Things to Do
Photo of an adult and a child walking through the colourful Elizabethan Garden with Kenilworth Castle in the background

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN MARCH

Step into spring this March - treat the special lady in your life on Mother's Day, plan an egg-cellent Easter, check out our new pop badges, celebrate women's history, and enjoy National Lottery Open Week.

There's plenty to do - read on to find out more!

Photo of a mother and daughter looking at a purple flower in the gardens of Audley End House in Essex

1. Treat your mum to a historic day out

Did you know that Mothering Sunday dates back to a medieval tradition which saw people visiting their ‘mother’ churches, where they were baptised?

This Mother's Day, a historic site is the perfect place to take that special lady in your life for a spring walk and an indulgent hot chocolate. (Don't forget you can save 15% if you pre-book your visit in advance.)

Check out our recommendations for the best places to visit near you on Mother's Day and ideas for the perfect gift from our online shop.

Find a day out for Mother's Day
Photo of an older child and a toddler pointing at an Easter-egg-shaped sign in the gardens of Eltham Palace in London

2. Plan an egg-cellent Easter

The Easter holidays will be here before we know it! You can get ahead of the game by pre-booking an Easter activity at a site near you and saving 15%.

There's fun-filled adventure quests: follow the trail, hunt for eggs and answer questions along the way to earn a delicious chocolate reward.

And join our master builders for the Big Brick Build, where you can help bring history to life with LEGO® bricks (English Heritage members go free).

Book ahead for Easter and save 15%
Photo of an English Heritage staff member holding out a box of pop badges to two excited children

3. Get a year's worth of unlimited days out

With the weather (probably) moving in a warmer and drier direction and many of our historic sites due to re-open for the spring, now's the perfect time to become an English Heritage member and enjoy a whole year's worth of unlimited days out at over 400 historic places across the country.

Kids go free with all memberships, and this year Young Members can look out for three new pop badges and a handy new pop-badge passport as a souvenir of the day and to keep track of the sites they've visited.

Find out more about membership
Photo of the blue plaque to neurosurgeon Diana Beck

4. Watch our tour of blue plaques to women in STEM

There's plenty of great stories to discover for this year's Women's History Month.

Watch the first episode of mechanical engineer Dr Shini Somara's walking tour of London as she explores the story behind Diana Beck, one of the world's first neurosurgeons.

Head to Audley End House and Gardens to hear five historic women tell their stories of how they made the house what it is today.

And find out about the women of 1066, the three queens of Eltham Palace, and the Darwin family of Down House.

Photo of a group of people taking a tour of the gardens at Belsay Hall

5. Enjoy National Lottery Open Week

We're taking part in National Lottery Open Week again in 2026 to say a huge thank-you to National Lottery players everywhere for your support.

Between 7 - 15 March, you can enjoy free entry to selected sites on selected days, which have all benefitted from generous support from the National Lottery.

You can also get closer to the sites you love with free guided tours.

Find out more about National Lottery Open Week

The Month In History

  • The first International Women’s Day occurred on 19 March 1911 and was especially celebrated in Austria and Germany. In 1913, the date was moved to 8 March. Rallies were held across Europe on 8 March 1914, including in London where Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested on her way to speak in Trafalgar Square.
  • Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853. He spent time in Stockwell in South West London in the 1870s, and today a blue plaque commemorates his stay.
  • The Scottish-born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, was born on 3 March 1847. Bell invented the telephone, which he demonstrated to Queen Victoria at her island holiday home, Osborne. The queen immediately asked to purchase two of the devices.
  • Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho premiered on 16 March 1960. The film is considered definitive of the psychological horror genre, and the director is commemorated with a blue plaque at his South Kensington home.

More to explore

  • Stop hibernating. Start exploring.

    Days out are back and we’ve got lots of ideas to get you out and about. Download our Adventurer’s Checklist and get back out exploring English Heritage sites together. 

  • THE ENGLISH HERITAGE PODCAST

    Every object has a story to tell - but how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places? Amy Matthews explores tales from unexpected places.

  • Become a member today

    Enjoy unlimited access to hundreds of historical places with an annual membership. Plus there's free entry for up to six children! Memberships start from £42 a year.