February half term runs from Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027 for schools that follow Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council term dates. Academies, trust and foundation schools set their own calendars, so check your child’s school before you book anything. It is a tricky week to plan. Plenty of Cambridgeshire attractions are still shut for winter, the Fens can be under water, and most venues do not publish their half term programmes until January.
This guide covers fourteen places that open in mid-February, split between Cambridge and the south, Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse, and Ely, the Fens and Peterborough. Where a venue has already published 2027 details we give them. Where it has not, we say what usually happens that week.
Details were accurate at the time of research in November 2026. Half term events, opening days and prices change, so please check each venue’s own website before you travel.
Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire
Cambridge has the indoor options, including the university museums and the glasshouses, and the south of the county has the big estates that stay open through the winter. Snowdrops are usually at their best right around half term, which makes this the week for the gardens east of the city.
Twilight at the Museums, Cambridge
Indoor activity
- An after-dark festival held during February half term, when the University of Cambridge Museums and their partners open in the evening for torchlit trails, crafts, storytelling and performances
- It runs every February half term, and 2026 was its twentieth year
- Venues have included the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Polar Museum, the Museum of Zoology, the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the Whipple Museum, Kettle’s Yard and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
- The Museum of Cambridge, Cambridge Museum of Technology, Centre for Computing History, Cambridge Science Centre, Great St Mary’s and the Botanic Garden also joined in
- Each venue sets its own times and activities, so read the programme and plan a route between two or three museums rather than trying to do them all
- Most sessions are free drop-ins, and it is worth bringing a torch
- The museums are spread across the city centre and there is no parking at most of them, so use park and ride, the bus or the train
Where: Museums across central Cambridge; venues and times change each year
Website: museums.cam.ac.uk/theme/twilight
How to book: Mostly drop-in; check the programme for any events that need booking
Twilight is the one Cambridge half term event that children talk about afterwards. Walking through the Museum of Zoology or past the polar expedition gear by torchlight is a very different visit from a wet Tuesday morning, and the trails give younger children a reason to keep going. The Downing Street museums sit close together, so a family can do three in an evening without a long walk. Wrap up for the walk between venues, because February evenings in the city centre are cold. The programme for 2027 goes on the website nearer the time, and the main evening has moved around within half term week in past years.
Anglesey Abbey
Outdoor activity
- A National Trust house and garden at Lode, north east of Cambridge, where snowdrop season runs from mid-January into February
- More than 500 snowdrop varieties grow on the estate, and the best spots along the Winter Walk, Woodland Path and Jubilee Avenue are marked with snowdrop hotspot signs
- The Winter Walk is a circular route of about three miles through woodland and avenues, finishing at the Winter Garden with its grove of white-stemmed silver birches
- The Woodland Play Area has swings and a climbing frame, and the paths to it are bark chipped, so wellies are a better choice than trainers
- Guided tours of the private snowdrop collection are ticketed separately, and tickets are usually released around Christmas
- National Trust members get in free; pushchairs are not allowed inside the house because of stairs and narrow corridors
Address: Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9EJ
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/anglesey-abbey-gardens-and-lode-mill
How to book: Garden entry on arrival or online through the National Trust; snowdrop tours must be booked
Half term and peak snowdrops usually line up at Anglesey Abbey, and that is the reason to go this week rather than in March. The drifts under the trees on the Woodland Path are the part children notice, and the hotspot signs give them something to hunt for. The Winter Garden is short enough for a toddler, and the red dogwood stems and birch trunks stand out even on a grey day. Sunny half term weekends get very busy, so a weekday morning is calmer.
Wimpole Estate
Indoor and outdoor
- A National Trust estate near Arrington with a working farm, parkland, walled garden and a 17th century hall, open through the winter
- Home Farm is one of the largest rare breed centres in the country, with Shire horses, sheep, pigs, goats, donkeys and rabbits
- The Home Farm trail has eight brass rubbing stations around the farm buildings, so bring crayons or buy a sheet on the day
- The farm playground has big climbing frames, an adventure trail and accessible swings, and opens at the same time as Home Farm
- A free Saturday Parkland Walk is listed every week from November 2026 to the end of March 2027, from 11am to 12:15pm, which covers the Saturdays either side of half term
- Dogs on leads are welcome in the parkland, but only assistance dogs can go into Home Farm, the Hall and the gardens
- National Trust members get in free, and non-members buy a whole estate ticket
Address: Arrington, Royston, Cambridgeshire SG8 0BW
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/wimpole-estate
Phone: 01223 206000
How to book: Online through the National Trust, or on arrival at Visitor Welcome
Wimpole in February is muddier and quieter than in summer, and the farm is the reason to make the drive. The farm buildings give some shelter between showers. The brass rubbing trail is a cheap way to keep a five year old moving round the yards. The parkland walk up to the folly is a proper leg stretch for older children if the ground is not waterlogged. Pack a change of socks for everyone.
