If you’re wondering ‘witch’ events to enjoy with the children this half term, we can promise you a wizard time with this list of attractions to visit by bus.

Since it’s Halloween there are supernatural forces at play all week, but it’s also the Cumbria Dark Skies Festival, plus we’ve included some non-spooky goings-on too.

Everything can be reached by Stagecoach bus where services cost a maximum of £3 per journey.

North Cumbria

Family crafts at Tullie, Castle Street, Carlisle

Bus route: Multiple services into Carlisle
Bus stop: Carlisle Bus Station / Carlisle Market Hall

Seeing red because the kids have holiday boredom blues? Then get them to the Tullie where there’s craft sessions based on its exhibition Colour.

Expect lots of cutting, sticking and shading every day from 1pm to 4pm against a backdrop of artwork by Andy Warhol, Wassily Kandinsky and Hokusai, plus examples of colour in everyday life, including Cadbury’s purple.

On October 31 the session has a Halloween theme, and there’s a pumpkin trail each day in the gallery’s garden.

Find out more here

Apple tasting at Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, Penrith

Bus route: 563
Bus stop: Temple Sowerby (Please note, Acorn Bank is a 1 mile walk from the post office)

It’s crunch time at Acorn Bank – with fallen leaves underfoot and the final apple tasting weekend of the season on October 25/26.

Acorn Bank’s garden team grow 175 varieties – including Keswick Codlins, Howgate Wonders and Pitmaston Pineapples.

Family activities are also run all half term from the Shepherd’s Hut, including a leaf and seed hunt, plaque rubbing and a woodland trail.

For details, click here

Lantern making at Carlisle Cathedral

Bus route: Multiple services into Carlisle
Bus stop: Carlisle Bus Station / Carlisle Market Hall

Now here’s a bright idea – primary school-aged children are invited to make a lantern to light up the autumn sky as part of Cumbria Tourism’s Dark Skies Festival.

The hour-long session in the cathedral’s Fratry Undercroft starts at 2pm on October 30 and costs £5 per child.

The cathedral will also run its Angel View tours on October 30and 31 where you can climb up to the clerestory for a close-up look at the stained glass and starry ceiling.

To book, click here

Wicked treats at Dobbies Garden Centre, Haddon Grange, near Dalston

Bus route: 300, 400, 554, 600
Bus stop: 5-minute walk from Orton Grange roundabout

If your children have a taste for magic they might love a Halloween afternoon tea. Available on October 25, 26 and 31, they can dine on coffin-shaped sandwiches, scones and spooky cakes, while mixing potions, formulating slime and sculpting their own magic wand for 15 gold Galleons – or £15 in muggle money.

To book, click here

Halloween Party at Brampton Community Centre, Union Lane, Brampton

Bus route: 685
Bus stop: Front Street

If Halloween had the little ones under its spell you can repeat the trick on November 2 with a ticket to Brampton Community Centre’s Halloween Party for five to 11-year-olds.

The magic begins at 2pmand lasts two hours, with entertainment provided by Stardust Parties. Tickets are £6 and children must be accompanied by an adult (who go free).

To book, click here

Casper at Tullie, Castle Street, Carlisle

Bus route: Multiple services into Carlisle
Bus stop: Carlisle Bus Station / Carlisle Market Hall

Scares and frights are a Halloween tradition, but what if your little ones prefer a friendly ghost? Well, they’re in luck because the film Casper – which is celebrating its 30th anniversary – is being screened on October 30 at 2pm.

When Dr Harvey arrives at the haunted mansion Whipstaff Manor, his job is to drive out the troublesome ghouls. But Casper just wants to make pals, and he finds one in Dr Harvey’s daughter, Kat.

To book, click here

Hotel Transylvania 2 at Vue Cinema, Botchergate, Carlisle

Bus route: Multiple services into Carlisle
Bus stop: Carlisle Bus Station / Carlisle Market Hall

What’s the point of a vampire that doesn’t like drinking blood? That’s the dilemma facing Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) when his grandson Dennis refuses to get his teeth into the family traditions.

A horror movie with a U certificate, Hotel Transylvania 2 is part of Vue Cinemas’ spooky season, with daytime showings on October 25 and 26.

Book here

Aira Force and Gowbarrow Park

Bus route: 508, 509, UB1
Bus stop: Aira Force

This is one half-term destination that’s definitely better by bus – Aira Force’s car parks fill up fast. It’s also a place that’s great after a downpour, when the waterfall is in full effect.

There are various walks, including ones suitable for pushchairs, and autumn adventure activity sheets can be collected from the welcome building with 50 activity ideas, including red squirrel spotting.

For details, click here

Ghost Tales at Carlisle Castle

Bus route:  Multiple services into Carlisle
Bus stop: 5-minute walk from West Tower Street

Horror is nailed on at Carlisle Castle – well, what else would you expect from a fortress built in the medieval era?

