Things to do with kids in Manchester

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.

Bolton Museum is much more than just your standard local history-focused collection. Because of its links with the cotton trade, this unassuming town has an internationally recognised collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts.

Chaos Karts puts you in the driving seat of an immersive augmented reality experience, bringing real-life karting and gaming together.

With 180m of downhill skiing and snowboarding, The Snow Centre 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).

Cockfields Farm Park, in the countryside between Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne, is a young child’s idea of the perfect day out.

Dino Falls Adventure Golf is the only landmark kids care about in Manchester. You can’t miss the volcano and huge dinosaurs as you drive past on the M60.

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 most visited properties, bringing in over half a million people in 2023. We reckon at least 80% of them were Mancunians escaping the city for their nearest bucolic country park.

The East Lancashire Railway has a long and rich heritage, stretching all the way back to when the first trains steamed into Bury in the 1840s.

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

Gallery Oldham in the town’s Cultural Quarter features artworks and items from Oldham’s diverse collections alongside newly commissioned art, international work, touring exhibitions and work produced with local communities.

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.

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 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. 

Knowsley Safari is an exciting day out for all animal-lovers – not just for kids. Who wouldn’t want to watch their car’s windscreen wipers being expertly deconstructed by some cheeky little baboons?

With its glowing neon graffiti, low lighting, and hip hop soundtrack, Lane 7 in the Great Northern on Deansgate looks more like a punky 1980s nightclub than a wholesome, All American bowling alley.  

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.

Legoland Discovery Centre is Manchester’s ultimate Lego playground. If your children like building and creating with those brightly coloured blocks, then they will love it. There are evening sessions for adults available too so serious Lego architects can geek out undisturbed, otherwise adults (15+) must be accompanied by a child to visit.

Flagship arts venue The Lowry was at the heart of 1990s’ plans to breathe new life back into Salford Quays. Now in its third decade, it’s maintained its reputation as one of Greater Manchester’s top visitor attractions thanks to a lively, ever-evolving programme of art, music, theatre, comedy and more.

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.

Mam Tor is one of the highlights of the Peak District in an area that’s full of gems. The name means Mother Hill because the frequent landslips have created a series of mini-hills around it. This geological instability caused by layers of shale also give Mam Tor its other name, Shivering Mountain.

Manchester Academy of Gymnastics offers gymnastics to adults and children, boxing for anyone over ten, and parkour.

Even if you’re not a Blue you can’t help but be impressed with the scale of the Etihad Stadium in this regenerated area of East Manchester.

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

Even if it’s not a match day, there’s plenty happening at the iconic Old Trafford stadium. The best way to experience it (aside from watching a game, of course) is to go on the behind-the-scenes Manchester United Museum and Stadium Tour.

It’s no secret that Manchester city centre is short on decent parks. The opening of Mayfield Park in September 2022 goes some way to fixing that with its 6.5 acres of lawns, playgrounds, pathways and live events area.

MeetspaceVR Manchester is a virtual reality, immersive experience in a huge warehouse at Trafford Park. It’s a place where you can leave the real world behind and choose your own adventure from a range of thrilling games and set-ups.

The Museum of Wigan Life brings together objects from the town’s history in a beguiling collection that’ll delight people who like peering in glass cabinets unsure what treasures you’ll find inside.

Where else but footy-mad Manchester to house the National Museum of the UK’s favourite sport? Explore the history of the beautiful game inside the unusual-looking Urbis building next to Manchester Victoria train station.

Ordsall Hall is a piece of Tudor history just a short walk from the contemporary comings and goings of Salford Quays. Please note: it’s closed on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Oxygen is the 13th UK park from the runaway active play juggernaut. Inside it’s brightly-coloured with trampolines and crawl-throughs almost as soon as you get through the door. Everything is aimed at pleasing youngsters from the sensory play to the toilet humour in the toilets.

The Pankhurst Centre is the former home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her family. Open to the public on Thursday and Sundays, it’s now a museum dedicated to the story of the fight for women’s right to vote.

The People’s History Museum tells the story of the development of democracy in Britain. It’s the only museum in the UK that focuses on the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters, and citizens who believed in ideas worth fighting for, like equality, social justice and co-operation.

You may know this venue best as Altrincham Ice Dome but it’s now run by Planet Ice and offers relaxed skating sessions as well as ice skating and ice hockey classes for children and adults. So if you’ve ever felt inspired by Dancing On Ice, now’s the time to don your skates and bust out a double salchow. Perhaps.

Step inside the restored nineteenth-century Ashton Canal Warehouse in Ashton-under-Lyne and you’ll find the Portland Basin Museum. With exciting, accessible exhibitions, it’s a great place to learn about the people, history and places that have shaped Tameside’s past.

Quarry Bank Mill makes a change from the stately homes in pretty gardens National Trust blueprint. It’s an industrial gem but you’ll still find picturesque riverside gardens, woodland and rolling countryside.

Ian Brown, take note. Reddish Vale Farm, on the Stockport side of Manchester, has everything you could want to keep little ones entertained, including a beach.

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. 

The Science and Industry Museum celebrates 250 years of innovation. Galleries showcase Manchester inventions, bring the noise and the danger of Cottonopolis to life and offer interactive exhibits where you can lift a Mini above your head or play old-school video games.

Sea Life Manchester is the city’s only aquarium. It isn’t enormous – for something bigger you’d have to travel to Blue Planet in Ellesmere Port – but there is plenty to keep the kids entertained for an afternoon.

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, woodland, a farm, a huge deer park and a medieval Old Hall.

TeamSport Go Karting: Manchester Victoria is a high-octane experience that’ll turn even the mildest contestant into a speed demon.

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.

As the name suggests, TenPin Manchester – Printworks is a bowling alley in the Printworks. It’s family-friendly by day and over-18s only after 9pm.

If you don’t want to stay in – or on – your lane, you can also try out beer pong, karaoke, air hockey, arcade games, American pool and table tennis. It’s decent value for a wide range of entertainment.

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 Zip World 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.

Any art lover’s trip to Manchester would not be complete without a morning or afternoon spent gazing at the walls (and wallpaper collections) of The Whitworth.

Wythenshawe Park is so much more than just a playground and a bit of green space. For a start, there’s a lot of green space – 109 hectares to be precise, and it’s a mix of woodland, open grassland and wildflower meadows. (Also the playground is one of the better ones.)