Free things to do in Manchester with kids

Alan Gilbert Learning Commons

Manchester

A university library that lets you bring your child in if you book a group study room, with 24-hour access and a foyer café.

CaféToiletsWi-Fi

Anderton Boat Lift Visitor Centre

Northwich

Free to visit engineering landmark with a boat trip, a play area and a maze made from the lift's old counterweights.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+2 more

Astley Hall

Chorley

Free entry to a 400 year old hall with a play area, a walled garden and a café for cake afterwards.

CaféGift shopFood on siteOutdoor play+2 more

Blakemere Village

Northwich

Free entry village with a mini railway, Segway forest rides, falconry and archery, plus a playground for the ones too small for any of it.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBlue badge parkingCafé+9 more

Blaze Farm & The Potty Sheep

Macclesfield

Free entry to watch lambing in spring, sheep-shearing in summer, and a nature trail to wander in between.

Birthday partiesBlue badge parkingCaféFree parking+3 more

Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive

Bolton

Free museum with real Egyptian mummies, hands-on touch screens and local history, right in the middle of Bolton.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingGift shop+3 more

Bolton Steam Museum

Bolton

Free entry to watch a collection of working mill steam engines turning over, some driven by real steam.

Free parking

Burnage Library

Manchester · ages 0-11

Storytimes, Lego Club and a garden Easter egg hunt, all free at this small local library.

Toilets

Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre

Bury

Free gallery and sculpture centre in Bury, though roof works mean reduced hours and less on show right now.

Baby changeGift shopToiletsWheelchair accessible

Cannon Hall Country Park

Barnsley

Free parkland with an adventure play area, wooden tepees and assault courses, plus a museum to duck into if it rains.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+10 more

Castlefield Gallery

Manchester

Free contemporary art exhibitions in the city centre, with lifts to every floor if you've got a buggy or a wheelchair.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBlue badge parkingWheelchair accessible

Chuck Gallery

Manchester

A free contemporary art gallery in Manchester where you can wander round paintings and mixed-media work with the kids in tow.

Clayton Hall

Manchester

Dress up in Victorian costume and hunt for witch marks scratched into the walls of a moated manor house, free of charge.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+4 more

Crookilley Woods

Stockport

Free woodland walk on maintained paths, with ancient trees and wildlife to spot along the way.

Outdoor play

Crosby Beach

Liverpool

A wide stretch of sand dotted with 100 cast-iron statues by Antony Gormley, free to wander any time.

Daisy Nook Country Park

Manchester

A free country park with a play area, ponds to dip in and canal paths for a wander or a bike ride.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPicnic area+2 more

Eccles Public Library

Salford

Free rhymes sessions, a whole library of books for under 16s, and computers to use, all with no overdue fines to worry about.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+4 more

Empire Rochdale

Rochdale

Live bands, Sunday karaoke and free entry events at a Rochdale venue that stays open past 4am on weekends.

Accessible toiletFood on site

esea contemporary

Manchester

A free contemporary art gallery in the city centre, open most days, with a new exhibition landing this October.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingParking+2 more

Fog Lane Park

Manchester · up to age 12

Free park with swings, a skatepark, tennis courts and an obstacle course for kids up to about 12.

Blue badge parkingCaféIndoor seatingOutdoor play+2 more

Game Vault

Bolton

Free to walk into, then it's tokens for the VR pods, pinball and pool tables.

Indoor seatingFood on site

Glebe Farm

Congleton

Book a proper hands-on animal experience, groom a Highland cow or walk an alpaca, then browse the farm shop before the café shuts.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredCaféFree parking+5 more

Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives

Manchester · ages 6+

Free walk-through police history museum in the Northern Quarter, open Tuesdays only, with a real Victorian courtroom and cells to poke around.

Accessible toiletBaby changeGift shopGroup bookings+3 more

Greenhead Park

Huddersfield

A free park with a double zip wire and a miniature steam railway that only runs on Saturday afternoons.

Changing PlacesOutdoor playToiletsWheelchair accessible

Greenslate Community Farm

Wigan · ages 5-16

A working community farm where kids groom goats and donkeys, build dens and try bush craft over a two-hour session.

CaféFood on siteOutdoor playPicnics allowed

Height Library

Salford

Free rhyme time for under-fives and a quiet spot to borrow books, with holiday activities laid on too.

