Burrs Country Park
Riverside country park on the Irwell with a playground, old mill remains and its own East Lancashire Railway station, so a heritage steam train can be part of the day rather than the whole of it.
Days out with the kids in Bury
3 places in Bury, Greater Manchester, 1 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
3 in Bury1 free1 indoor
Steam is Bury's thing. The East Lancashire Railway runs real steam trains between Bury, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall, with themed family days all summer - Peppa Pig, fairytale specials - and a day rover ticket that lets you hop off for lunch in Ramsbottom and catch the next train back. It is the rare heritage attraction where the transport is the day out rather than the thing you endure to reach it.
Burrs Country Park is the free half of the equation: riverside meadows, an activity centre and its own request stop on the railway line, so the two combine without touching the car. The town's Victorian market is worth a detour for black pudding you will eat and the children will refuse. Check the railway's events calendar before committing to a date - the themed days sell out, and an ordinary timetable day is cheaper and quieter anyway.
Places in Bury
East Lancashire Railway
Real steam trains between Bury, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall, with themed family days all summer - Peppa Pig, fairytale specials, the lot. The day rover means you can hop off for lunch and catch the next one back.
Bury Transport Museum
A restored 1848 railway goods warehouse filled with buses, trams and hands-on exhibits, two minutes from the East Lancashire Railway's Bolton Street station. Weekend opening, and the natural rainy-day half of a steam train day.
What’s on in Bury
4 dated events coming up.
Peppa Pig at the East Lancashire Railway
Bury Transport Museum
22 Aug. Saturday 22 August
Meet Peppa at the transport museum with a funfair, face painters, crafts and a petting farm alongside the steam trains.
Written by us
Wonderland Adventure on the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway, Bury
23 Aug. Sunday 23 August
An Alice in Wonderland journey on a heritage train - interactive theatre pitched at the older end of primary.
Written by us
Bury Youth Dance (opens on The Met, Bury)
The Met · Bury
7 Sept to 23 Nov. 11 dates, 6.30pm
Runs on 11 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Listed by The Met, Bury · collected 2 Aug
Home Educated Drama Workshop (opens on The Met, Bury)
The Met · Bury
23 Sept to 25 Nov. 9 dates, 12pm
Runs on 9 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Listed by The Met, Bury · collected 2 Aug
Also worth the drive
Not in Bury, but close enough for a day out.
Zip World Manchester
The cheapest real activity anyone is recommending this summer, and it's indoors. An hour of play for a fiver a head, with picnic benches for when you need to sit down.
Pennington Flash
A big lake with easy flat paths, bird hides and a decent play area. Free, close, and a good one for scooters and a picnic.
Science and Industry Museum
Working steam engines, the story of Cottonopolis, and hands-on galleries in the world's oldest surviving passenger railway station. Free, and the live demonstrations are the bit kids actually remember.
Manchester Museum
A T. rex skeleton cast, live frogs in the vivarium, Egyptian mummies and a genuinely good natural history floor. Free, university-run, and less overwhelming than the big London equivalents.
National Football Museum
Shirts, trophies and match footage across six floors, with penalty shootout and skills games that football-mad kids refuse to leave. If yours do not care about football, skip it - it is exactly what it says.
Imperial War Museum North
War told through people's stories in a building designed to feel like a shattered globe. The hourly Big Picture Show projections fill the whole gallery and stop everyone mid-step. Heavy themes, handled well - better for the top end of primary.
RHS Garden Bridgewater
One of the biggest garden projects in Europe, and more fun for kids than a flower garden has any right to be: a huge walled kitchen garden, lake walks, and space to run that feels endless.
Legoland Discovery Centre
Two rides, a 4D cinema, build zones and Manchester's skyline done in miniature bricks. Squarely aimed at 3 to 10, and it knows it: adults can only visit with a child.