So why not get stuck in to our guide to things to do and places to go?
We’ve extended the guide to cover not only the next few days but also the early part of the school half-term fortnight, which begins on Monday.
Mansfield has any number of activities and attractions to help the kids enjoy their time off, including play sessions at the museum, films at the Palace Theatre, fun at the Four Seasons Shopping Centre and a monster hunt at Rufford Abbey. There’s even a chance for the whole family to pick their own pumpkins for Halloween.
The grown-ups are not forgotten about either. They can go back in time to the 1940s, sample a few at a beer and cider festival or relive the sounds gone by of Genesis and Happy Mondays.
Before you set off, please be sure to check the venue’s website for opening times and admission prices.
Have a great time!
1. Monster hunt at Rufford Abbey
The spirit of Halloween is already enveloping Rufford Abbey, where a monster hunt for the family begins on Saturday and runs until Monday, October 31 (10 am to 4 pm each day). Funny goings-on have been reported to the park rangers, who now need your help in hunting down the creatures, ghosts and ghouls to restore harmony for all. Pick up your monster map and follow the trail into the haunted hideaways and creepy woods. Photo: Submitted
2. Fun films for the kids
Mansfield's Palace Theatre is helping to while away the hours during the first half-term week by showing a couple of fun films for the kids. Next Tuesday, 'The Addams Family' (PG), the first animated comedy about the craziest, funniest family on the block, is back on the big screen. And that's followed next Wednesday by 'Hotel Transylvania' (PG) as Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half-human, half-vampire grandson. Photo: Submitted
3. Half-term crafts at museum
Three days of half-term crafts at Mansfield Museum next week (10 am to to 12 midday) are sure to keep families busy. On Tuesday, you can make an autumn jar (pictured), perfect for a table centrepiece or a gift. On Wednesday, make your own autumn animal mask, and on Thursday, try your hand at making an autumn leaf wreath. All three sessions are free. Photo: Submitted
4. Go back in time to the 1940s
Papplewick Pumping Station, Britain's finest Victorian waterworks, hosts two of its steaming days on Saturday and Sunday (10.30 am to 4 pm). And the theme this weekend is the 1940s as visitors find out what life was like during and just after the Second World War. Catch up on the activities, the fashion and the transport of the day, with displays, re-enactments, trade stalls and entertainment. Photo: Tony Fletcher Photography