Accessible toiletParkingStep-free accessToilets+2 more

Hulmes Wood Nature Reserve. Denton

Denton

A free patch of woodland in Denton to wander, spot birds and let the kids climb over roots and logs.

Lancashire Mining Museum CIO

Manchester

Wander round a real colliery site with a 98ft headgear to gawp at, colliery cottages and a miner's canteen to poke round, all free to get in.

Café

Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park

Wakefield

Free woodland, heathland and a pond to poke about in, with surfaced tracks that make it an easy one for dogs and buggies too.

Outdoor play

Longford Park

Manchester

A free park with a big adventure playground, disc golf and a tree trail with fairy doors to hunt down.

Accessible toiletBike parkingCaféChanging Places+6 more

Manchester Cathedral

Manchester

Wander a huge old cathedral for free, with volunteer-led tours most days if you catch them on a quiet moment.

Group bookingsPublic transport nearbyWheelchair accessible

Manchester Museum

Manchester

Free Oxford Road museum with dinosaurs and living worlds - Soft Play N never.

CaféChanging PlacesGift shopFood on site+2 more

Manchester Poetry Library

Manchester

A free poetry library in town to duck into for a browse, with a café if the kids need feeding after.

Accessible toiletCaféFood on siteStep-free access+2 more

Manor Fields Park

Sheffield

Free park with two playgrounds, a sandpit and a boardwalk, plus Tudor ruins you can touch but not climb.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesKids menu+4 more

Marple Skatepark

Stockport

A free, always-open concrete park for skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters.

Mayfield Park

Manchester

Free outdoor park with a play yard of six slides built around a daylighted stretch of the River Medlock.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playToilets

Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve

Ormskirk

Free wildlife trails and hides around a former sand quarry, open Wednesday to Sunday with a café on site.

Accessible toiletCaféOutdoor playPushchair friendly+2 more

Mount Sion Steam Crane

Manchester

Free crafts and guided nature or wildlife walks around a historic steam crane site on a Canal Fun Day.

National Coal Mining Museum for England

Wakefield · ages 0+

Free entry to a 42 acre former colliery, with the real draw being a guided trip 140 metres underground.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBike parkingBlue badge parking+13 more

National Trust - Formby

Liverpool

Sand dunes, pinewoods and two beach trails to explore, with sand wheelchairs on loan and no fires allowed to keep the wildlife happy.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+11 more

Nottingham Beach

Nottingham

A free pop-up beach with sand, a pool and paid rides in the middle of the city, open all summer.

Card onlyCash onlyToilets

Oldham Library

Oldham

Free sessions for babies, toddlers and Lego fans, plus theatre shows that run from £5 to £10.

Accessible toiletBaby changeParkingSensory friendly+3 more

Ordsall Hall

Salford

A free Tudor manor where kids can try climbing a replica string and hay bed and lay the table in the Great Hall.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+8 more

Pavilion Gardens

Buxton

Free Victorian gardens with outdoor play parks, then hop the miniature train or boats when you fancy a paid treat.

ToiletsParkingCaféRestaurant+6 more

Pendleton Library

Salford

A free, no-fuss library with Books and Rhymes sessions for under-fives and holiday activities laid on for older kids.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingParking+3 more

People's History Museum

Manchester

Free Spinningfields museum of democracy and protest - Soft Play N never.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféChanging Places+9 more

Pigeon Tower

Bolton

Free grounds to wander around a Victorian tower, an Italian-style lake and gardens on the edge of Lever Park.

CaféDog friendlyFree parkingGift shop+2 more

Ponden Kirk & Fairy Cave

Keighley

A rocky crevice cave and gritstone outcrop on the moors above Haworth, tied to the Brontë novels.

Portland Basin Museum

Ashton-under-Lyne · ages 0-5

A recreated 1920s street and a hands-on play area for under-fives, free to walk round in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Baby changeBlue badge parkingCaféFree parking+5 more

Printworks

Manchester

A city-centre complex of IMAX cinema, mini golf, bowling and karaoke under a huge digital ceiling screen.

