Summer Holidays
Join us from Saturday 18 July until Sunday 30 August for a holiday themed summer of family fun!
Get ready for weeks of amazing entertainment with interactive family shows, hands-on craft workshops, pop-up beach with music, and classic giant holiday games, special events and performances, creative trails, horsekeeper talks plus much, much more.
Our summer offer is great value for families; just £10 per car, including amazing activities and unlimited Paddy Train rides for everyone (usually £2.50 per person) – weather permitting. We have a special early bird offer of £7.50 per car available until Saturday 11 July.
Some workshops and tours carry an additional charge and can be booked online in advance, please see below for what’s on.
Please note: The Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
What’s On this Summer:
Time Tunnel
Wed-Sun
£5.50 per child, £6.50 per adult, pre-booking advised
Be transported through the centuries as you are taken through almost 200 years of mining history thanks to state-of-the-art technology. Led by a former miner you will travel through time and discover the incredible stories of coal mining through the centuries.
Makers’ Shed
Wed-Sun, 11am-4pm
Free as part of the summer offer, drop-in at Pony Discovery Centre
Join us us for free crafts inspired by the work of Jason Wilsher-Mills and miners welfare trips to the seaside from a bygone era.
Science Show
Wed-Sun, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
Blacksmith’s Workshop
Free as part of the summer offer
Step from light into darkness in this explosive, interactive science show packed with fascinating facts, dazzling demonstrations, and encounters with historical characters.
Paddy Train (weather dependent)
Wed-Sun, free as part of the summer offer
Explore the Museum in a whole new way and hop aboard the Paddy Train from Hope Pit to Caphouse Colliery.
Beach Time at the Coal Mine
Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm, Free as part of the summer offer (when the sun is shining)
Relax, play, and soak up the summer vibes at the beach. Build sandcastles, play games like Jenga and dominos or just relax in our tranquil setting. Come along, kick off your shoes, and make some special memories.
The Rubbing Trail
Wed – Sun, free as part of the summer offer
Look out for special rubbing plaques hidden around the site and create magical images.
Minecraft Escape Room In A Box
Thu 23 July, Thu 6, Sat 8, Thu 20 Aug: 10.30am and 1pm
£15 per ticket (Up to 2 adults & 1 child) + £5 per additional child, pre-bookable
Join us for a Minecraft themed escape room challenge. Solve riddles, crack codes and problem-solve your way to victory.
Nature Crafts: Family Workshop
Wed 29–Fri 31 July & Wed 19–Fri 21 Aug: 11am–12.30am
£10 per family, pre-bookable
Head out onto the Museum’s Nature Trail for a hands-on craft adventure, and get close to nature by making sun prints, hammer-printing organic materials onto textiles. Forage the forest floor to create beautiful clay tiles to hide in the trees.
Inspiring Animation
Wed 29-Thu 30 July,
£7 per family pair, pre-bookable
Join artists Lenny and Whale to explore animation techniques. Design characters using paper-based drawing and collage approaches. Use digital drawing apps to develop your work.
Yorkshire Day
Saturday 1 August, 10am-5pm, find out more
Free as part of the summer offer
Join us for a grand gala family fun extravaganza in the proper Yorkshire way, inspired by the vibrant Miners’ welfare galas of years past. Imerse yourself in the sights, sounds and experiences of real coalfield celebration.
Engineering Explorers
Wed 12–14 Aug: 11am–12.30pm
£10 per family, pre-bookable
Do you have what it takes to become a master mining engineer? Take part in a range of problem-solving challenges that spark curiosity and creativity!
Bath Bomb Making
13 August, 11am–12.30pm
£9 per child, pre-bookable
Join Forever Fizz for a fun bath bomb making workshop where creativity meets science. Create your own vibrant fizzy treats from scratch and discover how the ingredients react to create the colour explosion in your bath.
Wind in the Willows: Outdoor Theatre Performance
Saturday 15 August, 12pm
Free as part of the summer offer
Noisy Cow Theatre Co invites you to leave the modern world behind and join Mole, Ratty, and the formidable Badger on Kenneth Grahame’s classic adventure that has captivated hearts for over a century.
The Caphouse Brick Show
Sunday 23 August,
£4 early bird / £5 on the day (no entry before 12pm), pre-bookable
Get ready to unleash your imagination and join the building fun – a fun day out for fans of all ages! brick-built masterpieces. See LEGO brick-built masterpieces across a wide variety of themes and enjoy hands-on fun in a building zone.
Shrinking Pin Badges: Family Workshop
Wed 19–Fri 21 & Wed 26–Fri 28 Aug: 11am and 12.30pm
£10 per family, pre-bookable
Join us for a crazy colourful workshop, inspired by the vibrant storytelling tapestries of Jason Wilsher-Mills. Create your own pin badge that tells a
story using Jason’s playful emblems, then watch it magically shrink before your eyes with heat.
Tours:
Pithead Baths Explore
Wed-Sun, 12pm, Free
Meet at Pithead Baths
Discover the daily routines of miners, from the start to the end of their day, in this fun family tour!
