Museums & heritage in Manchester

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

Bolton Steam Museum

Bolton

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

Free parking

Bridgewater Cruises

Manchester

A slow boat along the Bridgewater Canal with seasonal cruises built around Santa or Easter crafts.

Birthday partiesCard onlyGroup bookingsFood on site

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

Casbah Coffee Club Historic Site

Liverpool · ages 0-16

Walk into the actual basement club where the Beatles played their first gigs, on a pre-booked tour that traces the birth of Merseybeat.

Booking required

Castle Hill

Huddersfield

Climb Victoria Tower on top of Castle Hill for the view over Huddersfield, and change for coins at the door.

Public transport nearbySchool visits

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

Cheshire Art Gallery

Stockport

A small gallery to duck into for a browse round the art, with a car park a minute away.

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

Contemporary Six

Altrincham

A small contemporary art gallery where kids can look at original paintings, prints, sculpture and ceramics, with talks and events laid on too.

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

East Lancashire Railway - (Irwell Vale Station)

Bury

A small, quiet station on the East Lancashire Railway where you board heritage steam or diesel trains and wander the sculpture trail alongside the Irwell.

CaféDog friendlyFood on siteParking+3 more

East Lancashire Railway - (Ramsbottom Station)

Bury

A steam train ride out to Ramsbottom for duck spotting, woodland and a playground by the platform.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+4 more

East Lancashire Railway - Heywood Station

Heywood

Hop on a heritage steam or diesel train from Heywood and rattle out through countryside to villages along the line.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingFree parkingGift shop+3 more

East Lancashire Railway - Rawtenstall Station

Rossendale

A proper steam train ride out of Rawtenstall, ending in a cobbled mill town worth a wander.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+1 more

Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Manchester

A Victorian house museum where kids follow Cranford the Cat's trail and try on period costume, with under-16s free.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+11 more

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

Fireground

Rochdale · ages 0+

A museum of old fire engines and firefighting history, open Thursday to Saturday in Rochdale.

CaféFree parkingPublic transport nearbySchool visits

First Light Pavilion

Macclesfield

A planetarium film about Jodrell Bank, a working orrery and a whispering dish outside to shout across the lawn at.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBottle warming+13 more

Floating Holidays

Middlewich

A self-drive canal boat holiday where you learn to sail the boat yourself and fish straight from the deck.

Parking

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

Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker

Lane

A genuine Cold War nuclear bunker 40ft underground, packed with authentic equipment and a spy mouse trail for the kids to follow.

CaféGift shopGroup bookingsSchool visits

Hebden Bridge Cruises

Hebden Bridge · up to age 12

A 50 minute narrowboat cruise along the canal with commentary on history and wildlife, capped at 12 people a trip.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredDog friendlyFood on site+3 more

Hoghton Tower

Preston · ages 5+

A guided tramp through a genuine Tudor house, with a steep half-mile drive up and a dollhouse room that steals the show.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBaby changeBlue badge parking+11 more

Houdini's Escape Room Experience - Leeds

Leeds · ages 2-18

Sixty minutes locked in a themed room working through puzzles and riddles as a team, with the game master watching the clock.

Booking requiredCard onlyGroup bookings

Huddersfield Observatory

Huddersfield · ages 0+

Solar telescopes, star talks and beginner astronomy courses run by a members' society meeting twice a month.

ParkingPicnics allowedToilets

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

Macclesfield

UNESCO radio telescope day out near Macclesfield - Space Dome films, trails and cafes.

ParkingFree parkingCaféGift shop+5 more

Kittywake Canal Cruises - Wigan

Wigan

A canal cruise with a proper meal on board, from pizza to a full roast, and a lock or two along the way.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookingsFood on site+2 more

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

Mad Science North England

Preston · ages 5-11

A Mad Scientist brings slime-making, rocket launches and chemical reactions to your own party venue for a hands-on science show.

Booking required

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 Jewish Museum

Manchester · ages 0+

A restored Victorian synagogue turned museum with scavenger hunts, baking workshops and a toddler session, all done in under two hours.

Accessible toiletCaféFree parkingGift shop+9 more

Manchester Museum

Manchester

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

CaféChanging PlacesGift shopFood on site+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.

Museum of Illusions - Manchester

Manchester · ages 0-18

A trick-your-eyes museum of 65+ hands-on illusions, from a vortex tunnel to hanging off a Metrolink tram.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredCard onlyDog friendly+6 more

Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester

Manchester

Vintage buses to climb aboard, a card game about them, and on special dates a free ride on a heritage service.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+4 more

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

Norton Priory Museum & Gardens

Runcorn · ages 0-16

A medieval priory museum with woodland walks, a Georgian walled garden and a St Christopher statue that starred in a children's novel.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+7 more

Old Queen's Head

Sheffield

A Grade II listed Tudor building in Sheffield with a courtyard to explore and pub food to fill you up after.

Food on siteRestaurant

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

Peak Cavern

Castleton

Walk a guided showcave under the gorge with a rope-makers story - chilly low section, from £13.75 online for children.

Booking required

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

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

Saddleworth Museum & Gallery

Oldham

A small local history museum in Uppermill with hands-on learning areas for kids and galleries telling the story of Saddleworth.

Free parkingGift shopToiletsWheelchair 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

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

Sightseeing Manchester

Manchester

An open-top bus loop round Manchester's big sights, with a ticket that lets you hop off and back on for two days.

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

Speedwell Cavern

Castleton · ages 5-15

A boat ride into a flooded lead mine to see the Bottomless Pit, down 106 steps in Castleton.

Booking requiredParking

Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre - Canal & River Trust

Huddersfield

Boat trips through Britain's longest canal tunnel, plus a towpath walk and tea and cake afterwards.

CaféCard onlyParkingToilets+1 more

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum

Leyland

Climb into real lorry cabs and grip the wheel of vehicles that used to rule the roads, all under one roof near the M6.

CaféFree parkingGift shopToilets+1 more

The Fusilier Museum

Bury

Two galleries of 300 years of military history, a shooting simulator to test steady hands, and a ticket that gets you back in free all year.

Café

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 Mystery of Banksy – Manchester

Manchester

A walk-through of roughly 200 recreated Banksy pieces, from graffiti to sculpture, in a slick indoor Manchester space.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredGift shopLockers+3 more

The Pankhurst Centre

Manchester

A small suffragette museum where kids get a garden to chalk in and a photo op, not just glass cases to file past.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+6 more

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 Whitaker

Rossendale

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

Café

Treak Cliff Cavern

Castleton · ages 5-17

A 45-minute self-guided walk into a real cavern hung with Blue John stone, but it's steps and slopes, not a pram job.

ParkingToiletsCaféGift shop+1 more

Turton Tower

Lancashire

A part-timbered manor house with a woodland adventure playground and a walled Victorian kitchen garden to explore, free to roam grounds all year.

Accessible toiletCaféDog friendlyFree parking+7 more

Western Approaches

Liverpool

Wander a real WWII bunker beneath the city streets, from the wartime shop fronts to the Operations Room where the maps still sit.

Baby changeCard onlyGift shopGroup bookings+2 more

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

Worsley Day Boat Hire

Manchester

Hire your own boat on the Bridgewater Canal and spot herons, ducks and whatever else is nesting on the bank that day.

Dog friendlyPicnics allowedToilets