14 Best Things to Do in Manchester
Having recently been voted one of the best city's in the world to visit, Manchester really does have a lot to offer. From arts and culture to sporting and leisure, there's something to do for all ages all year round. Here's our low-down.
Science + Industry Museum
Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4FP.
One of Manchester’s most popular museums, devoted to inspiring visitors through ideas that changed the world. The museum is located on the site of Liverpool Road Station, the Manchester terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the world's first purpose-built passenger railway. Currently a long-term, multi-million-pound restoration programme is underway to carry out crucial restoration work, creating a more sustainable museum.
Highlights
- Blast off on a cosmic adventure through the Solar System with Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos
- Rediscover your favourite engines and dive into newly revealed stories in Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery
- Ideas that changed the world in the Revolution Manchester gallery
- Thunderous machines and cotton's continuing legacy in the Textiles Gallery
- Hands-on science fun for all ages in Experiment
- The ultimate gaming experience Power Up (weekends and school holidays)
- Early years activities to inspire and entertain little learners
Entry is FREE. There may be a charge for special exhibitions and events. Open daily 10 – 5pm
National Football Museum
Urbis Building Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, Manchester M4 3BG
Manchester is no stranger to footballing history and success so it’s very fitting that it should host the world's biggest and best football museum. Since opening in 2012, the museum has welcomed over 3 million visitors from across the globe with a simple mission: to share stories about football and celebrate everything there is about the sport.
Here you can unearth the game's origins, relive the FA Cup fairytales and explore the different aspects and issues that make the game such an integral part of our culture and society. The museum is also custodian of the world’s largest public collection of football objects and archives, known as the Football Heritage Collection, with over 40,000 items. See the country's footballing crown jewels: the ball from the 1966 World Cup Final, Geoff Hurst's iconic shirt and the Jules Rimet Trophy, still gleaming in its new case! Get in the game with a host of fun interactive challenges, from penalty-taking and shot-stopping to match commentary and check out the latest changing exhibitions on the ground floor and in the Score Gallery.
The museum is open daily from 10-5pm and the great news is that if you live in Manchester, the museum is free. For everyone else, it’s best to book online for the cheapest prices.
People’s History Museum
Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3ER
People’s History Museum (PHM) is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.
Through an eclectic and colourful mix of historic and contemporary collections, the museum celebrates the radical stories of people coming together to champion ideas worth fighting for. With an array of exhibitions and events, the museum is Family Friendly throughout – inspiring the next generation to be active citizens.
Many of the historic items in the museum use colour to represent ideas. Each section of the galleries has a different background colour, chosen for its historic meaning: red for courage and revolution, green for reform, blue for loyalty, purple for dignity, pink for peace and prosperity, white for purity, and gold for ambition. As you’d expect, their stories are varied. You can switch from learning about the Peterloo Massacre, the growth of the trade union movement, to Britain’s main political parties.
Open every day except Tuesday, 10am - 5pm.
The museum is free to enter, most visitors donate £10.
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery has stood on the corner of Mosley Street and Princess Street for nearly 200 years and houses the city's world class art collection in spectacular Victorian and contemporary surroundings. Highlights include outstanding Pre-Raphaelite paintings, craft and design and early twentieth century British art. An exciting special exhibitions programme brings the best in visual art and design to Manchester .
As well as wonderful art, the gallery offers excellent facilities including a new waiter-service restaurant and a relaxed cafe, a popular shop and full disabled access throughout. The gallery also runs a wide range of events, many of them free, from talks and tours to hands-on workshops and activities for both children and adults. There are audio described tours, events and activities, as well as events and tours in British Sign Language and sign supported English.
Family friendly, the gallery is FREE and open to all as a place of civic thinking and public imagination, and promotes art as a means to achieve positive social change. The gallery is for and of the people of Manchester.
Royal Exchange Theatre
St Ann's Square, Manchester M2 7DH
Housed within a stunning former exchange building, the Royal Exchange Theatre is a unique theatre that offers a dynamic space where classic and contemporary collide. Renowned for its in-the-round performance style, creating an intimate connection between actors and audience. Its diverse repertoire spans from reimagined Shakespearean classics to bold, thought-provoking contemporary productions.
