For when the forecast falls apart. Everything here is under a roof, or has enough indoor space to be worth the drive anyway.
A free exhibition at Lowry built round picture books like Elmer and Dear Zoo, with play areas for under 7s. It closes on 1 November, so half term is the last chance. Free, but book a timed slot.
Halloween build challenges, glow in the dark brick workshops and the Great Monster Chase 4D film back in the cinema. The toilets there are shut for a refit until 22 October and the nearest ones are on floor 4 of the Trafford Palazzo, which is better known before than during.
The Clubhouse marks 25 years of Room on the Broom with a Halloween dance party and the chance to meet Witch. Costumes encouraged. It is included in normal admission, which is from £12 a child.
A trail round the tanks helping the Sea Witches and Warlocks protect the creatures, with characters, photo spots and a small pumpkin patch, all in a normal ticket. Under 2s free. The Cursed Depths nights on 30 and 31 October and 1 November are the after hours, scarier version and a separate thing.
Luke Jerram's seven-metre glowing moon hangs in the cathedral for the whole of October, with children's workshops and pyjama parties on the programme. Entry is by donation, suggested £5 an adult or £12 a family, and daytime visits need no booking. Sunday opening is only 12 to 2.
A free, low-key Halloween-season job for 5 to 12s: pick up a sheet at the welcome desk and make a skeleton mask inspired by a mysterious painting in Gallery One. Runs through half term and all of November.
Halloween crafts at Clitheroe Castle Museum: a wool castle cat for £2 or a spooky tealight holder for £3, no museum ticket needed. Drop in between 11am and 4pm, all ages.
A Halloween trail round the aquarium with challenges, a pumpkin patch and a reward at the end, plus Serafina the Sea Witch at weekends and in half term. Included with admission. Separate, scarier After Dark evenings run on 24, 25, 30 and 31 October for older children.
Radcliffe Library's Monday rhyme time carries on at New Life Church, 10.30am in term time, while the library is closed for its move into the new Radcliffe Hub. Cost is not stated on the council page.
Free drop-in storytelling for 2 to 5s at Bolton libraries, running through school holidays. Bolton Central is Wednesdays and Fridays at 11am; Farnworth, Horwich, Westhoughton and others have their own weekly slot.
A weekly chess club for children aged 6 and up at Crosby Library, Mondays from 3.30pm to 4.45pm in the small lecture hall. No booking, just turn up. Drinks are provided.
A free weekly after-school Lego club at Boothstown Library, Tuesdays in term time from 3.30pm to 4.30pm, for primary school children. Under 8s need an adult with them. No booking needed.
Baby Bards is a 45-minute story and early phonics session for 18 months to 4 years at Shakespeare North Playhouse, every Tuesday until 15 December. £6 covers a child and one adult, with no booking fee.
Two free regulars at Bolton Central Library: Baby Time with songs every Tuesday from 10.30am to 11.30am, and Saturday Storytime at 2pm. No booking needed for either.
Stay and Discover at Keswick Museum, a story with Becky and Digby followed by a creative session for under 5s. Free, one booking per family, every term time Wednesday.
A free half hour of stories for under 5s at Stockroom, the new library in Merseyway. Every Wednesday at 11am. It is free but they ask you to book so they know numbers.
Little Explorers at Tullie in Carlisle, a gentle themed session for under 5s and their grown up in a different gallery each week. Children free with an adult ticket. Book ahead.
Little Wanderers at Wordsworth Grasmere, free songs, stories and play for under 5s inspired by Dove Cottage. Term time Thursday mornings, just turn up.
Free Rhyme and Chat Time at Bury Library on Thursdays in term time, 11.30am to 12.30pm, aimed at early speech and language. No booking. Use the ramp opposite the Job Centre and staff will let you in.
Tiny Tales is creative play, stories and songs for under 5s in the Everyman's Street Cafe, Thursdays at 11am until 17 December. £6 covers one adult and up to three children. Book through Teeny Tiny Theatre.
High Jinx, a magic and illusion show in the Blackpool Tower Circus ring, on a handful of dates only this autumn. All shows at 2.30pm, and it comes back for the Christmas holidays.
Bookstart Bear Club at Rochdale Central Library on Fridays in term time, 9.45am to 10.30am, for toddlers up to pre-school. Free, but book a ticket per child. Children collect stamps in a Bookstart passport.
Quiet inclusive sessions at Dunes Splash World for neurodiverse and disabled visitors and their families, 6pm to 8pm on 19 October, 23 November and 21 December. £8.50 each, one carer free, just turn up and pay.
A movement class for 1 to 5s and their grown-ups at The Met in Bury, Wednesdays 1.30pm to 2.30pm until 16 December, with no session in half term. £4.50 a session. Good for burning off energy indoors.
The Garrick's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs over half term in Altrincham. Matinees on the weekends. Recommended for 6 and over, and no under 4s at all.
Batilda the witch has dropped her potion ingredients all over the house, and children hunt them down room by room for a small prize. Recommended from age 3; adults pay normal house admission.
Half term at the aquarium with spooky trails, activities and skeleton scuba shows in the tanks, plus the odd ghoul wandering about. Indoors and warm, which counts for a lot in the last week of October. The page prints no year, but those dates only fit this year's half term.
Half term crafts at Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts house above Windermere: tissue paper flowers every day and stamp making on 29 October. Included with house admission.
Spooky drop in crafts every afternoon of half term at Tullie in Carlisle, a different make each day. Children go free with an adult day ticket or annual pass.
A circus-themed half-term panto, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, at St Helens Theatre Royal from 24 October to 1 November. Two shows on the first weekend, then a 1pm matinee daily. A family ticket for four is £103.