First aidToiletsWi-Fi

Projekts MCR Skatepark

Manchester · ages 0-99

An indoor skatepark under the Mancunian Way flyover with open sessions, coaching and toddler-only slots for beginners on wheels.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesCaféIndoor seating+1 more

Revolución de Cuba Manchester

Manchester

Cuban tapas, cocktails and salsa lessons, with kids eating for £1 during half term.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredFood on siteParty rooms+4 more

Runway Visitor Park

Altrincham

Climb aboard a retired Concorde and a DC10 parked up outside Manchester Airport, with runway views thrown in free.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+7 more

Ryelands Park

Lancaster · ages 0-12

Free play park with a proper play area for under 12s, an outdoor gym and open grass for football.

ParkingWheelchair accessible

Salford Museum & Art Gallery

Salford · ages 0+

Free wander round a rebuilt Victorian street and hands-on galleries, with Victorian toys to play with along the way.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+10 more

Samlesbury Hall

Preston

Historic black-and-white hall near Preston - Soft Play N.

ToiletsCaféGift shopParking+1 more

Sandall Park

Doncaster

Free park with a zip-wire play area, woodland adventure play and football pitches, plus a café for when everyone flags.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPicnic area+1 more

Science and Industry Museum

Manchester

Free Manchester science museum on Liverpool Road - engines, hands-on halls and a proper cafe.

CaféGift shopToiletsWheelchair accessible+2 more

Silk Museum

Macclesfield

Free galleries on 300 years of silk history, plus a timed-entry mill tour with working Jacquard looms you have to book ahead for.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingBooking required+6 more

Smithills Open Farm Ice Creamery

Bolton

A hillside farm where kids hand-feed goats, ride a tractor and trailer, then finish on homemade ice cream from the farm's own creamery.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBlue badge parkingBooking required+9 more

Spud Wood

Lymm

A free woodland with a brook and canal to follow, plus a proper trail out to Lymm village and Dunham Massey.

Free parkingParkingPicnics allowedPublic transport nearby+1 more

The Children's Adventure Farm Trust

Altrincham · ages 0-17

A free two-hour farm visit for children with additional needs and their families, animals, woodland and a sports hall included.

Booking requiredIndoor playFood on siteOutdoor play+2 more

The John Rylands Library

Manchester

Free entry to a neo-Gothic library packed with rare books, manuscripts and a working antique printing press.

Accessible toiletCard onlyGift shopWheelchair accessible

The Monastery Manchester

Manchester

A free Gothic Revival building to wander with a zen garden, a café and a nave that looks nothing like a normal day out.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféFree parking+6 more

The Place at Platt Lane

Manchester

Free drop-in sessions for every age, from baby rhymes to a Saturday LEGO club and a teens poetry project.

The Portico Library

Manchester

Free exhibitions of books and contemporary art in a Georgian library, with a café under a domed roof.

Blue badge parkingCaféGift shopParking+1 more

The Salafi Centre of Manchester

Manchester

Free clubs for kids covering football, a girls' youth group, a baby club and Qur'an school, all run from one community centre.

Toilets

The Ultimate Manchester Free Walking tour

Manchester

A free three-hour guided walk round Manchester city centre, starting at the Chinese Arch and ending near Free Trade Hall.

The Whitaker

Rossendale

Free contemporary art exhibitions and family workshops in a park setting, with a café for afterwards.

Café

Walton Gardens and Hall Zoo

Warrington

A free zoo and estate where the animals are only part of it, alongside crazy golf, a land train and a proper high ropes course.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBlue badge parking+7 more

Wentworth Garden Centre

Rotherham

A free-to-wander garden centre day out with a family farm, an adventure playground and a pets and aquatics centre to nose round.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyFree parking+6 more

Winscar Reservoir

Sheffield

A flat tarmac bridleway round a big reservoir for walking or cycling, with free parking and picnic spots but no swimming.

Free parkingPicnics allowedToilets

Worden Park

Leyland · ages 0-99

Free park with a hedge maze, mini golf, a model railway and a playground, plus woods and meadows to wander through.

Bike parkingCaféDog friendlyFree parking+1 more

Working Class Movement Library

Salford

A free library and archive of working class history in Salford, with exhibitions and Friday afternoon tours.

Accessible toiletStep-free accessToiletsWheelchair accessible

World of Glass

Saint Helens

Free walk through a Victorian glass street, hands-on light and lens exhibits, and live glass blowing you can watch for a few pounds extra.

CaféGift shopGroup bookingsParking+1 more