October half term is always a brilliant time for family fun.

Whilst some families choose to get away for the week, plenty more decide to stay at home and enjoy all of the things we have on offer locally. This year we have so many things to do in Milton Keynes that I thought i would pull them all together in one place. There’s something for everyone on this list but if you feel I’ve missed something, please let me know about it!

Pumpkin Picking

This is such a fun day out for the whole family and adds an extra dimension to your pumpkin carving. These are the places you can visit this half term to pick your own pumpkin in and around Milton Keynes.

The Patch MK - Open every day over Half Term & weekends - Tickets are £4.50. Under 18 months are free. Book online.

Mead Open Farm - More than Pumpkin Picking - This is a Freaky Fun Fest! Tickets £18.25 per adult & £17.25 per child.

A little further away…

The Pop Up Farm - Junction 9 of the M1 - Tickets are £5.95 (+46p booking fee). Under 2’s are free. Book online.

Secret Pumpkin Farm - Based in Moggerhanger - Open every day over Half Term & other weekends - Tickets are £3.50. Two SEN sessions available.

The Great Outdoors

Autumn is a fabulous time to get out into the great outdoors. Younger children can be kept entertained for hours on a nature walk, collecting various leaves and woodland treasures or spotting squirrels and birds! Older children might be more entertained with a great playpark. We’re really lucky in Milton Keynes that we have some fabulous outdoor spaces that are perfect for a family day out

Over the October half term the Parks Trust has lots of activities you can sign up for ranging from £1 - £8. These include;

Apple Day (19th) - Ouzel Valley Park - FREE
Tree Tots (multiple dates) - Howe Park Wood (Under 5s) - £1
Open Mornings at Howe Park Wood - Spiders, Hedgehogs and Fungi (29th - 31st) - FREE
Nature Crafts for children (29th, 30th & 31st) - Howe Park Wood - £1.50
Family Litter Pick- Glebe Farm - FREE

Bike Riding

Cycling is a great activity for the whole family and we all know there are some great places to ride your bike around MK. From the Redway, Parks Trust & places like Rushmere Country Park nearby there’s loads of choices.

For some inspiration on cycling routes, check out GetAroundMK.

Explore your local museum or Art gallery

Quite often the attractions that are right under our noses are the ones we overlook. Locally we have Bletchley Park, The National Museum of Computing and Milton Keynes Museum, which if you’ve not visited before or in a while might pleasantly surprise you!

From the 28th October - 1st November Bletchley Park are running an event where kids can learn about how they would have celebrated Halloween during WW2. They’ll make decorations, program a robot to go trick-or-treating, build Halloween houses out of lego and try some codebreaking. Suitable for ages 5+ and it’s included in the admission price.

The National Museum of Computing are running Art with Robotics on the 26th, Programming on the 27th and AR & VR on the 2nd. Each day has two drop sessions leaving you time to explore the museum for the rest of your visit.

Other Activities in Milton Keynes

If the weather isn’t on your side and you need some more indoor activities, check out my blog post of Rainy Day Activities in Milton Keynes, which includes everything from Soft Play, Spy Missions, Escape Rooms & Boardgame Cafe and much more!