The Easter countdown is on and whether you're planning to spend time on days out with the family, shopping with friends or eating out, OONAGH ROBINSON has some great suggestions
IT'S been a long time coming this year but Easter 2014 is finally upon us – the only question now is what do you fancy doing with your well-earned time off?
Our special Easter guide will provide you with everything you need to plan the perfect bank holiday.
We've got loads of information on places to go for a fun family day out – both in Notts and further afield – and we've also got tips on the best places to eat out this spring.
Make sure you're dressed to impress with a look at the season's fashion trends and take a look at our round-up of entertainment ideas over the coming weeks.
Plus with the Easter holidays still being the most popular time of year to improve your home, we've got some stylish ideas.
We start with a rundown of family events in Nottinghamshire next week and over the Easter bank holiday weekend. From medieval-themed adventures to traditional Easter egg (and Easter Bunny) hunts, there's no need for kids to moan about being bored during the second week of the school break.
And it doesn't matter what the weather has in store for us, because there are plenty of indoor suggestions to keep everyone happy.
So put those chocolate eggs away for a minute and plan your Easter Week with us:
The Secret Adventures of Highway Robbers, Galleries of Justice, Low Pavement, until April 27 New actor-led tour based on the lives of Nottingham's most notorious highwayman Timothy Buckley and highway woman Joan Phillips, who terrorised the area in the 17th century. You'll find out all about one of Nottingham's most horrible periods of history. You can discover what life was like in the original prison cells, courtrooms, caves and dungeons of this most forbidding of buildings. Tours run every half an hour from 10.30am to 4pm and last about 90 minutes. Adults pay £9.50, kids £7.50, family of four £25.50. www.galleriesofjustice.org
Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases, City of Caves, Broadmarsh Centre, until April 27 Another fun actor-led tour, this time telling you everything you ever wanted to know about grisly diseases, from the medieval period right through to the Second World War. Experience life in a WWII shelter or find out just how bad a "plague mask" smells. Whiff. Tours take place every 20 minutes from 10.30am to 4pm. Prices from £5.50. www.cityofcaves.com
Shield Trail, Nottingham Castle until Easter Sunday Follow this medieval trail around the castle grounds, then have a go at designing your own shield. Look out for lots of other medieval-themed activities throughout the week. £1.
Easter Eggstravaganza, Stonebridge City Farm, St Ann's, until Easter Sunday The friendly farm is celebrating the season with all sorts of eggs from all sorts of creatures – with baby animals from bunnies to frog spawn. See, feel and stroke the inhabitants, or enjoy pond-dipping sessions. Don't forget to help out with bottle feeding some of the new baby lambs. The fun takes place every day from 10am to 3pm. Free. www.stonebridgecityfarm.com
Bunnies and Bonnets, Framework Knitters Museum, Ruddington, Good Friday, 11am to 4pm Wear your best Easter bonnet and help the museum find all the knitted bunnies scattered around the venue in this annual event. Adults £4, kids £2 (children with a bunny or bonnet free). www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk
Springtime at Wollaton, Wollaton Hall, until Easter Monday Bounce into spring with this colouring and bunny trail hunt. £1.
The Ideas Festival, Ikea, Giltbrook Retail Park, Saturday, April 12 IKEA was today launching its first ever ideas festival, including kitchen and cooking tips, Swedish food samples, the first annual light bulb championships and home styling tips. Children can be part of the junk band workshop, plant seeds with the Woodland Trust Kid's Club and take part in a treasure hunt throughout the store. Events start at 11am. www.ikea.com for details.
Newstead Through the Looking Glass, Newstead Abbey until Easter Monday Help Alice find the White Rabbit's tails hidden around the grounds of the historic abbey and collect your prize in the garden shop. £1.
Free Creative Activities, Nottingham Contemporary until Easter Monday Inspire your imagination with a host of different projects using a range of materials, shapes and patterns. Drop in any time and have some fun. Free. www.nottinghamcontemporary.org
Family Sharing Day, New Art Exchange, Gregory Boulevard, Today (Saturday), 2pm-4pm Pop into the gallery to see the work that's been created over its "Family Friendly" season. You'll see lots of photos made into books, posters, slide shows and perhaps your own work will be displayed too. Free www.nae.org.uk.
Volunteers' Favourite Five, Nottingham Industrial Museum, Wollaton Park today, from 2pm Volunteers at the fascinating venue talk about their five favourite artefacts and what makes them so important. Adults £2, kids £1. www.nottinghamindustrialmuseum.co.uk.
