Northumberland Residents Festival!! #ResFest14

This weekend is a good weekend to live in Northumberland....It is the 5th annual Residents Festival....

If you live in Northumberland on the 29th and 30th of March you can enjoy more than 30 of the region’s most popular attractions for free or discounted entry.....Attractions include castles, country houses, petting zoos, leisure activities, gardens and museums...

There are too many attractions to mention in detail here but I've picked my favourite three....

The Alnwick Garden....

Mums can get free entry to the Alnwick Garden, children entry for 1p and all other adults can recieve entry for just £3 per person. The Alnwick Garden is one of the world’s most exciting contemporary gardens, with acres of beautiful landscapes and magnificent architecture, all brought to life with water. Learn about the deadly plants that lie within the Poison Garden, watch the Grand Cascade’s magnificent water displays and visit one of the world’s largest treehouses.

To celebrate the Residents' Festival the Alnwick Garden are hosting free special activities including - Family arts & crafts activities, Ministry of Food- family activities based in the Ministry of Food cooking school & a Lunch Time Concert...

Opening times:  Saturday10am – 7pm  & Sunday 10am - 5pm 

Address: Alnwick Garden, Denwick Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1YU (Tel: 01665 511350)

Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens

Come and see over one hundred species of animals including emus, wallabies, marmosets, lemurs,pygmy goats, donkeys, meerkats and many more. Visitors can meet the keepers and learn about the animals and their habitats. With a rolling programme of kids’ activities and play areas, forest trails, garden walks, picnic areas,  tea room and gift shop, there really is something for all of the family.

Opening times: 10am – 4pm - Last admission: 3pm
Wheelchair Accessibility: Available
Address: Kirkley Hall, Ponteland, Kirkley, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE20 0AQ (Tel: 01670 841235)

White House Farm Centre

Bring the whole family along to White House Farm Centre for the Residents’ Festival and feed all the animals including llamas, alpacas and wallabies.

Visit the petting barn to get up close to guinea pigs, mice, reptiles and rabbits and watch the bird of prey show, have a ride on the tractor or visit the soft play barn and adventure playground.

Opening times: 10am – 5pm - Last admission: 4pm
Wheelchair Accessibility: Partial
Address: North Whitehouse Farm, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6AW (Tel: 01670 789998)

Participating leisure centres countywide have also got involved in this year’s event to provide more variety to the festival’s activities by offering two for one on swimming for all the county’s waterbabies. Certain leisure centres will be providing free taster sports sessions as well...

You can download a special voucher from the council’s website or find them in the Residents’ Festival brochures which are available from local libraries, council offices, tourist information centers and sports centers across Northumberland....