
World Museum, Liverpool
Five floors, free, and it covers three things small children reliably love: giant dinosaurs, an aquarium and a space gallery. The best wet-weather day within half an hour.

Quirky Quarter is an illusion attraction in The Arch on Duke Street, a few minutes' walk from Liverpool ONE. Inside there are upside-down rooms, mirror mazes, puzzles and set-ups built for photos where the camera does the trick. It is self-guided with no time limit once you are in, and the operator reckons most families take 45 minutes to an hour.
Everything is on one level, which makes it easy with a buggy or a wheelchair, and there is an accessible toilet with adult-sized changing facilities. Entry is by timed slot. Booking online guarantees you get in, walk-ins are taken as space allows, and it is open every day from 10am to 5pm. For drivers, the site points to Q-Park Liverpool ONE and the Bold Street car park, both a short walk away.
We could not find ticket prices on the website itself, only inside the booking system, so check there before you go. It is short for the money compared with a free museum, which is the honest catch. Children who like taking photos or arguing about which way is up will get the most out of it, and it slots neatly into a rainy city-centre day before or after lunch.
What it costs: Prices sit in the online booking system and were not shown on the site's pages. Concessions exist for students, over-60s, NHS and emergency services, Blue Light Card holders and the armed forces.
Looking for more museums & science near Liverpool?
Sending it to the group chat?
★★★★★ 4.8 across 1,471 Google reviews.
Read all 1,471 reviews on Google - filter by star rating there
Five floors, free, and it covers three things small children reliably love: giant dinosaurs, an aquarium and a space gallery. The best wet-weather day within half an hour.

A Tudor hall with woodland walks, a maze and a natural play area in the grounds. Free if you have National Trust membership, and the indoor house is a good rain fallback.

The city's story with an overhead railway carriage to climb aboard and Little Liverpool, a dedicated hands-on gallery for under-6s. Free, on the waterfront, and the window views are half the fun.

Closed. The Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum next door are shut for essential maintenance ahead of a major redevelopment that National Museums Liverpool says is subject to funding, and no reopening date is published. The Albert Dock around them is still worth the walk, and the city's other national museums are free and open.

The famous ferry across the Mersey run as a 50-minute sightseeing loop with commentary, and the honest truth is kids love the boat more than any museum. Hop off at Seacombe for Eureka! next door.

South Liverpool's favourite park: lake, playground, ancient trees and the Storybarn, The Reader's hands-on storytelling space in the old coach house. The neolithic Calder Stones are older than Stonehenge, which is a good fact to deploy.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.