Pumpkin Patch and Petting Farm at Prittlewell Priory

Set in the grounds of a 12th-century monastery in Priory Park, this half term event pairs a pumpkin patch with a petting farm on the northern side of Southend-on-Sea. It is put on by Southend Museums and runs for two days only, on the Saturday and Sunday of half term.

Every ticket includes a pumpkin to take home, so there is no separate pumpkin charge once you are through the gate. Alongside the picking there are alpacas, mini ponies and sheep to meet, plus face painting, crafting, games and a children's trail to work through.

Tickets are pre-booked online through Southend Museums' own Eventbrite page, and there are no refunds once a ticket is booked, so it is worth being sure of your plans before you commit. Adult and child tickets are sold separately and children under 3 go free.

Priory Park itself is a public park and the Priory building is normally open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday between 1 March and 31 October, so there is more to see if you want to make a longer afternoon of it. Parking is in the Priory Park car park, with a small number of disabled spaces beside the Visitor Centre. An hour or two is enough for the patch and the animals, and the Priory can fill the rest.