Illuminate
Hestercombe is proud to present Illuminate 2023, with beautiful new dynamic water fountains and music for the very first time
This event has ended
Gertrude the bat is getting ready to have her flappy friends over for a spooky suppertime snack. Can you help her and her bat buddies find their favourite creepy crawlies to add to their famous centipede pudding?
Join Gertrude the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and her cauldron of bats, Pippin the Pipistrelle, Braxton the Brown Long-eared Bat, Suzie the Serotine and Brandy the Barbastelle, on their hunt for beetles, spiders, earwigs and the golden moth (the secret ingredient to a perfect centipede pudding!)
Explore the spooky Hestercombe estate searching for the gruesome ingredients, add each insect into your booklets recipe page and once you’ve finished show your completed recipe to the restaurant to claim your spooky prize!
During October half-term, we’ll have plenty of family-friendly (but slightly spooky!) events - perfect for burning off some energy. The Hestercombe Barmy Bats trail will have you in a flap, whilst our special events such as visits from creepy crawlies, a spooky science masterclass, scary storytelling and a spellbinding Potion Room, are all the ingredients needed for a spooktacular day out.
Halloween at Hestercombe Schedule
| Date | What's On |
|---|---|
Saturday 16th October | Fungal Foray (11am - 1pm, Adults £10 and children £5 - must be booked in advance) |
Saturday 23rd - Sunday 31st October | The Barmy Bats Trail (all day) |
Saturday 23rd - Sunday 31st October | The Potion Room (all day) |
Monday 25th - Friday 29th October | Autumn Bulb Plantathon (10am - 3pm, drop-in) |
Monday 25th October | Spooky Science with Sciencedipity (10am - 3pm, drop-in) |
Wednesday 27th October | Creepy Crawlies with Exmoor Zoo (10am - 3pm, drop-in) |
Thursday 28th October | Stories of the Untold (10:30am, 12pm, 1:30pm and 3pm - session are 30 mins long and must be booked on the day £3 per child) |
Saturday 30th October | Fungal Foray (11am - 1pm, Adults £10 and children £5 - must be booked in advance) |
Tickets & Prices
Trail price is £2.50 with standard gardens admission.
You can either pay for your gardens admission online, or purchase on the day of your visit at Visitor Reception.
Make the most of Hestercombe's Halloween events with a membership
Join as a Hestercombe member from as little as £3.46 a month to get free access to all of our family activities!
Membership at Hestercombe
Join today and enjoy unlimited access to Hestercombe for a whole year
Described as “one of the top twenty gardens to visit in the country”, Hestercombe is always beautiful throughout the year. Join today and enjoy unlimited access, with prices from £48 per year.
Your membership includes:
- Unlimited access to Hestercombe Gardens for a year from date of joining for the Member, guests and children according to membership type
- Half price entry for visitors accompanied by a Member of Hestercombe (one visitor per member)
- Free children's trails available throughout the year
- Special members’ discounts on many of our events throughout the year
- Our 'members first approach' with members receiving 24 hours priority booking for our most popular events, such as Mother's Day, The Bampfylde Lecture, workshops and most importantly, our winter events such as the Christmas Market, Father Christmas and ILLUMINATE.
- Full colour newsletters and ‘What’s On’ emails to keep you up to date with news and events
- Discounts on tickets to selected events at Hestercombe
- Half price entry to our partner attractions: Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Forde Abbey Gardens, The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, The Garden House, Dartington Trust Gardens and Exmoor Zoo.
Give a Gift of Membership to friends and family and they too can enjoy all the benefits of membership.
Upgrade your ticket
Visit Hestercombe and upgrade your ticket to an annual membership for just the difference in cost.
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Event Location
Hestercombe GardensCheddon Fitzpaine
Taunton
Somerset
TA2 8LG