Often pushing the boundaries - working alongside established and emerging directors, writers, designers and theatre-makers to create ambitious work. They believe in new ideas, new writers and championing artists at all levels. There are about four main shows per season, running in tandem with one-off special events and poetry readings so you'll often see Shakespeare running alongside a light-hearted musical.
A spectacular building you may simply want to come in just to admire the architecture, take a look at the exhibitions, grab a coffee, get some lunch, or just sit and read a book, the huge Great Hall has space for everyone. You might also want to check out the public lounge, a warm and welcoming space for families to take some time out from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Check out what’s on HERE
Factory International AKA Aviva Studios
Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ
This brand new arts and culture space, the largest in Europe, occupies a prime site sitting on the edge of the canal, in Spinningfields. It’s a big, super flexible space for creativity and covers all manner of arts and culture events and prides itself on doing things differently. This is innovative Manchester after all!
So, whether you’re into music, dance, performance, theatre, exhibitions or gaming, they’ve got something for you. They also run the amazing Manchester International Festival (MIF), a biennial Festival of new creations. The festival invites a wide range of artists from around the globe to explore new ideas and present the results for the first time.
You can check the full programme of events HERE
The Palace Theatre
97 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6FT
The Palace Theatre is one of the main theatres in Manchester. It proudly stands in the heart of the city on Oxford Street and is sister to the Opera House on Quay Street (operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group). Opening in 1891, the theatre has a wonderful history with performers such as Judy Garland, Gracie Fields, Danny Kaye, Noel Coward, Laurel and Hardy, and Harry Houdini gracing its stage. It’s known for hosting tour and regional premieres such as Les Misérables, The Producers, Miss Saigon, The Book Of Mormon, Hamilton, and the UK premiere of The Wedding Singer.
Today, the theatre is known as one of the most popular and best equipped theatres outside of London. The venue attracts major touring musicals and celebrities each year with musicals, opera, ballet, comedy and concert shows being featured.
Upcoming shows include Trainspotting The Musical, Pretty Woman, Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy Elliot, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Jersey Boys, and more.
See what's on at the Palace Theatre Manchester and book tickets - click HERE
Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens
Stenner Lane, Didsbury, M20 2RQ
Fletcher Moss park is located in the cool South Manchester suburb of Didsbury. This is a well-loved space in the area which has a loyal community group - The Friends of Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens. The group actively ensure the park’s upkeep together with Manchester Council and look after the horticulture. Both sites have won numerous awards from the Royal Horticultural Society and Fields in Trust, including the RHS Neighbourhood Gold Medal Winner and Outstanding Contribution to North West in Bloom, and aims to be the most sustainable park in Manchester. The Croft in the Park was home to Emily d, co-founder of the RSPB, and the large Rockery was started by her husband Robert - with alpine plants collected by them in the mountains of Europe. This was once a Botanical Garden and so you can expect to see many interesting and rare trees and plants across the park.
The park also boasts tennis courts, a church, pergola garden, and a very popular outdoor café.
You can check out the busy event’s calendar HERE
The Lowry
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
The Lowry was a Millennium Arts project which has been hugely successful and spawned a new culturally rich area in Manchester where the BBC's Media City and Imperial War Museum are located. The ship like, glass fronted building, rises out of the dis-used Salford Quays docks and takes its names from the infamous Salford artist, LS Lowry. You can see a permanent collection of his artwork in the main space. The Lowry classes itself as an arts centre that presents a diverse programme of theatre, opera, musicals, dance, music, and comedy. There are three theatres presenting a wide range of work. The Lyric theatre is the largest and seats 2,000 people. Its striking purple interior, enormous stage and clear sightlines enable it to host some of the West Ends largest productions including The Life of Pi, War Horse and Wicked.
The Quays theatre offers a smaller, more intimate space and the Studio is the focus for new companies and community productions.
