The summer holidays are upon us and whilst we continue to work in some form, we will see our regular group drop off and have a bit of downtime. I’ve spent some time gathering together the best days out in and around Greater Manchester for families.
National Trust
National Trust are really good days out. Pack a picnic and away you go. In the Greater Manchester area, we have so many different places to visit including Lyme Park, Quarry Bank Mill and Dunham Massey. Further afield there’s Tatton Park as well as Hare Hill, Little Moreton Hall and many many more. We signed up for National Trust membership recently and I’m planning a few visits over the summer break.
The beauty of National Trust places it that you can often make a full day out with minimal additional cost (if you’re a member). Pack a picnic and take off into the fresh air for the day. They’re always well maintained sites and the staff are always more than happy to help answer any queries.
Town Centre Trails
One of the things the children really enjoyed last year was the Manchester Bee trail, so I have been keeping an eye out for other similar trails. Stockport has a frog trail which runs all summer (until the end of September) and we are really looking forward to spotting them all. Daniel is going to be looking for some with his Beaver group soon and then we will all have a wander, the five of us, to try and spot them all.
Blackburn has a fab trail running 23 August – 1 September. Billed as Brickburn it will be the world’s first Paw Paril Brick trail. All three of mine love Paw Patrol so we will be heading to try and spot all these once they’re up and in place. You can read more about the trail here.
Head to the seaside
We live not too far from Blackpool and Southport and the children always enjoy a day out! We recently went to Madame Tussaud’s in Blackpool and the children really enjoyed the day. There’s something about seaside towns that children (and adults!) love plus a healthy dose of seaside air is only going to be beneficial for everyone!
Take in a show
I have been lucky enough to take my children to the theatre a number of times and we have seen some fabulous shows. The children always enjoy these experiences and it’s always worth a look to see what events are on at the smaller venues around the area. We are hoping to get Elmer the Patchwork Elephant at King Georges Hall in August and maybe check out what’s on at The Lowry.
Getting outdoors
There’s an abundance of green space in and around Greater Manchester and I won’t attempt to produce a full list of every space there is! Daisies and Pie have got a great blog with lots of things to do outdoors and I can add Etherow Park, Jumbles Reservoir and Clifton Country Park too to the list of great outdoor spaces.
Indoor Attractions
There’s a wealth of indoors attractions in and around Manchester, including the Museum of Science & Industry, The Police Museum, Lego Land (who also run some autism-friendly events). In Salford, there are plenty of places, including two that are on my list to visit – Ordsall Hall and Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
Where else do you recommend in and around Greater Mancheter for fun days out this summer holidays?
