deal of a game of mini-golf for a child and adult, plus a kid’s meal for £9 on Wednesdays to Fridays during term time.

FlowRider

We promised we’d get you out of the rain, but didn’t say you wouldn’t get wet! FlowRider’s simulated wave experience is like surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding all rolled into one.

You can also explore the rest of Redcar Leisure Centre, with its gym, pool, sauna and steam room.

A maximum of 8 people can book into FlowRider per session, and the cost per person for a one-hour session is £18.20. For more information click here.

Stockton-on-Tees

Billingham Forum Ice Arena

There’s never been a better time to get your skates on and head out on the ice, after the Billingham venue was named the UK’s second-best ice rink – only beaten by London’s Alexandra Palace.

You don’t need to head to the capital for you or your kids to channel your inner Torvill & Dean, with open skating sessions running alongside family evenings and Pulse – the disco on ice.

Find out more here.

Preston Park and Museum

Preston Park’s the perfect place to keep you dry – with lots to explore out of the rain in its museum.

Its exhibition space features Victorian and Georgian relics recovered from the region, and a tropical garden boasts plants and flowers exotic to Teesside. The museum also hosts several events throughout the year, including pottery classes, and term time clubs. Click here to find out more.

If there’s a break in the weather, step out onto the interactive Victorian Street. Check out the sweet shop, printing press, blacksmiths, chemists, grocers and police station, where Victorian characters will tell you all about life back then.

Admission costs £5 for adults and £3 for children. students, over 60s, and under threes go free.