The Birkland Outlaws, Sherwood Forest Country Park, today, from 11.30am Meet retired outlaws Hob and Ket and listen to their tales of daring exploits and how folk survived in the forest in days gone by. Parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Midland Kite Flyers, Rufford Abbey Country Park, today and tomorrow, 10am-4pm Pop along and see these expert kite enthusiasts in the grounds of the Abbey. This is a great opportunity to pick up some top tips. A kite workshop will also be open each day and there is an opportunity to make your own kite for £2. Parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk.
Newstead Activity Centre, Newstead Abbey, tomorrow (Sunday, April 13) and Easter Sunday, noon-5pm Free activities including Alice in Wonderland crafts, colouring and Easter fun. Parking £6.
Monday's Child, Lakeside Arts Centre, tomorrow. 1.30pm and 3.30pm Tutti Frutti and York Theatre Royal present a fun show by award-winning playwright Brendan Murray. It's all about a forgetful great-grandmother who likes to spend time with a little girl called Tuesday Wilk. Suitable for kids aged three to seven. Tickets £6.50. www.lakesidearts.org.uk.
In the Footsteps of Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest Country Park, tomorrow, from 11am Return to the year 1248 and meet characters including Robert of Wentbridge, one of Robin's faithful band as he wanders the paths of the forest. You can also join him from 2.45pm for a gentle stroll through the forest and find out more about his great friend Robin Hood. Adults £3, kids £1.50, parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Easter Egg Tree, Nottingham Castle, Monday (April 14) until April 21, 21, 11am-4pm Drop in and decorate an egg shape to hang on the castle's Easter Egg Tree, then go on a hunt to find hidden eggs around the historic site. Claim your prize at the end of the trail. £1.
Attracting Wildlife, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Monday, from 10am Join the ranger team and discover new ways of attracting wildlife to your own back garden. You can also spot wildlife around the site with your own ID sheet. Meet in the Coach House Courtyard. £2. Book on 01623 821335.
Mud Creations, Vernon Park, Basford, Tuesday, from 1pm Have a go at using one of nature's natural resources – mud, glorious mud - to make some amazing sculptures. Meet by the play area. Free.
Bat Walk, Woodthorpe Grange Park, Tuesday, 8.15pm-9.30pm Join the park ranger for an evening walk to discover and identify which bats are living in this urban environment. Meet at the park's main entrance and please arrive promptly. There are similar events at Highfields Park on Wednesday and the Arboretum on Thursday, again meeting at 8.15pm. Free.
Animal Adventure, Forest Recreation Ground, Wednesday, noon-1.30pm How many different animals are living in our parks and how do they all survive? Join the park ranger for an amazing animal adventure. Meet at the pavilion. Free.
John Hall – Tudor Greenwood Worker, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Wednesday, 12.30pm-3pm Learn more about the renewable and ancient craft of hazel hurdle making. Free.
An Inordinate Interest in Beetles, St Leonard's Community Centre, Wollaton, Wednesday 7.30pm Did you know that one animal in four is a beetle - and there are 4,000 species in Britain? Find out more in this fascinating talk by expert Chris Terrell-Nield. £2.50. www.spanglefish.com/
Wollaton Natural History Pond Dipping, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Thursday, 10am-11.30am Explore the murky depths of Rufford's wetlands along with members of the ranger team. Identify some of the wide variety of aquatic life inhabiting the area. £2. Book on 01623 821335.
RSPB at Sherwood, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Thursday, 11am-3pm Find out all about garden wildlife and how to join this important charity, with lots of children's activities. Free parking.
Eggciting Easter Extravaganza, Green's Windmill, Good Friday, 11am-3pm Spend the bank holiday at this brilliant family friendly venue, where you'll be able to take part in a fun egg hunt and other seasonal stuff. For ages 3+. £5. www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
Walk with the Hawks, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Good Friday, from 11am Take a walk on the wild side, with falconer Chris Miller and his birds of prey. Find out more about the sport of kings in this magnificent setting. The event involves a walk of about one and a half miles, which is not suitable for wheelchairs. No dogs please. Book on 01623 823202.
Easter Craft Fair, Wollaton Hall, April 19-21, 11am-3.30pm Popular annual event with a whole host of eggstra special crafts. Browse among an array of stalls selling everything from sculpture to jewellery. Free.
Easter Egg Hunt, Cobden Chambers Retail Development, Pelham Street, Easter Saturday, 11am-4pm The city's newest retail centre - which houses ten new independent businesses selling fashion, jewellery, interiors, antiques, books and gifts – is holding a free Easter event where you have to follow the clues around the shops. Free chocolate egg for each entrant.
