Rosie
Manchester is bursting with things for families to do together come rain or shine. Whether you want an open top bus tour, to visit a museum or art gallery, hang out with the animals or pop to the theatre, there is something for everyone. Here are some selected highlights.
Legoland Discovery Centre
Visit all of Manchester in one go with all of the city’s top attractions made from Lego in MiniLand and spend a few hours exploring the wonderful, colourful world of Lego. Kids can test their creativity, agility and skill in the laser maze at the Ninjago Laser Training Camp, enjoy a driving adventure in their own off road Lego vehicles to capture gold thieves or take a trip to Merlin’s magical potion room and try to become a top wizarding apprentice. This is the UK’s only Legoland Discovery Centre and is sure to be a big hit – a wonderful place for children to allow their imaginations to run free!
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CBBC Interactive Tour
What could be more exciting for a CBBC fan than a tour behind the scenes at MediaCityUK? Have a go at being a CBBC presenter of find out how it feels to read an autocue and present the news. Suitable for children aged from 6 -11 (and their over excited accompanying adults!) the tour takes about an hour and a half and is packed full of interactive fun – don’t forget to take a camera with you!
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Jump Nation
The Jump Nation Trampoline Park is the place to go to let off steam and have a good old family bounce! With 139 trampolines all joined together this is Europe’s largest indoor trampoline park and a perfect place to go with the whole family. There is a special bouncing arena for under 6s and you can recover after your exertions with a slice of cake and a hot chocolate or a homemade meal in Café Nation.
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Play Factore
If you’re heading for a spot of shopping at Manchester’s Trafford Centre the Play Factore state of the arts indoor play centre is a must visit with children. Home to the tallest standing indoor slide in Europe, an indoor laser tag arena, go kart track and an exciting zip wire as well as the biggest toddler area in the UK, Play Factore also offers a variety of in house entertainment throughout the year.
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MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)
For a glimpse at Manchester’s past, there’s no better place than MOSI. From the moment you enter you’re taken on a journey back in time through Manchester’s heritage with a fantastic selection of galleries and exhibits. See (and smell!) what it was like to work in a cotton mill, view a fantastic collection of working steam mill engines in the Power Hall and walk around the stunning collection of aircraft, cars and bikes in the Air and Space Gallery. Go underground and learn more about Manchester’s water and sanitation system. Walk through a Victorian sewer if you dare! There’s plenty to see and do and it’s free to enter.
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Manchester Museum
Packed full of exhibits yet compact enough to enjoy in a morning or afternoon, Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester has 15 galleries exhibiting everything from Egyptian relics to stuffed polar bears! Meet live frogs, other amphibians and reptiles in the award-winning Vivarium. Explore three Ancient Worlds galleries, which include the largest collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the UK and an impressive archaeology collection. Meet stuffed tigers in the Zoology section and take a look at nearly three million specimens of insects including the famous Manchester Moth. For many the highlight is the opportunity to come up close with a life size Tyrannosaurus rex! There’s so much to see and do, it’s a place you’ll want to visit again and again.
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Sea Life Manchester
Hold a crab or touch a starfish at the interactive rock pool, and journey through an underwater tunnel to see the world of the sharks and rays who swim overhead. There are talks and feed shows throughout the day and with more than 5000 underwater creatures to see it is sure to keep children and adults entertained. Why not treat yourself and children 8+ to a Sea Trek in Europe’s first seabed walk and surround yourself with the creatures of the sea? No previous diving experience is needed for this incredible underwater experience – get up close and personal with hundreds of colourful fish, rays, sharks and with Ernie, the Giant Green Sea Turtle!
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Are there any places in Manchester perfect for a family day out you’d add to our list? Let us know!
