Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive

This museum houses a diverse collection where you can get to know a little bit about the history of Bolton as well as visiting displays of art, egyptology, archaeology, botany and zoology. There's even an aquarium on the basement level with around 18 tanks of exotic fish to have a look at! We spent the majority of our time in the museum section on the first floor. Exhibits included Samuel Crompton's Spinning Mule, a horse-drawn manual fire engine and antique toys.   Climbing up the stairs to the balcony section we found a great collection of stuffed animals including a kangaroo, an enor...

Bury Art Gallery, Museum and Archives

This art gallery was built to house the Wrigley Collection - more than 200 oil paintings, watercolours, prints and ceramics collected by local paper manufacturer Thomas Wrigley, which was donated to the town in 1897. It is set out over two floors and exhibits world-famous paintings such as Turner's 'Calais Sands' and Constable's 'Hampstead Heath' together with a changing contemporary exhibition.   The museum is in the basement, which if you are visiting with a pram becomes your first port of call as there is a ramp down to it, avoiding the grand stone steps leading to the main entrance....

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre

Despite being only a 30-minute drive from South Manchester, Catalyst had never been on our radar. It does what it says on the tin - it is a science discovery centre, although quite honestly the science is probably a little out of the reach of the under fives (actually it was pretty out of my reach too!) Howev- er, Will, our four year old, was very, very taken with it and we ended up spending over an hour and a half mooching around the exhibits.   On the wild and wet Sunday that we descended on Catalyst there were only three other people at the centre, so we had the run of the place. Wil...

Central Art Gallery

Located upstairs in Tameside Central Library with only two rooms displaying temporary exhibitions this gallery is small but friendly and welcoming. Noise and mess are encouraged and there is always a drawing table to create a piece of art. Regular children's activities for all ages are organised during the school holidays. Unfortunately there is no cafˇ, but there is a drinks machine in the library and some tables to sit at. We needed to buy some lunch during our trip so we went to nearby award-winning cafˇ and cake makers, Trifles (see cafˇs). So if you find yourself in Ashton-under-Lyne,...

Eureka!

Voted by The Independent as one of the top three family days out in the UK in 2007, Eureka! is well worth the journey. Billed as the UK's National Children's Museum, the thousands of 'must touch' exhibits are designed to inspire children to find out about them- selves and the world around them. We ventured here during the half-term break and it was inevitably crowded (the website actually advises quieter times to be term time mid-week, sunny days and weekends in school holidays). It took us a long time to get in but once we were, it was fantastic and definitely worth the wait. ...

Fusilier Museum, The

Opened in 2009 and housed in a renovated and extended arts and crafts building, the Fusilier Museum is home to the collection of the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, commemorating over 300 years of history and heritage. It is a modern and vibrant addition to Greater Manchester's many excellent museums. I visited with my mum and boys and we got a parking space on a meter outside which had a maximum two-hour stay. Alternatively there are plenty of public transport links a stone's throw away. The visit began with the boys getting very excited as they spotted an army je...

Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum

The Fire Museum is a treasure trove of old fire engines, photographs and uniforms. Laid out as a Victorian street scene, it's aimed at slightly older children, but there's still loads to look at, and never underestimate the appeal of a big red fire engine to a small child. Whilst you aren't really allowed on the engines, once you get chatting to the very friendly volunteers, they'll be happy to let you take a closer look (or at least they were with us). Toilets and baby changing are available across the yard in the fire station. There is no cafˇ, but instead a coffee machine for 50p and crisps...

Greater Manchester Police Museum

Tucked away in the Northern Quarter of Manchester city centre is the Police Museum. Voluntary run, it's only open on Tuesdays. For toddlers I don't think it is worth a special trip, but if you're in the area and have an hour this is a lovely museum and it's free. In the Transport Gallery there is a police car and bike to look at, but unfortunately not touch. There are a lot of glass cases containing police equipment and uniforms and a case filled with toy cars, which is what my children were most interested in. There are loads of dressing up clothes and handling items like poli...

Hat Works - The Museum of Hatting

Hat Works is the UK's only museum dedicated solely to the hatting industry, hats and headwear. Set out over three floors, the first floor is probably the one best suited to under fives. The hundreds of hats are displayed in glass cabinets and though their attention wasn't held for that long, our three-year-olds really surprised us by taking quite a bit of interest. They liked the airline pilots' caps, old-fashioned firemen's helmets, frilly bonnets and especially a native American head-dress. There's a large family fun area with hats to try on plus craft for the children to...