Easter Bunny Hunt, Forest Recreation Ground, Easter Saturday, 11am-12.30pm The Easter Bunny is on his way but first see if you can find some of his friends hiding around the park. Each one is a different colour and contains a picture of another animal. Do you have what it takes to find them all? Meet at the pavilion. Free.
Easter Bunny Trail, The Museum of Nottingham Life, Brewhouse Yard, Easter Saturday, from 11am Follow that rabbit around the historic site and win prizes. Adults £2, kids £1. www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
Bestwood Winding Engine House Opens, Bestwood Country Park, Easter Saturday, 10am-noon The historic building reopens to the public for another season. The site is a tribute to the workers who put the "great" into Britain and fed the fire of the industrial revolution. Take a ride to the top of the building in the glass lift and see the 18ft winding wheel up close, or pop into the Dynamo House café for a delicious homemade cake. The engine house will be open on Saturdays and bank holidays until October. Free. Details on 0115 976 2422.
Dogs of War, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Easter Saturday to Easter Monday, 11am-4pm Spend the bank holiday weekend with this medieval re-enactment group and let them thrill you with displays of combat. You'll also find out what everyday life was like in the forest in the middle ages. Parking £3.
Easter Sunrise Service, Bestwood Country Park, Easter Sunday, 5.30am Join the congregation of six churches in the Bestwood area for this dawn service in the woods. Afterwards, have a hearty breakfast in Emmanuel Church Hall. Small charge for breakfast. Booking essential on 0115 920 8879 or 0115 955 0423.
Hands On, Nottingham Industrial Museum, Wollaton Park, Easter Sunday, 11am-3pm Get your hands on some industrial artefacts from Nottingham's past and see if you can work out what they once would have been used for. Adults £2, kids £1.
Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Newstead Abbey, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday Enjoy jam tarts, sandwiches and tea in the Abbey Café, plus follow the White Rabbit's Easter trail around the site. Parking £6.
The Lost City's Eggcellent Easter Fun, Old Market Square, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 10am-11pm To celebrate the Lost City's first ever Easter, the adventure golfing attraction (based in the Corner House in the city centre) has organised lots of fun activities.These include golf, crafts, face painting and egg decorating. Free. www.lostcityadventuregolf.com.
Cadbury's Easter Egg Hunt, The Workhouse, Southwell, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, noon-4pm Be an Easter eggsplorer with Mary Mouse and her special egg trail, solving clues to discover the stories behind some special mystery objects. £1.50 plus normal admission. Call 01636 817262.
Notts Wildlife Trust at Rufford, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Easter Monday, 11am-4pm Meet members of the team and have a go at some table top activities. Free.
The Secret Adventures of Highway Robbers, Galleries of Justice, Low Pavement, until April 27 New actor-led tour based on the lives of Nottingham's most notorious highwayman Timothy Buckley and highway woman Joan Phillips, who terrorised the area in the 17th century. You'll find out all about one of Nottingham's most horrible periods of history. You can discover what life was like in the original prison cells, courtrooms, caves and dungeons of this most forbidding of buildings. Tours run every half an hour from 10.30am to 4pm and last about 90 minutes. Adults pay £9.50, kids £7.50, family of four £25.50. www.galleriesofjustice.org
Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases, City of Caves, Broadmarsh Centre, until April 27 Another fun actor-led tour, this time telling you everything you ever wanted to know about grisly diseases, from the medieval period right through to the Second World War. Experience life in a WWII shelter or find out just how bad a "plague mask" smells. Whiff. Tours take place every 20 minutes from 10.30am to 4pm. Prices from £5.50. www.cityofcaves.com
Shield Trail, Nottingham Castle until Easter Sunday Follow this medieval trail around the castle grounds, then have a go at designing your own shield. Look out for lots of other medieval-themed activities throughout the week. £1.
Easter Eggstravaganza, Stonebridge City Farm, St Ann's, until Easter Sunday The friendly farm is celebrating the season with all sorts of eggs from all sorts of creatures – with baby animals from bunnies to frog spawn. See, feel and stroke the inhabitants, or enjoy pond-dipping sessions. Don't forget to help out with bottle feeding some of the new baby lambs. The fun takes place every day from 10am to 3pm. Free. www.stonebridgecityfarm.com
Bunnies and Bonnets, Framework Knitters Museum, Ruddington, Good Friday, 11am to 4pm Wear your best Easter bonnet and help the museum find all the knitted bunnies scattered around the venue in this annual event. Adults £4, kids £2 (children with a bunny or bonnet free). www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk
Springtime at Wollaton, Wollaton Hall, until Easter Monday Bounce into spring with this colouring and bunny trail hunt. £1.
