Left: the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum will help you find the meaning of Easter with a history of chocolate.
Treating the kids this Easter doesn't have to mean feeding them chocolate eggs until they feel queasy.
Of course, that's probably what they want, but why give in when there are so many more wholesome alternatives?
Such as? Well you could go to London's Natural History Museum and learn about the history of chocolate, from it's development by the Aztecs, to the medicinal properties of Cocoa. It's open on Friday April 18 and Saturday April 19.
Right: from small acorns and all that - the original cocoa plant collected by Sir Hans Sloane and on show at the Natural History Museum.
Or you could make them earn their chocolate before they eat it.
The Easter Chick Hunt at Oakwell Hall in Batley, Huddersfield, offers a mini chocolate Easter egg to children who can spot the chicks hidden in and around the museum. Check it out over the Easter weekend from Saturday April 19 to Tuesday April 22.
They aren't the only venue offering free eggs as an incentive to visit. The Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon is offering thousands of Easter eggs as prizes for children who can trawl the site for answers to their Easter quiz questions.
In addition to their normal exhibits, which include film shows, jet engines, and a simulator ride, over the bank holiday weekend (April 18- April 21) there'll be an Easter Fair with an assault course and a bouncy castle amongst the attractions.
Left: chocs away old girl!! Getting off to a flyer at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, north London.
The Great Golden Easter Egg Hunt at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has a swashbuckling pirate theme, with face painting and pirate hat making among the non-chocolaty treats on offer between April 12 and April 27.
Kirkcaldy Museum And Art Gallery's Easter Trail is offering surprise 'tasty treats' as a reward for finding the chicks they've hidden around the gallery. I wonder what they could be?
Their Easter exhibition is called 'Funfair' and promises a colourful collection of work by students from Fife College celebrating the famous Links Market. It opens on Saturday April 5 and runs through to Sunday April 20.
Right: chocolate advertising certainly has come a long way, where's that girl in the bath, or the bloke all dressed in black?
Older children and adults who ought to work harder for their chocolate should be taken to the Egg-A-Thon at Enginuity in Ironbridge, Shropshire. Between April 18 and April 26 visitors will be invited to design a parachute and harness to help their egg survive an eight metre fall onto the mezzanine floor.
If your parachute's good enough and the egg survives you'll be allowed to take it away and eat it. Or you could munch it on the spot; whichever suits you better. Of course, you'll probably be too busy with the centre's other unusual challenges, such as balancing eggs on a tightrope and building a buggy.
Left: can't bear long afternoons in front of the telly with an aching stomach? Why not splice the main brace and shiver your timbers at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard?
Down the road at the Blists Hill Victorian Town museum there's a chance between April 18 and April 21 to experience an authentic Victorian Easter. Or so they say. Activities there will include egg decorating, egg rolling, and egg dancing.
Egg dancing? Yes, you've read it right. Egg dancing. Organisers claim this was a traditional Victorian Easter pass-time in which participants were blindfolded and had to dance across an egg-strewn street, trying their best to avoid breaking the eggs.
So is it a genuine slice of history or just an excuse to have lots of silly fun? Or both?
Less silly, but equally fun for those who like dancing, is the Easter Monday (April 21) activity day at Rushen Abbey in Douglas on The Isle Of Man. A host of traditional crafts and activities are planned, including egg-painting, palm-cross making, and a chance to learn the 'flitter' dance.
There's also a free Easter Egg for every child included in the price of admission.
Right: hands up who's sick of chocolate and fancies a culinary Easter alternative at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum?
If you're still hungry after all those eggs then try broadening your palette at Weald And Downland Open Air Musuem in Singleton, West Sussex. On Sunday April 20 and Monday April 21 they're hosting a 'Celebrate The Taste!' Easter Food Fair, with gastronomic goodies for gourmets of all ages.
Tutored tasting sessions are on offer for cheese and wine buffs, alongside the chance to sample beers, meats, spices, and cakes. For younger visitors there are junior cake-making classes and to unite the family there's an enticing medieval banquet. Yum.
With all the food on offer around the country it would be easy to forget the true meaning of Easter. James Bond.
Left: now... we all love Easter eggs, but this year your only going to get a look at James Bond's car at Thinktank.
For your seasonal fix of death defying thrills and undercover excitement, motor down to the 'Top Speed' exhibition at Thinktank Museum of Science And Discovery in Birmingham between April 17 - 29. It's not all about Bond; alongside 007's famous Jaguar XKR they'll have the world's fastest fire engine, Surefire1.
Be careful, though. They've also invited the world's fastest hypnotist, Peter Powers, who's capable of hypnotising a staggering 35 people in one minute. He'll be there alongside the world's fastest talker, Steve Woodmore who'll demonstrate his talent at a jaw-aching 637 words per minute.
Impressive, but I wonder how fast can he eat an Easter Egg?
