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I grew up just outside Manchester and don’t live that far away now.  As a family we are in Manchester a lot and the kids love getting on the train from Liverpool and heading over to spend the day there, so here are my 5 Things to do in Manchester with the Kids!

Chill Factore

Just outside the City Centre is the Chill Factore.  The Chill Factore is home to the UK’s longest indoor slide, as well as a ‘Mini Moose’ Land and is full of real Snow!  It’s also very very cold whatever the weather outside so wrap up warm!  The younger kids love playing on the slides and the downhill donuts to go up and down the smaller slopes, but the bigger kids (and the adults too) love actually learning to ski or snowboard on the slopes. If you haven’t skied before then the Chill Factore will provide a 50-minute taster sessions or you can book a course with an instructor.  If all that is too cold and not for you, why not try the climbing wall instead!

You can read our review of Mini Moose land here.

 

Legoland Discovery Centre

Love it or hate it as a parent, this is a must for younger kids.  It can be busy and chaotic and my husband for one is not a fan of this family day out but with over 2 million LEGO ® bricks under one roof, there is plenty of opportunity for kids to get creative and it is a great option on a rainy day (something Manchester as much as I love it, has a lot of!). Special events are often on at Legoland Discovery Centre and recently Batman themed event was well received by the younger ones.

 

Manchester City Football Club Experience

Obviously there are two large clubs in Manchester both with football experience days, and whilst City may not be my team of choice, the experience they put on for fans and for people visiting the City is a lot of fun.  You can sit in the managers chair, play on the pitch, sit in the dugouts and sometimes even meet the Manchester City Mascots.  The Club puts on special interactive activities in the holidays so keep an eye out for those. The cost of tours are £16 for adults and £10 with concessions. The tours run daily from 10.30am-15.30 and last approximately 90 minutes. You can book through the website or by calling 0161 444 1894.  You can read our full review here.

 

Experience a show at The Lowry

The Lowry puts on kids shows all year round in a lovely family friendly theatre. We’ve been to see lots of shows over the last few years and without exception have enjoyed them all.  Usually the shows are on around 11am and 2pm meaning you can also get chance to eat lunch at Pier Eight restaurant in The Lowry if that tickles your fancy too.  It also means you can take advantage of their summer ‘Kids Eat Free Offer‘ *terms and conditions do apply but basically kids get a free meal with every adult meal from the bar or restaurant.  For Summer 2017 the Lowry is showing The Jungle Book, Room on the Broom and the Railway Children.  Keep an eye out for their Summer activity programme in the galleries too.

Tree Top Nets Heaton Park

Newly opened in July. Heaton Park has added Tree Top Nets to the fun you can have there.  We had loads of fun bouncing on the numerous net trampolines (which is quite a bit harder than jumping on a normal trampoline) and throwing the giant exercise balls at each other, or sitting on them and trying to bounce each other off.

There are staff visible in all areas and they were absolutely brilliant – instigating games with the children and generally adding to the fun. The slides were my favourite – essentially holes cut in the net floor, with net cylinders of varying lengths leading down to the ground. You pop yourself inside a sack (to avoid net-burn!) and whoosh down – a great twist on a normal slide experience. At all times, we were completely surrounded by 3 metre high walls of netting, so it feels very safe and there’s no need for any harnesses.  To read our full review click here.