Imperial War Museum North

A morning trip to the Imperial War Museum lasted around an hour and a half, including a snack break. It is in a fabulous building and a great setting. The children loved the touchy feely action station and dressing up in the camouflage capes. The Time Stack interactive exhibits are probably more suited to older children, but staff are around to offer more information and take objects out for you to look at. There are some fabulous large objects including a Harrier AV8 plane and a Russian tank outside (captured from Iraqi forces by the Royal Engineers in 2003), which of course the boys were des...

Lowry, The

Visiting The Lowry Galleries was a much more rewarding experience than I expected. First of all getting there - because it's slightly out of the centre and parking's all on site, it felt easy to access. There's also a bus service and the Metrolink tram drops you a 10-minute walk away. So we parked up and took a short stroll around the Salford Quays before arriving at the magnificent steel and glass clad Lowry building. The feeling of space inside the brightly coloured foyer with its sloping blue floors is fantastic. We headed first for 'The Deck' and 'Family Corner', which are upstairs just to...

Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery was short-listed for the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award in 2008. The gallery itself is of course stuffed with fabulous paintings by artists such as Adolphe Valette and Lowry, and while you're trying to check out the masterpieces there's a few dressing up clothes for the children to play with. We tried to encourage our two-year-old to follow the drawing trail (cartoon-esque labels underneath some of the paintings by the children's illustrator Tony Ross) around the gallery and despite him being a bit young for it, we had mild success! Another feature...

Manchester Museum

Explore the world and travel through the ages' is what the blurb for Manchester Museum claims and it definitely delivers. It's impossible to describe this museum in just a few lines because its 15 galleries have a bit of everything. There are skeletons galore, including a sperm whale, Stan the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the recently introduced Maharaja, an elephant that once lived in Manchester. There's also an Egyptian room brimming with ancient art (including mummies) and the Darwin exhibition (running until August 2010), amongst millions of other items to look at. Highlights from our...

Manchester Regiment Museum and Setantii

The Manchester Regiment Museum is situated within the beautiful Town Hall in the main square of Ashton-under-Lyne. There are a number of steps leading up to the Victorian building but if you've got a pushchair there is side access with a lift. We went during the summer holidays and just chanced upon one of its regular art and craft sessions, every Wednesday during the school holidays between 11am and 3pm. The children loved making Nelson style hats, which went very well with the Sportacus outfits! The museum tells the story of generations of Manchester Regiment soldiers from 1756 until 195...

MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)

A world-class museum right on our doorstep - MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) - never fails to keep my children entertained and when we have friends from out of town to stay, it is absolutely one of my favourite places to visit. I love the fact that you can dip in and out of this museum, that each time you go there'll be a different part that you probably didn't get around to seeing last time. With five major buildings - Main Building, 1830 Warehouse, Station Building, Power Hall, and Air and Space Hall - the sheer scale of the museum also means that the children c...

Museum of Transport

This is one that everyone should go to! The Museum of Transport is delightful. It's clearly a labour of love for all the volunteers that run it, and you can't help but be impressed by the enthusiasm behind it. Located within a genuine bus garage just off Cheetham Hill in Manchester, the museum features original transport offices preserved like time capsules from the past, complete with antique dˇcor, furniture, old ticket machines and uniforms. Some of the collection was actually used in one of the Harry Potter films. There are over 70 restored buses, coaches and trams - honestly, ...

Ordsall Hall

Ordsall Hall is a historic treasure - an amazing black and white half-timbered Tudor manor house located in the heart of Salford. It's a lovely place to visit with children as the exhibitions are very good, but it is presenly closed for a massive restoration project. It is due to re-open Easter 2011....

People's History Museum

After two years of major refurbishment the new People's History Museum will now be based in one location, with a spectacular new extension. This social history museum tells the story of democracy in this country and proves that ideals have always been worth fighting for. It is very much a family-friendly gallery with plenty of interactives for all ages throughout the building. There is a cafˇ called The Left Bank as well as picnic areas on-site in the old engine hall. The new museum re-opens on Saturday 13 February 2010....

