Powered by Confidentials.com Search Subscribe
Search Subscribe
Guide

40 things to do for Mother’s Day in Manchester

2 months ago

We’ve loads of suggestions for things to do on Mother’s Day in and around Manchester, from beautiful bars to country pubs to restaurants for reminiscing in and everything in between. There’s even some cheap (or free) attractions thrown in our top picks list below. Shhh … she’ll never know.

  • The private dining room at 20 Stories, Manchester.
    Spinningfields

    20 Stories

    Bars

    Manchester’s highest – and possibly finest – restaurant, bar and terrace. D&D London’s flagship Manchester restaurant, 20 Stories was the opening of 2018. Floor to ceiling windows (and a huge, outdoor terrace, the same size as the entire restaurant floor), afford breathtaking views of the city and surrounding countryside, while the menu offers modern British, seasonal dishes. 

    More details
  • The Bells of Peover, a country pub in Cheshire, just south of Knutsford
    Book Now Knutsford

    The Bells of Peover

    Pubs

    There’s a story behind the American and British flags that fly over the entrance to The Bells of Peover, a country dining pub in a village south of Knutsford.

    More details
  • The kids menu at The Black Friar - a family-friendly restaurant in Manchester.
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    The Black Friar

    Pubs

    The Black Friar stood empty and unloved for almost 20 years before reopening in summer 2021 after a substantial renovation project. Now a modern British restaurant and a traditional pub, it has two distinct settings with menus to match.

    More details
  • San Carlo Bottega in Selfridges, Manchester
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Bottega

    Bars

    With its floor-to-ceiling views over Exchange Square and chic Selfridges setting, Bottega is  a stylish spot for cocktails, lunch or dinner.

    More details
  • The Bridge, a hotel and restaurant in Prestbury, Cheshire
    Book Now Prestbury

    The Bridge

    Bars

    Located in a Grade II Listed building from 1626, The Bridge is full of charm, whether you’re going for a weekend away or Sunday lunch. This hotel and restaurant sits on the banks of the River Bollin in the picturesque Cheshire village of Prestbury, and has been newly refurbished.

    More details
  • Grilled prawns with chilli, lime & coconut sauce at The Burbs restaurant in Heaton Moor
    Book Now Heaton Moor

    The ‘Burbs

    Restaurant

    The ‘Burbs is exactly the sort of informal neighbourhood spot you want round the corner from your house.

    More details
  • Chez Mal Restaurant Manchester Afternoon Tea
    Manchester City Centre

    Chez Mal Brasserie

    Restaurant - European

    Chez Mal Brasserie Manchester sells exactly the sort of European classics you might expect from a well-thought of boutique hotel chain. It’s not exactly full of surprises but everything is executed with a certain flair that doesn’t feel formulaic.

    More details
  • Book Now Levenshulme

    Cibus

    Bars

    Once a stall at Levy Market, then a pop-up pizzeria above Fred’s Ale House, Cibus took baby steps to get to where it is today – a fully-fledged and much-praised Italian restaurant and bar on Levenshulme high street.

    More details
  • Oysters from Climat, Manchester.
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Climat

    Restaurant - Modern British

    On the rooftop of Blackfriars House, Climat is a simply exceptional dining experience owned and operated by the team behind Covino in Chester, who have established a reputation as a wine-led restaurant with a focus on changing menus and a passion for wine.

    More details
  • Dakota Grill Manchester Lamb Rump
    Book Now Northern Quarter

    Dakota Grill Manchester

    Bars

    Dakota Grill Manchester is the work of former Malmaison owner, Ken McCollough and it is as dark-hued and handsome as the successful boutique hotel chain. It’s an inviting place with flickering candlelight, very retro-sexy – sure to be the setting for many a first date.

    The focus at Dakota is on steaks which are very good – all grass-fed, 28 day-aged, hand-cut Aberdeenshire beef cooked over hot coals.

    More details
  • A copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South with tea cup on a table
    Ardwick

    Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

    Historic Buildings & Sites

    Visitors to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House can explore the author’s home where she wrote most of her novels such as North and South and Cranford.

    More details
  • Romiley

    Etherow Country Park

    Parks & Gardens

    If you want a woodland walk complete with den-making, wildlife, picnic spots, and beautiful views, Etherow Country Park on the edge of Stockport ticks the boxes.