If you want to hear of its horrible history in full effect, get there at nightfall for a tour in the shadows.

Run over three evenings from October 30 to November 1, the ghost tales event is one for older teenagers only…

Click here if you dare.

Kingmoor Sidings Nature Reserve, Kingmoor Road, Carlisle

Bus route: 62 & 79
Bus stop: Redfern Inn, St Ann’s Hill

A woodland walk to enjoy the reds and browns of autumn is an obvious idea for the family half-term activity list. Once a busy steam locomotive depot, nature has reclaimed Kingmoor Sidings on the edge of Carlisle.

Owned by Carlisle City Council, the 22-acre space features easy walking trails through trees and beside ponds.

Kingmoor is perfect for a relaxing couple of hours’ exploring and a picnic.

West Cumbria

Halloween Festival, Helena Thompson Museum, Park End Road, Workington

Bus route: Multiple services into Workington
Bus stop: Helena Thompson Museum Bus Stop / Workington bus station

Here’s a festival that could go with a bang – museum staff are running spooky science experiments, alongside Halloween crafts, pumpkin picking, face painting and other frightful fun on October 31.

The day starts with sensory sessions for children with additional needs from 11am, and hour-long slots for everyone else can be booked from 12.30pm until the event ends at 4.30pm… which is just in time to hit the streets for trick or treating.

To book, click here

Spooky Potions Workshop, The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven

Bus route: Multiple services in Whitehaven
Bus stop: Lowther Street

No need to come armed with eye of newt or toe of frog – all ingredients are provided at this spooky potions workshop.

Run on October 27, 29 and 31 at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, the sessions for primary school-age children promise to create kooky colours, magical mists and plenty of laughs along the way.

Fancy dress is encouraged.

To book, click here

Spooky Cumbrian Stories, Wordsworth House and Gardens, Cockermouth

Bus route: X4/X5, 600
Bus stop: Cockermouth Main Street

In this age of TikTok and Instagram Reels it’s good to see traditional storytelling isn’t dead.

Local storyteller Jessie McMeekin will be telling spooky Cumbrian stories by the kitchen fire on October 29 from 11am onwards for children and adults who dare listen.

You don’t even have to like and subscribe at the end.

To book, click here 

Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport

Bus route: 30, 60, 300
Bus stop: Curzon Street

For families that love Roman around – it’s your last chance this year to take a guided tour of the fort that sits atop cliffs overlooking the Solway Firth on October 26.

The museum is packed with artefacts excavated from the fort during a five-year dig that found evidence of a cult, with rituals taking place at the fort’s altars.

It’s open every day over half term from 10.30am to 4pm, entry for children is £1.50, under-5s go free.

For details, click here

Winter Stories for Families, Florence Arts Centre, Egremont

Bus route: 30 & 22
Bus stop: Bridge End

If constant talk of Halloween is driving you batty, take the little ones to hear some traditional winter folk tales instead.

Aimed at children aged three to eight, there will be sound effects, actions and repetition.

Perhaps a little bit about witches and ghosts, but then it is that time of the year.

The hour-long session on October 25 starts at 11.30am and costs £5 per family.

To book, click here

Hedgehog Day, Keswick Museum

Bus route: Multiple services into Keswick
Bus stop: Keswick bus station

Let’s get to the point – hedgehog numbers have plummeted due to habitat loss – not helped by people paving over their gardens.

But your children can be part of the fightback by learning all about the shy creatures during Keswick Museum’s free family event on October 25.

From 11am there’ll be learning activities including making hedgehog models from clay.

Then at 3pm there will be a talk by members of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. You can also follow a nature trail in Fitz Park.

For details, click here

Ghost walks, Keswick Market Square

Bus route: Multiple services into Keswick
Bus stop: Keswick bus station

Did you know Keswick has a “history full of murder, intrigue and tortured souls”?

Apparently so, and if you dare follow ‘the Lady’, she’ll tell you all about it during a 90-minute stroll around the town centre and park.

The Lady sets off from the Moot Hall each day except Sundays throughout half-term week but warns her tales are too gruesome for young souls aged under 10. Tickets are £8 for under-16s, £10 for adults.

To book, click here

Twilight Bat Walk, Borrowdale Rainforest

Bus service: 77, 77A & 78
Bus stop: Rosthwaite, at Stonethwaite road end

Tell the kids to put down their rubber bat toys and go and see the real thing – led by a team of bat detectors.

Meeting at 5.45pm on October 30 at Stonethwaite Farm, the free walk across fields will be a chance to see Borrowdale’s bats feeding in the twilight.

Plus, you might spot or hear owls and foxes too. Part of the Cumbria Dark Skies Festival.

To book, click here

South Cumbria

The Brockhole Halloween Experience, Brockhole-on-Windermere

Bus route: 505, 516, 555, 599
Bus Stop: Brockhole gates

You could have a family day from hell at Brockhole, braving a haunted house, axe throwing, and its forest of fear.