Not Halloween as such, but half term on the Wirral with a real-life dragon from Teach Rex, dragon breath with The Wonderweaver and a new show, Dragon Dynamics. Useful for the child who is sick of pumpkins by the Tuesday.
Four not-too-scary Halloween parties run by the park cafe: a K-Pop Demon Hunters party (Sun 25 Oct, 2 to 4, £13.50), a Friendly Witch show for toddlers (Wed 28 Oct, 2 to 4, £12.50), Wizardry and Dragons with party food (Sat 31 Oct, 11 to 1, £13) and a Wicked-themed party (Sun 1 Nov, 2 to 4, £15). Most let one adult in free with each child and are capped at 30 children, so book early.
Half term at Elizabeth Gaskell's House: a Cranford the Cat trail and a spooky sill haunter craft, free for under 16s with a paying adult. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday only, and you need to book.
Rochdale Town Hall runs free family Halloween activities every day of half term, 26 October to 1 November, 10am to 4pm. No booking. The exact activities are still to be announced on its social channels.
Hour-long candlelit tours of the house over the last four evenings of October half term, alongside a Halloween scavenger hunt in the topiary garden, creative workshops and a costume competition. Not for under-5s, and the tour ticket does not include daytime entry.
A Halloween disco session at the trampoline and inflatable park, ninety minutes for £9.99 with grip socks extra. Fancy dress optional, long sleeves sensible.
Two-hour Halloween parties in the soft play: a pumpkin hunt, fancy dress, a UV disco with glow sticks and a spooky gift each, with face painting at the Friday and Saturday ones. Sunday's is an SEN party, and one adult or carer goes free per booking.
Free family films in the Bolton Central Library lecture theatre at 2pm on the second Saturday of the month, moving to the Friday in half term. Coming up: 30 October, 14 November, 12 December. Titles are not published.
Arc's monthly art club at Hat Works in Stockport, where adults and children make things together. Drop in between 11am and 3pm, with a suggested £3 donation per artist if you can afford it.
Join us and Colibri Mexican Folkdance for a vibrant celebration of life, love, and remembrance!
Dinosaur Adventure Live is an interactive stage show with realistic dinosaurs at The Brindley in Runcorn on Sunday 1 November, at 2pm and 4.30pm. Rangers try to save the island. Tickets £18.50.
A live Ms Rachel tribute show for toddlers at Middleton Arena on Sunday 1 November at 1pm, with sing-alongs and plenty of joining in. Under 12 months go free on a paying adult's lap. From £19.43.
Steve Backshall's Deadly Live, the stage show from the CBBC series, at the Winter Gardens Opera House in Blackpool. One show at 2pm on 1 November. Tickets are not cheap.
Sunday School open to school age children during the services, week one and week three.
Starts at 11am. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Nick Cope, the CBeebies Popcast singer, brings his family concert to Waterside in Sale. Two shows on 1 November, songs with animations on screen. Aimed at ages 3 and up.
Tommy and Tilly's Magic Castle, a Halloween half term panto with songs, illusions and audience joining in, at Blackburn Empire Theatre. One show at 1pm on 1 November. Family ticket £47.
For anyone in Year 6 and up all about fun, friendship and faith.
For anyone in Year 6 and up all about fun, friendship and faith.
For anyone in Year 6 and up all about fun, friendship and faith.
Want to explore following Jesus in more depth?
In partnership with Triple C, Little Lambs runs on a Monday from 10.
Starts at 10am. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Crafts, sports, and bible-based activities for school-years 5 to 8.
Preschool Stay and Play Toddler Group for toddlers and parents/carers.
Parents and children can meet in our beautiful church hall to 'Stay and Play'!
A stay and play morning for all parents with young children in the Church lounge.
George's 'Tiny Tots' baby, toddler and carer, stay and play group.
Meet weekly during term time on a Monday.
Crafts, sports, and bible-based activities for school-years 5 to 8.
Activities and chilling out for 11's+ - sometimes meets off-site, please check.
A group for young people in Year 7 and above meets in Betley Reading Room on the 2nd and 4th Mondays, 6.
For children from reception to year 2 at primary school.
Runs on 6 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Runs on 6 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Songs and stories for children under 5 and parents/carers.
Runs on 6 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Relaxed and informal Stay and Play at Wigan Library.
Runs on 6 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Runs on 7 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Regular stories and rhymes group for children under 5 and their grown ups.
Regular story and rhyme time sessions for children under five.
A monthly story session for pre-school children in the reading corner at Rochdale Town Hall, first Monday of the month at 11am, so 2 November, 7 December and 4 January. £2.10 a child, adults free.
Join us at our weekly bounce and rhyme event.
Weekly term time Toddler group for parents and carers of pre-school children.
This is a weekly group for pregnant mums and those with under ones.
Starts at 10am. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Varied play activities plus healthy snack for babies and pre-school children with a parent or carer, Second Tuesday starts with a short "Pram Service"
All little people under 5 are welcome with their grown ups for playtime, snacks, singing and a chance to chat.
Pre-school group which meet during term-time every Tuesday morning between 09:30 and 11:00am.
A friendly stay and play group for children under school age and their parents/carers.
A pre-school group for toddlers and parents/carers, with a Christian ethos.
Starts at 7pm. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Starts at 7pm. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Runs on 5 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Runs on 5 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Runs on 5 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Baby Bubbles and Rhymes is a free interactive children's event aimed at children aged 0-5 years with the use of musical instruments and play activities such as parachute play and ball pool.
Come along and enjoy rhymes, singing, musical instruments and bubbles.
Runs on 6 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
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