Portland Basin Museum, The

This is a tad tricky to find if you're not familiar with the area but don't be put off - it is definitely worth finding. The main problem with locating the museum is that the boat signs that direct you to the Portland Basin disappear at what seems a crucial moment. For the record, coming from Manchester, when you hit the dual carriageway of Park Parade - on the opposite side is an industrial park with a large plumbing merchants visible - the museum is on the cobbles behind. It is housed in a restored 19th century warehouse right next to the canal, hence the boat connection. Laid out over two f...

Salford Museum and Art Gallery

This small museum and gallery on the A6 approach to Manchester city centre seems surprisingly overlooked. We started with the ground floor (there are only two), which is more the museum bit. The main feature is Lark Hill Place, a recreation of a typical Salford street during Victorian times. On the way in there are a couple of clothes rails and a mirror, so plenty of fun can be had trying on flat caps and waistcoats! Once inside it is a fantastically dark, atmospheric experience crammed full of detail - toy shop windows, a cobblers, a Penny Farthing and lots more. The art galleries are ups...

Staircase House

This is a modern museum set in the oldest house in Stockport. It is a rare place indeed that actively encourages children to climb on the beds, touch everything and dress up in the various clothes dotted around, but that is exactly what's on offer. On arrival children are handed a cloth activity pack with individual mini-bags numbered to match the relevant rooms. A word of advice though - do not get one for each child, it takes three people to manage this; one to hold the big bag, one to get the stuff out and the other to control the children! Inside there is also a laminated sheet whi...

Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Stockport Air Raid Shelters is a network of tunnels nearly a mile long, dug out of the soft red sandstone hills on which Stockport town centre stands. We went on a Friday just after the last school trip of the day, so we had the tunnels to ourselves. We were specifically asked at reception if our three-year-old would be ok with the audiovisual display. They warned us it was quite loud. I thought he would be fine but he wasn't! The lights went down, the sirens started and Will freaked - we were back in the reception area within 30 seconds! The labyrinth of tunnels are remarkable, authen...

Stockport Art Gallery and War Memorial

Dating back to 1919, this gallery is found in a fabulously imposing neo-Classical building standing right next to the busy A6. Although not particularly one for the under fives, adults will enjoy the paintings and sculptures of local and national importance. Also of note is The Hall of Memory, a semicircular apse in the centre of which is a huge white marble sculpture depicting 'the sacrifice and devotion of the 2,200 men of Stockport who fell in the war'....

Tate Liverpool

The gallery itself, whilst terrific for adults, isn't geared for children. But if you can get an hour while your child is asleep in the pushchair, it's a lovely place to visit. The art is world class and the building is very pram friendly with ramps and lift access throughout. The cafˇ has a selection of choices for the adults - exotic sandwiches, salads, pastas and dips. The children's menu has fish fingers, pasta or a cheese sandwich with cucumber and carrot sticks. This is topped off with fruit salad, chocolate brownie or banana split and washed down with fruit juice. It'...

Touchstones Rochdale

Based alongside the Tourist Information Centre in Rochdale, Touchstones is a modern, well laid out arts and heritage centre. It is ideal for under fives as there is just enough to keep their interest and I stayed much longer than I'd planned. Although the museum is all in one room, the space is really well utilised as you keep noticing new things. There are loads of interesting objects accompanied by manageable amounts of text. My three-year-old, after much persuading, enjoyed crawling through the coal pit tunnel and there were lots of hands-on activities in drawers including a bucket whic...

Urbis

Since its arrival in 2002, Urbis has gone on to form an iconic part of Manchester's skyline. Sadly, from Saturday 27th February 2010, it will be closing to undergo transformation into the National Football Museum. It is due to re-open some time in 2011....

Whitworth Art Gallery, The

Even with two little ones in tow, a visit to the Whitworth is still a favourite trip of mine. I find the gallery just so tranquil and inviting. Set over two floors and with plenty of ramps, it's easy to push prams around. The large airy spaces mean toddlers can enjoy a good waddle around too. At the entrance, you can pick up themed 'family bags' containing colouring paper and activities to entertain the children as you wander around and there's a couple of costume stations for them to try on outfits and amuse you with. The Art Cart is now located near the wallpaper gallery. Here you'll find co...