Shepreth Wildlife Park
Indoor and outdoor
- A family-run wildlife park and conservation charity in Shepreth, between Cambridge and Royston, with more than 100 species
- Outside the holidays it opens Thursday to Monday, but it opens every day during school holidays, so the whole of half term week is covered
- Warm indoor exhibits and an indoor play area make it one of the better zoo-style days out on a cold February day
- Keeper talks run through the day, and the times are posted at the entrance
- The park started as a refuge for injured and orphaned animals, and its charity runs a hedgehog hospital
- It sits next to Shepreth railway station, so families can travel from Cambridge by train
- Tickets for 2027 can already be bought through the park’s website
- It is small enough to see in half a day, which suits children under eight
Address: Willersmill, Station Road, Shepreth, near Royston SG8 6PZ
Website: sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk
How to book: Online through the park’s website or on the gate
Shepreth is the safest February bet for families with toddlers. Nothing is far from a toilet or a warm room, and the indoor areas mean a hailstorm does not end the visit. Short paths and close-up animals suit small children far better than a big zoo would. The train from Cambridge takes the parking out of the equation altogether. Use the full address in a sat nav rather than the postcode on its own.
Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse Valley
West of Cambridge the Great Ouse runs past St Ives and St Neots through old gravel workings that are now lakes full of winter birds. This part of the county has a free museum, a zoo that opens all year and two nature reserves that suit a short winter walk.
Hamerton Zoo Park
Outdoor activity
- A zoo near Sawtry with more than 100 species, including big cats, primates and Australian animals such as naked-nosed wombats
- It opens all year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so it is one of the few zoos in the county you can count on in February
- The KT Express train ride runs at weekends and in school holidays and costs extra
- Tickets cost the same online and at the gate, but special events and limited offers must be booked online
- All children must be accompanied by an adult
- Essential carers go free with a Nimbus Access Card or the zoo’s own free Digital Access Pass; other proof such as PIP letters or blue badges is not accepted
- More than a kilometre of wide, hard-surfaced paths cope with pushchairs and wheelchairs on a wet day
- Many animals can choose whether to be inside or out, so some will be tucked away on a cold morning
Address: Hamerton Road, Steeple Gidding, near Sawtry PE28 5RE
Website: hamertonzoopark.com
Phone: 01832 293362
How to book: Online through the zoo’s ticket site, or on the gate; check the prices page for current admission
Hamerton is the half term zoo for families in the north west of the county, and it is far quieter than the big names over the border. The hard paths mean you are not wading through mud. The train ride is the bit small children ask about, so budget for it. The zoo is about twenty minutes from Huntingdon and Peterborough.
Paxton Pits Nature Reserve
Outdoor activity
- A nature reserve of former gravel pits at Little Paxton, near St Neots, open all year round
- The volunteer-run Visitor Centre opens from 10am to 4pm every day from February, so half term gets the longer hours after the shorter December and January days
- Toilets are open daily from 10am to 4pm
- The Wildlife Trust runs family events at its Education Centre on the reserve, with past holiday themes including earthworms, hedgehogs and bumblebees
- Three waymarked trails start near the car park, and bird hides overlook the lakes
- Dogs are welcome on the marked paths, but keep them out of the water because lakes and ditches can contain toxic algae
- Paths get muddy after rain, so wellies make the walk far more pleasant
Address: High Street, Little Paxton, St Neots PE19 6ET
Website: paxton-pits.org.uk
Phone: 01480 406795
How to book: No booking for the reserve; book Education Centre events through wildlifebcn.org
Paxton Pits is a good half term morning because it is free to walk, open every day and close enough to St Neots for lunch afterwards. In February the lakes are busy with ducks and the scrub is bare enough to see small birds moving about. The volunteers in the Visitor Centre will tell you what has turned up that week. Wildlife Trust family sessions at the Education Centre have small numbers, so book as soon as any are listed.