    More details
  • The plush interior of cinema Everyman Manchester St John's
    Manchester City Centre

    Everyman Manchester St John’s

    Cinemas

    With its red velvet seats, waiter service, and ultra stylish bar and cafe, Everyman Manchester St John’s is a far cry from your local multiplex. This deluxe cinema chain is expanding across the UK and now has two venues in Greater Manchester (the other is in Altrincham). 

    More details
  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Evuna Manchester Deansgate

    Bottle Shop

    October 2003 saw the first of the four Evunas open, grabbing a prime position on Deansgate and a reputation for being a go-to place for Spanish cuisine. Plenty of exposed brick, wine-lined walls and low, dark lighting all add to the atmosphere, perfect for cosying up over those authentic small plates.

    More details
  • Didsbury

    Fletcher Moss

    Parks & Gardens

    Fletcher Moss has four outdoor, floodlit clay tennis courts which are open to everyone and accessibly priced.

    More details
  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    The Fountain House

    Pubs

    The Fountain House is the newest lodger of the Gothic-arched Memorial Hall sitting one corner of Albert Square, and its modern old-fashioned surrounds and plentiful portions of proper pub grub – mostly British but with a little European inspiration – do the imposing building proud.

    More details
  • Cocktails at the Fox & Barrel
    Tarporley

    Fox & Barrel

    Pubs

    The Fox & Barrel is a traditional Cheshire country pub with seasonal food, a good wine list and some very good gin too. For the most part, it offers exactly what you’d expect and a bit more – cracking Sunday roasts, an open fire with snug seating, handpumps on the bar and tables on the terrace.

    More details
  • Steak at Gaucho
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Gaucho Manchester

    Restaurant - South American

    For many people, Argentinian restaurant Gaucho Manchester is the destination in the city for very good steak paired with very good wine. Housed in a converted Methodist church on Deansgate, with an open kitchen, and the original church organ still in-situ, it’s also known as one of Manchester’s best-looking spaces for dining.

    More details
  • Grand Pacific - one of the most romantic restaurants in Manchester for Valentine's Day.
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Grand Pacific

    Bars

    Grand Pacific is the work of Living Ventures and it easily outshines its sibling venues in terms of pure glamour. Not in a big chandeliers, glass and chrome Spinningfields way, but with a decadent blend of colonial Raffles-style grandeur and some of the best of the city’s Victorian architecture.

    More details
  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Gusto Italian Manchester

    Bars

    Gusto Italian Manchester may be the jewel in ever-expanding chain’s crown, even if the menu is the same everywhere from Heswall to Edinburgh. It’s a very polished affair with a definite Art Deco feel. This is a place that seems designed for good times and the service is slick.

    More details
  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Harmony and Serenity Spa at Manchester Piccadilly Hotel

    Spas

    A popular option for a good-value spa break, the Harmony and Serenity Spa is known for its relaxation room, thermal suite, and six treatment rooms. 

    More details
  • Outside HOME in Manchester city centre
    Manchester City Centre

    HOME

    Arts Venues

    With five cinemas, two theatres, a bookshop, and over 500 sqm of gallery space, HOME is one of Manchester’s biggest and most dynamic arts venues. 

    More details
  • A man indoor skydiving at iFLY Manchester
    Book Now Trafford Park

    iFLY Manchester Indoor Skydiving

    Activities

    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.

    More details
  • Study alcove in John Rylands Library in Manchester city centre
    Spinningfields

    John Rylands Research Institute and Library

    Libraries

    It’s part of the University of Manchester but you don’t have to be a scholar to enjoy this inspiring space. In fact, John Rylands Library was built to give the people of Manchester a place where they could read, create and wonder.

    More details
  • The sauna at King Street Townhouse Gym and Spa
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    King Street Townhouse Gym & Spa

    Spas

    The King Street Townhouse Gym & Spa opened at this boutique luxury hotel in 2022, making it one of Manchester city centre’s newest spas.

    More details
  • The Laureate restaurant at Hyatt Regency Manchester does a kids eat free deal during the school holidays.
    Book Now Manchester

    The Laureate Restaurant

    Bars

    So named because of Manchester University’s 25 Nobel laureates, The Laureate Restaurant is a large and luxurious space located on one of the higher floors of Manchester’s Hyatt Regency Hotel.

    More details
  • Daffodils bordering the lake at Lyme Park, Stockport, Greater Manchester
    Stockport

    Lyme Park

    Historic Buildings & Sites

    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.

    More details
  • Steak from Tender Cow at Mackie Mayor, a food hall in Manchester.
    Northern Quarter

    Mackie Mayor

    Cafes

    Mackie Mayor is a cosmopolitan food hall located in an 1858 Grade II listed market building on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

    More details
  • Manchester Art Gallery in Manchester city centre
    Manchester City Centre

    Manchester Art Gallery

    Art Galleries

    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.