The Ideas Festival, Ikea, Giltbrook Retail Park, Saturday, April 12 IKEA was today launching its first ever ideas festival, including kitchen and cooking tips, Swedish food samples, the first annual light bulb championships and home styling tips. Children can be part of the junk band workshop, plant seeds with the Woodland Trust Kid's Club and take part in a treasure hunt throughout the store. Events start at 11am. www.ikea.com for details.
Newstead Through the Looking Glass, Newstead Abbey until Easter Monday Help Alice find the White Rabbit's tails hidden around the grounds of the historic abbey and collect your prize in the garden shop. £1.
Free Creative Activities, Nottingham Contemporary until Easter Monday Inspire your imagination with a host of different projects using a range of materials, shapes and patterns. Drop in any time and have some fun. Free. www.nottinghamcontemporary.org
Family Sharing Day, New Art Exchange, Gregory Boulevard, Today (Saturday), 2pm-4pm Pop into the gallery to see the work that's been created over its "Family Friendly" season. You'll see lots of photos made into books, posters, slide shows and perhaps your own work will be displayed too. Free www.nae.org.uk.
Volunteers' Favourite Five, Nottingham Industrial Museum, Wollaton Park today, from 2pm Volunteers at the fascinating venue talk about their five favourite artefacts and what makes them so important. Adults £2, kids £1. www.nottinghamindustrialmuseum.co.uk.
The Birkland Outlaws, Sherwood Forest Country Park, today, from 11.30am Meet retired outlaws Hob and Ket and listen to their tales of daring exploits and how folk survived in the forest in days gone by. Parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Midland Kite Flyers, Rufford Abbey Country Park, today and tomorrow, 10am-4pm Pop along and see these expert kite enthusiasts in the grounds of the Abbey. This is a great opportunity to pick up some top tips. A kite workshop will also be open each day and there is an opportunity to make your own kite for £2. Parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk.
Newstead Activity Centre, Newstead Abbey, tomorrow (Sunday, April 13) and Easter Sunday, noon-5pm Free activities including Alice in Wonderland crafts, colouring and Easter fun. Parking £6.
Monday's Child, Lakeside Arts Centre, tomorrow. 1.30pm and 3.30pm Tutti Frutti and York Theatre Royal present a fun show by award-winning playwright Brendan Murray. It's all about a forgetful great-grandmother who likes to spend time with a little girl called Tuesday Wilk. Suitable for kids aged three to seven. Tickets £6.50. www.lakesidearts.org.uk.
In the Footsteps of Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest Country Park, tomorrow, from 11am Return to the year 1248 and meet characters including Robert of Wentbridge, one of Robin's faithful band as he wanders the paths of the forest. You can also join him from 2.45pm for a gentle stroll through the forest and find out more about his great friend Robin Hood. Adults £3, kids £1.50, parking £3. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Easter Egg Tree, Nottingham Castle, Monday (April 14) until April 21, 21, 11am-4pm Drop in and decorate an egg shape to hang on the castle's Easter Egg Tree, then go on a hunt to find hidden eggs around the historic site. Claim your prize at the end of the trail. £1.
Attracting Wildlife, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Monday, from 10am Join the ranger team and discover new ways of attracting wildlife to your own back garden. You can also spot wildlife around the site with your own ID sheet. Meet in the Coach House Courtyard. £2. Book on 01623 821335.
Mud Creations, Vernon Park, Basford, Tuesday, from 1pm Have a go at using one of nature's natural resources – mud, glorious mud - to make some amazing sculptures. Meet by the play area. Free.
Bat Walk, Woodthorpe Grange Park, Tuesday, 8.15pm-9.30pm Join the park ranger for an evening walk to discover and identify which bats are living in this urban environment. Meet at the park's main entrance and please arrive promptly. There are similar events at Highfields Park on Wednesday and the Arboretum on Thursday, again meeting at 8.15pm. Free.
Animal Adventure, Forest Recreation Ground, Wednesday, noon-1.30pm How many different animals are living in our parks and how do they all survive? Join the park ranger for an amazing animal adventure. Meet at the pavilion. Free.
John Hall – Tudor Greenwood Worker, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Wednesday, 12.30pm-3pm Learn more about the renewable and ancient craft of hazel hurdle making. Free.