You can check the full programme of events HERE
Heaton Park
Sheepfoot Ln, Manchester M25 0DL
Heaton Park is the biggest park in Manchester with over 600 acres of parkland, Grade I listed Heaton Hall, the Animal Centre, a boating lake plus much more. With a packed events programme and lots to see and do, the park offers a great day out for all ages, all year-round. Visit the cafés, Animal Centre, play areas, Zip World, beekeepers, bowling greens, golf course and the fabulous boating lake. Also nestled in the heart of Heaton Park is Treetop Trek Manchester complete with bouncy nets and Treetop Nets all suspended in the woodland. The Western Pleasure Grounds are well worth a visit and include a flower garden, woodland and shrubberies with a meandering path through the Dell towards the kitchen garden - now the Horticulture Centre.
The popular Heaton Park Animal Centre is free to enter and you can meet many common farmyard animals, such as chickens, goats, geese, pigs, turkeys, donkeys and ducks as well as more exotic species such as peacocks, alpacas and even a Sulcata tortoise!
The park is open every day from dusk till 8pm
Check out the full programme events HERE
Chetham’s Library
Long Millgate, Manchester M3 1SB
For book lovers, Manchester is a place that is enamoured with dozens of libraries every avid reader can be excited about and one of those is Chetham’s Library, the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. It holds a large collection of printed books, manuscripts and archives dating from medieval to modern times that are used by readers from around the world. Famous visitors and readers include Daniel Defoe, Benjamin Franklin and Marx and Engels.
The Library, its buildings, furniture, artworks and collections are designated as having national and international significance by Arts Council, It’s also an accredited museum.
One of the most enriching ways to experience Chetham’s Library is through a guided tour. These tours are packed with historical facts and fascinating stories. Tickets cost £6.50-£13.50. Children must be 8+ years old.
Open Monday - Saturday - Book Tickets HERE
Jewish Museum
190 Cheetham Hill Road Manchester M8 8LW
Situated in Cheetham Hill, one of the most diverse areas in Manchester and just 15 minutes’ walk from Victoria Station, the museum opened in 1984 and is housed in a Grade II* listed (former) Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. The museum has recently completed a multi-million-pound redevelopment and the new museum boasts a stunning extension which includes a new gallery, vegetarian kosher-style café, shop and learning kitchen as well as a complete restoration of the breath-taking synagogue.
The museum is described as a place to experience how we are different, together, as a place where you can bake, sing, laugh, dance, cook, cry, get messy and make friends. ,Using their collection and synagogue they connect Jewish stories, culture and traditions to the wider world. In doing so, they bring people together,
Open seven days a week tickets for general admission can be booked up to 4 weeks in advance, either online or at the museum - Book HERE
Whitworth Art Gallery
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER
The Whitworth is a fabulous statuesque, Victorian building on Oxford Street that sits proudly as part of the University of Manchester, serving as a bridge between the University and the people of the city. It’s a place to meet, play and learn in public. Its mission is to use art for social change.
The Whitworth re-opened to the public in 2015 after a major £17 million redevelopment by architects MUMA. It has welcomed almost two million visitors since re-opening, and more than doubled its previous annual records. The redevelopment doubled the public space and created state-of-the-art new facilities to house the collection of over 55,000 works of art and included expanded gallery spaces, a study centre, learning studio, and a collections centre.
It’s a wonderful contemporary gallery space which is home to over 60,000 works of art, textiles, and wallpapers. Some of the textiles are nearly 2000 years old. There are some outstanding exhibitions and events, including silent spaces in the morning to after hour socials, throughout the year and entry is free!
Discover what's on HERE
Opera House
Manchester's Opera House has stood proudly on Quay Street since the turn of the century. It's a 1900 seater theatre and plays host to ballets, musicals, and pantos. It's played many premieres over the decades before they head down to London, including: West Side Story, Ghost, Take That's Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical and many more. It's got a great spot in the city centre close to Spinningfields for a pre or post theatre drink or dinner.
You can check the full programme of events here
The museum is open 7 days a week for general admission, they also take group bookings.