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.
Arcade Club Bury
Bury, Greater Manchester
Arcade Club is a freeplay arcade in a refurbished mill in Bury: four floors of cabinets, pinball tables, rhythm and dance games, consoles and gaming PCs, from 1970s classics to recent imports, more than 400 of them on this site alone. You pay once at the door and nothing inside takes coins or tokens, which removes the usual arcade argument entirely.
Adults are £18 and children £10, with a family ticket for two and two at £46 and under 5s free, so it is priced as a proper day out. Food is priced with families in mind. It usually opens Thursday to Sunday and on bank holidays, but Friday from 6pm is adults only, and walk-in spaces are limited at weekends, so book. This is one for the five-and-overs; the adults will be on the old machines long after the children have moved on.
What it costs: Arcade Club FAQ on 25 Sept 2026, Bury and Leeds: adults £18, children (5 to 15) £10, family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £46, under 5s free but still need a ticket. Monthly passes: one month adult £49, child £23; two months £79 and £39.50; three months £99 and £49.50.
Know before you go
- Every Friday from 6pm it is strictly over-18s, so a Friday after school is out. Thursdays, open 4pm to 11pm, are usually the quietest.
- Book ahead at weekends: walk-in spaces are limited, and under 5s need a (free) ticket too.
- Every under 18 needs a paying adult with them, at least one adult for every four children.
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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.
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.
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Jungle Mayhem
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