Halloween Half Term at Sealife and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Trafford Centre, Manchester

We had an awesome time on Saturday visiting both Sealife and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester. This year the staff really have made a huge effort to ensure your experience this Halloween is special.

It is the staff who make these attractions so great for us. Every single time we've been, the staff have been absolutely lovely. Helpful and kind, attentive to the children and generally appreciating the fact you've probably spent your budget on entry fees and driven a while to get there.

Sealife have Spooky Seas running throughout half term week. Come and find out exactly who is the most dangerous creature in the sea by following the Pumpkin Treasure Hunt.

The staff have carved pumpkins which are everywhere. Some of the designs are awesome - and some are clues! 

All of our usual favourites were there, including Ernie the turtle who came over to say 'hiya' this time. 

The Claws exhibition which arrived in Spring is fabulous. Try and see if you have the strength of a crab's claw, and spot all of the different species in the tanks. This area is quite dark, so the extra Halloween cobwebs were pretty spooky here..

The sea creatures in the 'touch pool' were particularly lively and we got to watch the starfish walking about the tank, as well as gently stroke them with the back of a finger.

We completed the Dive School stamp collection as well as the special  pumpkin letter hunt - and were rewarded with certificates and badges. What more does a 7 year old need?

Sealife is open 10am-7pm 7 days a week. Spooky Seas will run from 24th October until 1st November...more information on the Sealife website.

The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre a couple of doors away are holding their own Halloween event too! Brick Or Treat is back and before you even get into the Discovery Centre you are warned about loose monsters....the Factory Tour has been beautifully decorated and the kids loved it.

Miniland has had the Halloween treatment too - the ghosts are back and some great lighting effects make all the difference...there is a treasure hunt here too - it's trickier than you'd think to count how many ghouls have climbed the Blackpool Tower!

Most of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre isn't massively decorated for safety reasons, but the Master Model Builder workshop is suitably Halloween themed, and the Forest Pursuit trackside is full of pumpkins...we were there just as it opened, which allowed me to take some photo's while it was quiet....

A very special display for Halloween and half term week is the Spooktacular Haunted Castles. Designed and built by the resident Master Model Builder Alex and his Creative Crew (a team of 12 youngsters aged 5-12 who are passionate about LEGO), they're very impressive castles indeed.

The 3 castles are all very distinctive and have their own style - we have a Mystery Mansion inspired castle with great use of purple and an infestation of ghosts, a squarer grey castle much like your ruined UK castle - but huge and completely overtaken by skeletons - and finally my favourite, the traditonal Bavarian Neuschwanstein Castle style which in this case is host to a zombie horde...

Running all around and through the castles is the Halloween Ghost Train - and we got to create our own pumpkins and put them onto the train - pretty cool - although if your pumpkins are very heavy then the poor train does struggle with more than two!

This lady is called Myra and is really representative of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Employees. She was awesome, and lovely, and actually said "can you believe I get to do this for a job?". Well Myra a lot of people wouldn't be able to stand the noise and the complaints and the lost children and by 2pm wouldn't have such a big smile on their face. I think LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is as lucky to have you as you feel to work there. Long may it continue.

The Creative Crew have done a fabulous job and it really is worth a visit to see their castles. And as Myra will tell you, the best place for a photo is at the end....

We did sneak a peek into Alex the Master Builder's cupboard, but he wasn't in....the wonders in that room! 

Brick Or Treat runs from 1st October to 1st November. You can find more details on the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre website.

 

We were given free entry to both Sealife and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, and the children were given some small treats in return for coming for review - we're as happy as Myra!