An Inordinate Interest in Beetles, St Leonard's Community Centre, Wollaton, Wednesday 7.30pm Did you know that one animal in four is a beetle - and there are 4,000 species in Britain? Find out more in this fascinating talk by expert Chris Terrell-Nield. £2.50. www.spanglefish.com/
Wollaton Natural History Pond Dipping, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Thursday, 10am-11.30am Explore the murky depths of Rufford's wetlands along with members of the ranger team. Identify some of the wide variety of aquatic life inhabiting the area. £2. Book on 01623 821335.
RSPB at Sherwood, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Thursday, 11am-3pm Find out all about garden wildlife and how to join this important charity, with lots of children's activities. Free parking.
Eggciting Easter Extravaganza, Green's Windmill, Good Friday, 11am-3pm Spend the bank holiday at this brilliant family friendly venue, where you'll be able to take part in a fun egg hunt and other seasonal stuff. For ages 3+. £5. www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
Walk with the Hawks, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Good Friday, from 11am Take a walk on the wild side, with falconer Chris Miller and his birds of prey. Find out more about the sport of kings in this magnificent setting. The event involves a walk of about one and a half miles, which is not suitable for wheelchairs. No dogs please. Book on 01623 823202.
Easter Craft Fair, Wollaton Hall, April 19-21, 11am-3.30pm Popular annual event with a whole host of eggstra special crafts. Browse among an array of stalls selling everything from sculpture to jewellery. Free.
Easter Egg Hunt, Cobden Chambers Retail Development, Pelham Street, Easter Saturday, 11am-4pm The city's newest retail centre - which houses ten new independent businesses selling fashion, jewellery, interiors, antiques, books and gifts – is holding a free Easter event where you have to follow the clues around the shops. Free chocolate egg for each entrant.
Easter Bunny Hunt, Forest Recreation Ground, Easter Saturday, 11am-12.30pm The Easter Bunny is on his way but first see if you can find some of his friends hiding around the park. Each one is a different colour and contains a picture of another animal. Do you have what it takes to find them all? Meet at the pavilion. Free.
Easter Bunny Trail, The Museum of Nottingham Life, Brewhouse Yard, Easter Saturday, from 11am Follow that rabbit around the historic site and win prizes. Adults £2, kids £1. www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
Bestwood Winding Engine House Opens, Bestwood Country Park, Easter Saturday, 10am-noon The historic building reopens to the public for another season. The site is a tribute to the workers who put the "great" into Britain and fed the fire of the industrial revolution. Take a ride to the top of the building in the glass lift and see the 18ft winding wheel up close, or pop into the Dynamo House café for a delicious homemade cake. The engine house will be open on Saturdays and bank holidays until October. Free. Details on 0115 976 2422.
Dogs of War, Sherwood Forest Country Park, Easter Saturday to Easter Monday, 11am-4pm Spend the bank holiday weekend with this medieval re-enactment group and let them thrill you with displays of combat. You'll also find out what everyday life was like in the forest in the middle ages. Parking £3.
Easter Sunrise Service, Bestwood Country Park, Easter Sunday, 5.30am Join the congregation of six churches in the Bestwood area for this dawn service in the woods. Afterwards, have a hearty breakfast in Emmanuel Church Hall. Small charge for breakfast. Booking essential on 0115 920 8879 or 0115 955 0423.
Hands On, Nottingham Industrial Museum, Wollaton Park, Easter Sunday, 11am-3pm Get your hands on some industrial artefacts from Nottingham's past and see if you can work out what they once would have been used for. Adults £2, kids £1.
Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Newstead Abbey, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday Enjoy jam tarts, sandwiches and tea in the Abbey Café, plus follow the White Rabbit's Easter trail around the site. Parking £6.
The Lost City's Eggcellent Easter Fun, Old Market Square, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 10am-11pm To celebrate the Lost City's first ever Easter, the adventure golfing attraction (based in the Corner House in the city centre) has organised lots of fun activities.These include golf, crafts, face painting and egg decorating. Free. www.lostcityadventuregolf.com.
Cadbury's Easter Egg Hunt, The Workhouse, Southwell, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, noon-4pm Be an Easter eggsplorer with Mary Mouse and her special egg trail, solving clues to discover the stories behind some special mystery objects. £1.50 plus normal admission. Call 01636 817262.
Notts Wildlife Trust at Rufford, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Easter Monday, 11am-4pm Meet members of the team and have a go at some table top activities. Free.