    More details
  • Manchester Museum
    Oxford Road

    Manchester Museum

    Museums

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

    More details
  • Manchester River Cruises Pirates and Mermaids - a recommended half-term day out in Manchester.
    Spinningfields

    Manchester River Cruises

    Activities

    Want to fall in love with your city all over again? Take a boat tour from Manchester River Cruises, and you’ll see its iconic views from a new and surprising perspective.

    More details
  • Green Quarter

    New Century

    Bars

    Opened in the summer of 2022 after a hefty refurb which transformed the tired-looking New Century Hall of the mid-twentieth century into a newfangled music and dining destination in Manchester’s trendy NOMA district.

    More details
  • Puppy having cuddles at Paws Yoga
    Castlefield

    Paws Yoga

    Activities

    Two things that are guaranteed to release endorphins: puppies and yoga. Paws Yoga combines the two, and was the first yoga class of this kind to touch down in Manchester.

    More details
  • Book Now Northern Quarter

    The Pen & Pencil

    Bars

    The Pen and Pencil is the Northern Quarter’s cool all-day hangout, modelled on the New York bar of the same name popular with the city’s journalists and ad men in the 1950s and 1960s. It has a reputation for great cocktails, quality food and an atmosphere that makes it stand out from nearby imitators.

    More details
  • Book Now Didsbury

    Piccolino Didsbury

    Bars

    With its large alfresco terrace, complete with a fully retractable roof, Piccolino Didsbury is perfectly located for an Aperol Spritz in the sun or a full three-course meal inspired by the diverse cuisine from all of Italy’s regions.

    More details
  • The relaxation pods at Rena Spa at The Midland
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Rena Spa at The Midland

    Spas

    The Rena Spa at The Midland Hotel is many local people’s first-choice for a spa day in the city centre, and for good reason.

    More details
  • Things to do with kids this Easter in Manchester: the giant egg hunt at RHS Bridgewater
    Book Now Worsley

    RHS Garden Bridgewater

    Parks & Gardens

    The 2021 opening of this new 154-acre garden was greeted with much excitement and long queues, and rightly so. Once a derelict and overgrown site, it’s now a major visitor attraction with plenty to offer all year round. 

    More details
  • Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Riva Blu Manchester | Corn Exchange

    Restaurant - Italian

    From the same team behind Piccolino, Riva Blu Manchester aims to bring a little bit of La Dolce Vita to The Corn Exchange. With a sleek cocktail bar, open kitchen, and alfresco terrace, it’s styled on the high-society glamour of the 1960s, and “modern Italian” cuisine is the name of the game.

    More details
  • Afternoon tea at Richmond Tea Rooms, Manchester
    Gay Village

    Richmond Tea Rooms

    Cafes

    If this isn’t an excuse to pop on your best frock (or bib’n’tucker), we don’t know what is. An award-winning Alice In Wonderland-themed dining experience is just asking for a bit of dress-up, especially when there’s finger food and afternoon tea for the taking.

    More details
  • One of the best restaurants in the North West, San Carlo Alderley Edge. Cheshire.
    Book Now Alderley Edge

    San Carlo Alderley Edge

    Bars

    The latest addition to the San Carlo family is the impressive £3 million Alderley Edge restaurant, boasting a sunlit dining terrace with a retractable roof and open flame fireplace. 

    More details
  • Girl swimming at The Edwardian Manchester, a Radisson Collection Hotel
    Manchester City Centre

    The Spa & Gym at The Edwardian Manchester

    Spas

    If you’re looking for high-end luxury from your spa day or gym membership, The Spa & Gym at The Edwardian Manchester might be for you. Spread over an entire floor of this stylish Radisson hotel, it’s one of Manchester’s best-looking spa destinations, thanks to its soothing combination of natural oak, glass and marble, and its gorgeous aquamarine swimming pool.

    More details
  • Christmas party at Whistle Punks Axe Throwing in Manchester
    Book Now Manchester City Centre

    Whistle Punks

    Activities

    Hearing the thud of axes can be a little unnerving as you leave the cinema in the Great Northern – especially after a slasher film – but the axe throwing at Whistle Punks is about letting off steam not cutting off limbs.

    It’s competitive and a bit like darts really, only you’re throwing whacking great axes at the target instead. A bullseye with an axe is very satisfying indeed.

    More details
Close
Close splash advert