Every place in Manchester

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

Scare City Experience

Chorley · ages 14-16

A one-way scare trail through an abandoned theme park with live actors jumping out at every turn, strictly for older teens.

Accessible toiletBooking required

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

Seven Limes Pottery

Manchester

Hand-building or wheel-throwing classes where you make actual tableware, not just paint a plain mug.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookingsPublic transport nearby

Shakespeare North Playhouse

Prescot

A proper theatre in Prescot with family shows, tours and a play area by the café, and you decide what to pay for some performances.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+11 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

Skyliner: Alternative Walking Tours of Manchester

Manchester

A guided walk round the Northern Quarter's street art and political murals, with the real story behind each one.

Booking requiredGroup bookings

Slick City Action Park Nottingham

Nottingham · ages 4+

Nottingham - Slick City indoor slide action park in Lenton, dry slides and Air Courts from £14.95.

CaféBirthday partiesBooking required

Smithills Open Farm

Bolton

Bolton open farm with animal feeding, tractor rides and free adult entry - open daily 10-5.

Indoor playOutdoor playCaféFree parking+3 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

Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience - Manchester

Manchester · ages 10+

A shared VR headset trip to a black hole and the Pillars of Creation, built with Smithsonian scientists, for ages 10 and up.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesGift shopGroup bookings+3 more

Southport Beach

Southport

Miles of open sand near Southport's Victorian seafront, with room to walk, paddle and build without another soul getting in the way.

Space Studio Manchester

Manchester

Pick a pot from over 40 options and paint it, with sessions running under two hours in an Ancoats studio.

Booking requiredIndoor seatingWheelchair accessible

Sparkles Adventure Play Ltd

Oldham · ages 0-10

A castle-themed frame with a two-lane slide and a proper ball pool, split into 90-minute sessions so nobody outstays their welcome.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredCaféIndoor play+2 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

Splash World

Southport

Water slides and a swimming pool under one roof, open weekends all year and weekdays in the school holidays.

Birthday partiesFood on siteVegetarian options

Sprouts Club

Manchester · up to age 2

A pretend high street for toddlers, with a café, pharmacy, salon and shop to potter round in timed sessions.

Booking required

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

St Helens Theatre Royal

Saint Helens

A proper pantomime, Peter Pan this year, with tickets from £20.

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

Stockport Garrick Theatre

Stockport

A local theatre with a Main Stage and an intimate Studio, plus a Monday two-for-one deal worth grabbing.

Blue badge parkingGroup bookingsHearing loopParking+1 more

Stockport Nerf Centre

Stockport · ages 6+

Foam-dart battles under glow lights and smoke, booked in one or two hour slots.

Booking requiredParty rooms

Stoller Hall

Manchester · ages 0-18

A concert hall doing family workshops on Saturdays and free lunchtime recitals by young musicians on weekdays.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBlue badge parkingBooking required+6 more