The Norris Museum, St Ives
Indoor activity
- The museum of Huntingdonshire, on the riverside in St Ives, with free entry
- It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and is closed on Thursdays and Sundays, so avoid Thursday 18 February
- The current exhibition, For Toll and Soul: 600 Years of St Ives Bridge and Chapel, runs until Saturday 20 February 2027, the last day of half term
- The museum has brought back family craft days and workshops; dates go on its events page
- It occasionally closes to the public for group bookings, so check its Facebook page before you set off
- Holt Island, the nature reserve across the river, is closed from November to March, so you will not be able to add it to a February visit
- The bridge chapel the exhibition is about is a few minutes’ walk away on the medieval bridge
Address: The Broadway, St Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 5BX
Website: norrismuseum.org.uk
How to book: No booking needed for general entry; check the events page for family workshops
The Norris is small, free and right by the river, which makes it easy to fit into a half term trip to St Ives. Children who have walked over the old bridge will get more out of the bridge exhibition than you might expect, especially the story of the chapel built into the middle of it. Catch the exhibition before it closes on the Saturday of half term. Pair it with a walk along the river and a hot chocolate in the town.
RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes
Outdoor activity
- A complex of former gravel pit lakes between Swavesey and Fen Drayton, run by the RSPB, with level paths and hides
- The car park has 50 spaces including one Blue Badge space, and payment is by the PayByPhone app or phone only, using location code 808281; cash and cards are not accepted
- The only toilet is an accessible portaloo in the car park, and there are no baby changing facilities on the reserve
- A wooden shelter beside the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway overlooks Elney Lake and has maps, wildlife news and self-guided family activities
- Dogs are welcome on public footpaths, bridleways and most reserve routes, but not at Moore Lake hide or on the path to the Ferry Mere viewpoint
- Parts of the reserve flooded and closed in January 2026, so check the RSPB page for notices after heavy rain
- A downloadable trail map is available from the RSPB website
Address: Fen Drayton Road, Fen Drayton, Cambridge CB24 4RB
Website: rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/fen-drayton-lakes
Phone: 01954 233260
How to book: No booking needed; check the RSPB events list for guided walks
Fen Drayton Lakes works for families who want to get outside without a big walk. The paths are flat and the shelter by the busway gives you somewhere to stop and look out over the water. The Guided Busway runs right past the reserve, so older children can cycle there along its maintenance track from St Ives. The wind across the lakes is sharp in February, so bring hats and gloves. Download the PayByPhone app before you leave home to save time in the car park.
Ely, the Fens and Peterborough
North and east of Cambridge the land opens out into the Fens, where the washes flood every winter and attract thousands of ducks and swans. Ely and Peterborough have the museums and the history, and the farm parks between them make up for the attractions that stay shut until spring.
Chippenham Park Gardens
Outdoor activity
- A private estate near Newmarket, on the Suffolk border of East Cambridgeshire, that opens its gardens for snowdrops and then daffodils
- The gardens usually open daily from mid-January into the spring for snowdrops and then daffodils, from 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm
- The gate and the tearooms take cash only
- Opening dates for each season go on the gardens’ website in the winter
- Drifts of snowdrops grow along the paths, lakes and canals, with the thickest patches at the far end of the lake and deep in the woods
- Aconites, miniature iris and cyclamen add colour, and Adrian’s Walk is planted with scented witch hazels, daphnes and sarcococca
- The Potting Shed Tearooms serve hot food, cakes and drinks on garden open days
- There are accessible toilets and accessible parking
Address: Chippenham Park, Chippenham, Ely CB7 5PT
Website: chippenhamparkgardens.info
Phone: 01638 721416
How to book: Pay at the gate in cash
Chippenham Park is the snowdrop garden most Cambridgeshire families have never heard of. It is quieter than Anglesey Abbey and the setting is wilder, with long canals and old woodland rather than formal borders. Children can follow the lake round and count the different flowers coming up. The tearoom makes it an easy morning.
