Days out for teenagers near Manchester and Liverpool

Afflecks, previously known as Afflecks Palace, is a hip indoor market spread over four floors. Established in 1982, it’s a Manchester institution.

Arcade Club Bury is a gamer’s paradise. Set in a former mill, it is a vast celebration of the beat ‘em up, the shoot ‘em up and the platform game. There’s four entire floors of arcade machines, pinball, air hockey and more with a good mix of the latest releases and retro refurbs. This is the biggest arcade in Europe.

Castlefield Viaduct is the National Trust’s newest opening in the region – and it’s a bit of a departure from their usual country houses and rural landscapes.

With 180m of downhill skiing and snowboarding, Chill Factore is the UK’s longest indoor real snow slope. And though you can’t compare it to the glistening slopes of Chamonix, it offers enough action to make a day trip there a must for anyone interested in snowsports (or just larking about on a sledge).

It’s a dream come true for kids of the 90s: a chance to show off your skills on the legendary TV game show, The Crystal Maze.

DNA VR is a virtual reality arcade with three different gameplay options. You can communicate with your friends through the VR headsets as you play and it’s all private. You play with your friends, not some randoms. Everything is overseen by your own VR wizard so you don’t succumb to the zombie apocalypse too quickly.

Dunham Massey is one of the National Trust’s top 10 most visited properties, bringing in 439,000 people in 2020/21. We reckon at least 80% of them were Mancunians escaping the city for their nearest bucolic country park.

Graystone is Salford’s action-packed home of high-adrenaline sports. Skateboarding is the big deal here. Practise on all sorts of drops, ramps and bars or sign up for a group coaching session ran by passionate staff. As well as skateboarding, you can also go for BMX or scooters in the park area.

If you’re craving greenery but don’t want to stray too far out of the city, Heaton Park, on the Manchester-Bury border, is one of your best options.

If you like the idea of skydiving but not so much the idea of jumping out of a plane, this could be for you. At iFLY Manchester Indoor Skydiving, you get the weightless, flying experience without having to launch yourself off anything – the wind lifts you up rather than gravity pulling you down.

Put down those phones, switch off your screens, and, er, stand in front of another one . . .  but this time in your own personal gamebox at Immersive Gamebox in Manchester Arndale.

This quayside location in Trafford Park was bombed heavily during WW2 so it’s especially appropriate that it was chosen as the home of the Imperial War Museum North. 

This indoor inflatable playground is an excellent way to tire out hyperactive kids on a rainy day and for that we thank them. The other fab thing about it is that adults are welcome too. Inflata Nation Manchester believes all ages can have fun bounding around and burrowing through ball pools. We can’t disagree.

Jodrell Bank is a landmark. On a clear day, you can see its Lovell Telescope from the top of almost any hill in the region. It’s also a landmark research institute at the forefront of modern astrophysics. And it’s a lovely day out.

Junkyard Golf is Manchester’s original crazy crazy golf. There are imitators and imposters but this was the city’s first day-glo, booze-fuelled, loud, throbbing take on the traditional seaside game for kids.

Kickair, an “indoor freestyle park” behind Victoria Station, is the kind of place that fills kids (and big kids) with glee. 

Lane 7 Deansgate has bowling lanes as well as more than seven other things to do while you’re there and that doesn’t even include drinking a gin cocktail in a stein. Obviously, that’s just a given.

As well as bowling, there is fancy-pants bowling with neon zig zags. A bit of a cross between a new restaurant opening and Blade Runner. All the bowling is pretty sleek and shiny though with the standard graffiti décor.

Non-bowling entertainment includes just about everything that could possibly be construed as competitive with the exception of tiddlywinks.

Nothing shakes up the senses quite like a winter dip in the docks. Head to Mariners Wharf for all-year-round aquatic activities at Liverpool Watersports Centre including open water swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, powerboating, and giant swan pedalo-ing. Go in the warmer months and there’s an Aqua Park too – basically a big inflatable playground in the water. 

Lyme Park is a huge estate with a Medieval herd of red deer, stunning views and a handsome Regency house.

Now a National Trust property, Lyme Park has something for visitors of all ages. Jane Austen fans may know it best as Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy, where he emerges dripping wet from the lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Mosey down Mosley Street between Piccadilly Gardens and St Peter’s Square, and you can’t miss the Greek columns that flank the front of Manchester Art Gallery. It’s one of Manchester’s most visited cultural attractions thanks to its central location and extensive collection of historical and contemporary art.

Manchester Museum reopened in February 2023 following a £15m transformation to make it more inclusive and more imaginative in how it tells its stories.

Liverpool’s Maritime Museum is part of the National Museums Liverpool collection. As one of the country’s major ports, seafaring and shipping has played an important part in the city’s history. Discover more about it at the Royal Albert Dock where the Maritime Museum is located.

The Museum of Liverpool on Pier Head is an eclectic and diverse collection of Liverpool stuff and stories. Part of the National Museums Liverpool group, you’ll find everything from one of Villanelle’s stylish costumes from Killing Eve (as worn by local actress Jodie Comer) to a carriage from Liverpool’s overhead railway which you can climb aboard.

Paradise Skate World is a cosmic-themed roller skating bar for grown-ups (and teenagers at certain times of the day). It’s not a professional roller rink, more a place to have fun, although the 4500 sq ft wood-sprung rink is rather lovely. Think galactic backdrops and light-up wheels with some cocktails and snacks thrown in for good measure.

For spine-tinglingly close views of the huge planes landing and taking off at Manchester Airport, head to the Runway Visitor Park.

Much like the once mighty industrial power of the North, Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has shrunk noticeably over the years. But it’s still well worth a visit.

Stockport Air Raid Shelters were the largest purpose built air-raid shelters in the country, originally designed to provide shelter to 3850 people, they were extended during the Second World War to accommodate as many as 6500.

Tatton Park is a historic estate on the edge of Knutsford, home to an opulent neo-classical mansion, landscaped gardens, a farm, a huge deer park and a medieval Old Hall.

TeamSport Go Karting: Trafford Park has 450 metres of adrenaline-fuelled GP circuit and a new fleet of Biz Evo3 adult karts so you can whizz round at speeds of up to 40mph.

Total Ninja is part bouncy-castle on steroids, part warrior training ground. The venue is mainly divided into two parts: an inflatable park and a so-called Ninja Academy, both of which are included in the entry price. There is also a free toddler area for under 4s.

If you’re looking for a fun way to get outside and get active, try Treetop Trek Manchester at Heaton Park. It’s a chance to feel the breeze on your face and face your fears on a high-rope aerial adventure in the woods.

Urban Playground Manchester is the place to go for an adrenaline-fuelled, ultra-competitive night out. Located in Manchester Arndale, it brings together high-tech games with bars and big-name dining from gourmet burger brand The Butcher.

If you’ve never known the joy of flying over a lake on a rope swing and daring yourself to let go, get it on your bucket list, and then get yourself over to Wild Shore Delamere to tick it off.