These are just three of the 15 activities at the attraction that turns Halloween into a theme park of the paranormal.

Activities run from 10.15am to 4.30pm, and for £28 per person you’ll want to make a full day of it.

Book here for dates from October 25 to 31.

Jetty Museum, Rayrigg Road, Bowness

Bus route: 508
Bus stop: Windermere Jetty Museum Bus Stop

Is there anything more terrifying than a Plasticine monster… that’s been dropped and trodden into the carpet?

You can play it safe instead and let the little ones create their creatures at drop-in monster-making sessions at Jetty Museum from 11am to 3.45pm, October 28 to November 1.

Plus there’s spooky storytelling on October 29 at 2pm, and the attraction’s wildlife trail has been refreshed for autumn.

For details, click here

Dock Museum, North Road, Barrow

Bus route: 2, 3, 5 & 6
Bus stop: Dock Museum

Why not take a deep dive into Barrow’s history of building submarines with a trip to the Dock Museum?

Every child who lives in or near the town will recognise the BAE Systems shipyard but do they know Royal Navy subs have been built here since 1901?

They could learn about shipbuilding’s highs and lows, then splash their pocket money in the museum shop.

Open from Wednesday to Sunday each week, entry is free.

Inflatable Fun Day, Ulverston Victoria High School, and Ford Park

Bus route: 6, X6
Bus stop: Ulverston kiosk (stand A)

The kids will be totally pumped up to visit an inflatable fun day on November 2.

Ulverston Victoria High School sports hall will be packed with inflatable castles, slides and assault courses suitable for children aged from two upwards, for details click here.

Proceeds raised will go towards the upkeep of the town’s Ford Park, which you’ll probably want to visit too for its adventure playground, walled kitchen garden, plant nursery and walking trails.

Pumpkin carving, Allan Bank, Grasmere

Bus route: 555, 599
Bus stop: Grasmere Village

The (child-safe) knives are out at Allan Bank this half-term, plus other tools and pumpkins for creating the perfect Jack-o’-Lantern.

It’s quite a deal, for £3.50 (plus usual admission cost) each child gets Halloween’s most important prop and parents don’t need to mop down their kitchens afterwards.

Sessions are on from 10am to 4pm on October 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30.

To book, click here.

Twilight Tales, Dove Cottage, Grasmere

Bus route: 555, 599
Bus stop: Daffodil House

If you prefer Halloween with no tricks but lots of treats, how does a mug of hot chocolate and a slab of gingerbread grab you?

At 4pm on October 29 and 30, families meet at Dove Cottage’s cosy learning space to dress up in Georgian costumes, hear chat about the Wordsworths, make crafts and enjoy snacks.

Then it’s over to Dove Cottage at twilight to hear Cumbria’s creepiest folk tales.

The event is designed for primary school children but younger siblings can come too.

It’s £10 for children, £5 for adults, book here.

World of Beatrix Potter, Crag Brow, Bowness

Bus route: 6, 508, 555, 599, 755
Bus stop: Royalty Cinema 

To kick off its half term of Halloween fun, a comedy musical for young children entitled Hallowbean is on at the attraction’s theatre on October 25.

Set in the town of Ghoooul (not to be confused with Goole, East Yorkshire), it tells the story of Dr Frankenheinz and his attempt to wow food critic Scary Berry at the annual Hallowbean cooking contest.

Other events include craft making, The Witch Who Couldn’t Sleep show and an Alice in Wonderland puppet play.

For details, click here

Halloween crafting, Beetham Nurseries, Pool Darkin Lane, Beetham

Bus route: 755
Bus Stop: Beetham, Heron Theatre

If crafting has your children spellbound, you could book them in for a Halloween crafting workshop from 10.30am to 12.30pm on October 30.

Aimed at youngsters aged five upwards, they’ll create a lantern, spider web and Halloween mask, while sipping juice and munching on a sweet treat.

First child is £17, tickets for subsequent children are £5.

You can book your place here

Fell Foot, Newby Bridge, Windermere

Bus route: 6
Bus Stop: Fell Foot Country Park

If it’s warm this half term you might fancy a splashing family day out at Lake Windermere with paddling, or even wild swimming and boat hire.

Fell Foot, run by the National Trust, offers terrific access to the lake and for £2 you can use the Active Base changing facility with showers, lockers and underfloor heating.

If the water can’t draw you in, the park also has an adventure playground, a cafe, walking routes, picnic area and toilets.

For details, click here

Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, near Ulverston

Bus route: 6, X6
Bus stop: Haverthwaite

It’s the final week before the heritage railway lets off steam and its engines are shunted into sheds on November 2 until spring.

So if the family fancy a trip from Haverthwaite to Lakeside, then perhaps on by boat to Ambleside with Windermere Lake Cruises, now’s the time.

You can buy train tickets, train and boat tickets, and use the service to get to the Lakes Aquarium and World of Beatrix Potter – click here for details