Oliver Cromwell’s House and Ely Museum
Indoor activity
- Two museums a short walk apart in the centre of Ely, sold together on a joint ticket
- Oliver Cromwell’s House is the former family home of Oliver Cromwell, and it has a mini Civil War encampment, costumes to try on, period games and a family audio tour
- From 1 November 2026 the House opens daily from 11am to 4pm, with last admission at 3:15pm
- Admission to the House is £8.20 for adults and £5.70 for children aged 6 to 16, with under 6s free and a family ticket at £23.60
- A joint ticket covering both the House and Ely Museum costs £14 per person
- Ely Museum, in the Old Gaol, opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30am to 5pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm, and is closed on Mondays
- Neither museum has its own car park; Ely has free short and long stay car parks, and the station is about fifteen minutes’ walk from the House
Address: Oliver Cromwell’s House, 29 St Mary’s Street, Ely CB7 4HF; Ely Museum, The Old Gaol, Market Street, Ely CB7 4LS
Website: olivercromwellshouse.co.uk and elymuseum.org.uk
How to book: No pre-booking needed for self-guided visits; pay on arrival
These two make a solid half term day in Ely if the weather turns. Cromwell’s House is the better bet for children under ten, because they can dress up and handle things rather than just look. Ely Museum, in a building whose history goes back to the 13th century, tells the story of Ely and the Fens, and older children tend to find the old gaol more interesting than they expect. Remember that Ely Museum is shut on Monday 15 February, so plan the joint ticket for Tuesday onwards.
RSPB Ouse Washes
Outdoor activity
- A nature reserve on the long strip of washland between the Old and New Bedford rivers, near Manea, that floods every winter
- In winter the floods bring thousands of ducks, Whooper Swans from Iceland and big flocks of Wigeon, and Black-tailed Godwits arrive in winter plumage
- The reserve and car park are open from dawn to dusk, and the visitor centre from 9am to 5pm
- The car park has 28 spaces including two Blue Badge spaces
- There is no accessible toilet or baby changing on site; the nearest public toilets are in March, about 11 miles away
- Most hides are reached by steps, and the site is described as suitable for pushchairs and adventurous wheelchair users only
- Dogs must be kept under close control because cattle graze the site, and the RSPB asks you to phone ahead for guidance
- A flood alert covered the washes from 24 to 28 February 2026, so check Environment Agency warnings and the RSPB page before driving out
Address: Welches Dam, Manea, March, Cambridgeshire PE15 0NF
Website: rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/ouse-washes
Phone: 01354 680212
How to book: No booking needed; check the RSPB page for admission and notices
February is the month the Ouse Washes make sense. The water spreads across the fields as far as you can see, and the noise of wildfowl lifting off at once is something children remember. Bring binoculars, a flask and more layers than you think you need, as there is no shelter from the wind out here. The approach roads are narrow fen droves, so drive slowly and do not follow a sat nav onto a flooded causeway. A short visit to one or two hides is plenty for younger children.
Sacrewell Farm
Indoor and outdoor
- A farm park on the Great North Road at Thornhaugh, west of Peterborough, open through the winter
- The farm usually runs a themed week at February half term
- Pre-booking online has been essential at half term, including for members, with no walk-ins
- Daily animal feeding sessions cover guinea pigs, rabbits, goats and pigs, and feed bags are sold while stocks last
- The Playbarn has indoor soft play, and there is a farmyard playground and a natural millstream outside
- Tractor rides cost extra and run subject to availability
- A free children’s trail sheet is available from reception, and the 18th century watermill is open to explore
- Heavy rain waterlogged the car park during the 2026 half term and limited how many visitors could come, so check the website after wet weather
Address: Sacrewell Farm, Great North Road, Thornhaugh, Peterborough PE8 6HJ
Website: sacrewell.org.uk
Phone: 01780 782254
How to book: Online through sacrewell.digitickets.co.uk; check the times and prices page for admission
Sacrewell is the farm park that Peterborough families go back to, and the indoor Playbarn is what makes it work in February. The watermill gives older children something real to look at, and the animal feeding times give the day a structure. The site is exposed to the wind off the fields, so a warm coat matters more than the forecast suggests. Half term tickets book up, so do not leave it to the morning.
Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery
Indoor activity
- The city museum and art gallery on Priestgate, a short walk from Peterborough Cathedral in the city centre
- It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3:30pm
- General entry is free, but event days and special exhibitions are charged
- The museum usually runs a ticketed family event in half term week; in 2026 it was a dinosaur event with fossil handling and an egg hunt
- The My Must Farm exhibition runs until 30 June 2027 and links to the Bronze Age settlement found at Must Farm near Whittlesey
- Life’s a Stage, another exhibition, runs until 20 February 2027
Address: Priestgate, Peterborough PE1 1LF
Website: peterboroughmuseum.org.uk
How to book: No booking for general entry; half term events have been ticketed online
Peterborough Museum is a half term regular because its holiday events are well run and reasonably priced. Its holiday events are aimed squarely at primary school children. The Must Farm exhibition is worth doing before or after a trip to Flag Fen, since the two tell the same Bronze Age story.
Flag Fen Archaeology Park
Indoor and outdoor
- A Bronze Age site on the eastern edge of Peterborough, where a timber causeway about 3,500 years old has been preserved in the wet peat, alongside reconstructed roundhouses
- Day tickets cost £8 for adults and £4 for children, with a family ticket at £20, under 5s free and carers free
- In winter the park opens Friday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm, so in half term week the only weekday it is open is Friday 19 February
- A new digital installation recreating the Must Farm Bronze Age settlement was announced in September 2026
- Much of the site is outdoors on grass and gravel paths, so wellies help in February
Address: The Droveway, Northey Road, Peterborough PE6 7QJ
Website: flagfen.org.uk
Phone: 01733 864468
How to book: Check the events page on the website for anything on at half term
Flag Fen is where Peterborough’s Bronze Age history stops being abstract. Children can walk into a roundhouse, look down at the ancient posts in the preservation hall and picture people living out on the wet fen. It is a short trip from the city centre, and it pairs well with the Must Farm exhibition at Peterborough Museum. The site is exposed, so pick a dry day if you can. Remember it is shut Monday to Thursday in winter.
Seasonal Highlights
Spring: Easter holidays run from Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April 2027 for council-calendar schools. National Trust properties and farm parks usually run Easter trails, Chippenham Park moves from snowdrops to daffodils in March, and Flag Fen goes back to five days a week from March.
Summer: May half term is Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027. The Wildlife Trust’s family days at Paxton Pits, the IWM Duxford air shows and the Skylark maize maze fill the summer holidays, which start on Thursday 22 July 2027.
Autumn: October half term brings Halloween events at Sacrewell, Skylark Garden Centre and Shepreth Wildlife Park, and Ely Museum’s autumn exhibitions open in September.
Winter: Snowdrops peak at Anglesey Abbey and Chippenham Park in late January and February, Twilight at the Museums lights up Cambridge in February half term, and the Ouse Washes are at their fullest of ducks and swans from December to February.
A Note From Inside Cambridge
February half term is the hardest week of the year to fill, and the venues above are the ones we found actually open for it. A lot of the 2027 detail will not be published until January, so we will update this guide as programmes are announced.
If you run one of these places, or you have been and found something has changed, please get in touch and tell us. Local tips from families are what keep these guides useful.
Before You Go
- Confirm your child’s half term dates with the school, as academies and trust schools do not always follow the council calendar
- Book half term events as soon as they are announced, as farm and museum activities in February often sell out
- Check flood warnings from the Environment Agency before driving to the Ouse Washes or across fen droves, as roads and paths can be closed for days
- Look up each museum’s closing day: Ely Museum is shut on Mondays, the Norris Museum on Thursdays and Sundays, Peterborough Museum opens Tuesday to Saturday, and Flag Fen is shut Monday to Thursday in winter
- National Trust membership covers Anglesey Abbey and Wimpole, and pays for itself quickly over a few visits
- Download PayByPhone before visiting Fen Drayton Lakes, as payment there is by app or phone only
- Pack wellies, hats and a spare set of clothes; almost every outdoor entry here is muddy in February
- Many outdoor sites have limited or no baby changing, so check facilities on the venue’s own website before you go
- Sites such as Houghton Mill and Holt Island stay closed until spring, so do not plan a half term trip around them
