A big silver arts centre on Salford Quays that works as a family day out even if you never buy a theatre ticket. The Andrew Law Galleries hold the world's largest collection of LS Lowry's work, around 400 paintings and drawings, and entry is free, though Lowry asks you to book a free time slot and keeps only some tickets back for walk-ups. Kids meet the matchstick people; you get an hour of proper art without a ticket price attached.
LOWRY 360 is the bit children remember: a free immersive room that puts you inside Going to the Match, sights and sounds included. Then there are the theatres, which run a reliable stream of family shows through the year, and a restaurant and coffee shop with kids' menus. Galleries open Tuesday to Sunday; the whole place shuts most Mondays.
Parking on the Quays is paid, and the waterfront itself does the rest of the afternoon: bridges to cross, boats to watch, and MediaCity across the water.
What it costs: Gallery entry is free, LOWRY 360 included, but Lowry asks you to book a free timed ticket and keeps only some tickets for walk-ups. Theatre tickets are priced per show.
A free exhibition at Lowry built round picture books like Elmer and Dear Zoo, with play areas for under 7s. It closes on 1 November, so half term is the last chance. Free, but book a timed slot.
The Ahlbergs' Jolly Christmas Postman on stage at Lowry's Quays Theatre, 4 December to 3 January, aimed at younger children and their families. About an hour with no interval. Check prices on Lowry's site.
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★★★★★ 4.6 across 7,986 Google reviews.
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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.
A Grade I listed Tudor manor house marooned among Salford's new-builds, free to walk round, with a proper Great Hall, gardens and school-holiday craft sessions. Closed Fridays and Saturdays, which catches people out.
Free, small and genuinely good: Lark Hill Place, a full Victorian street rebuilt indoors, is the bit the kids will remember. Peel Park is right outside for the run-around afterwards.
48 hectares on the River Irwell with a lake, a play area, a climbing boulder and a cafe open every day. Trails are marked for distance and for accessibility, so you know before you set off with a buggy.
A Green Flag nature reserve wrapped round an old reservoir at Walkden, with a permanent orienteering course that turns a lap of the lake into a treasure hunt. No playground, no cafe, nothing to pay.
A Swinton trampoline park with more than 65 trampolines, a dinosaur-themed soft play and a two-hour toddler session with food included. Grip socks £2.50.
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