Newark Palace

Newark's theatre sits right in the heart of town, a proper working venue that actually puts on shows rather than resting on heritage laurels. It's a functioning playhouse with a packed calendar of pantomimes, drama, comedy, and the occasional touring production - the sort of place where locals genuinely go of an evening, not just tourists ticking boxes.

The building itself is Victorian, though you'll find the real magic happens once the lights dim inside. Whether you catch a family show or something more serious depends entirely on what's on when you visit, so check ahead. Most performances run for a week or two, which means you've got decent odds of finding something worth your time.

This works brilliantly if you're based at one of the nearby glamping spots - BrackenXcapes is under four miles away, and several others cluster within five miles. Rather than spending an evening scrolling in your pod, you can slip into town and catch a show. Pantomime season is chaos in the best way possible, especially with kids.

Allow a couple of hours for the whole outing including dinner beforehand in Newark's town centre. Parking's straightforward enough. Ticket prices vary wildly depending on what's showing, but nothing outrageous. It's the sort of place that reminds you theatre doesn't have to be London or Edinburgh to be worth the trip. Real community venue stuff.