Zip World Manchester
Treetop nets, high ropes and forest tubing in the woods of Heaton Park, and it is outdoors, not indoors. The cheap one is Treetot Nets: an hour bouncing on nets in the trees for ages 1 to 5, from £5, with a grown-up joining in.
Science and Industry Museum
- Cost
- Free entry
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Where
- Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Weather
- Works in the rain
- Booking
- Free tickets on the door or online
Manchester invented the industrial world and this is where it keeps the receipts: working steam engines, the textile machinery that built the city, and the oldest surviving passenger railway station on Earth. The daily demonstrations - engines actually running, looms actually clattering - are what children carry home.
It is free, indoors, and sized for a half day. Check the demonstration times at the entrance and build the visit around them; between shows, the interactive galleries hold the younger end while the machinery holds everyone else.
The Power Hall is back to full working order after its long restoration, and it is the room to build the visit around: working steam engines, the smell of hot oil, and demonstrations where something actually moves. Check demonstration times at the door, then fill the gaps with the galleries.
This year's big draw is Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos, running to 3 January 2027. It is ticketed on top of the free museum at £10 a head (free for 3 and under), recommended for 7 and up with some highlights for younger ones, and disgusting in all the ways the books promised. Power Up, the hands-on gaming room with four decades of consoles, runs at weekends and in the school holidays.
What it costs: Free entry, donations welcome; booking a free ticket in advance is recommended. Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos is £10 for adults and children, free for 3 and under, with family discounts.
Know before you go
- The daily demonstrations are the highlight - check the times board as you come in and plan around them.
- The museum is free but Horrible Science is ticketed. Book it for the same day online and do the free galleries around the slot.
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What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.4 across 20,615 Google reviews.
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Also in Manchester
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Runway Visitor Park
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