60+ free and cheap things to do with the kids in and around Manchester this summer 2022
With days out, ice creams, picnics, it all adds up and by the end of the six weeks you can find that you've spent a small fortune.
Summer crafts and a bike track will be returning on selected dates and from July 30 to August 1, there'll be a climbing wall installed for kids to have a go at costing £2 each. Whether it’s tinkering with moving machines, trying their hand at traditional weaving or producing unique fabric prints, visitors will have the opportunity to put their creative skills to the test during free daily drop-in activities and weekly workshops all themed around Manchester’s history as a hub of textiles manufacturing.
Three activities are running throughout the duration of the UEFA Women's EURO this summer, all around creating and collecting football stickers. There is car park, a play area with wooden climbing frames and ropes, picnic benches and a large network of accessible paths. Visitors can enjoy their own picnic on one of the lawned areas where there is also a selection of traditional Victorian garden games to play.
Located in the heart of the city and all outdoors, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy the warm weather and offers little ones hours of free entertainment. It's running Tuesday to Saturday throughout the holidays. For tickets - £8 per person and £3 for babes in arms - visit the website here, or call the box office on 0161 226 1912.There are lots of family-friendly activities to enjoy at People's History Museum over the summer.
It's open from 10am daily from July 25 until September 4, with its two courses Tropical Trail and Explorer. You might not be out late enough to spot the bats flying along the river at dusk, but there are plenty of insects such as dragonflies and butterflies to find on your adventure.More information about the Nature Trail can be found in the Visitor Centre in The Croft .There's plenty for kids to get creative with at Manchester Art Gallery this summer.
Most activities are free but there's a fee of £2 or £3 for others. For specific dates and times and to book, visit the website here.Children can get a wristband for all the rides, if booked in advance, for £7.99. Otherwise it's £2 per single ride ticket, or 10 for eight single ride tickets.Rides include a dragon roller coaster, balloons and dodgems and there's a large sandpit with deckchairs, inflatables, pedal boats, trampolines, donkey rides and more.
Each bench making up the Salford Literacy Trail kicks has been designed by local schoolchildren and artists and individually sponsored by local businesses to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust. Activities include an assault course and mini golf and there will be special appearances from the Minions and a Space Ranger.A programme of outdoor theatre is planned in the grounds of the Grade I listed Tudor manor house.Tickets, costing from £10 per child, can be booked online here.
There's a lake there too, with a jetty to walk along and see the ducks and swans and there are lots of steps and winding paths to explore on your adventure through the woods.The country park and nature reserve is part of the Irwell Valley and offers a vast expanse of beautiful countryside on the edge of Salford.
The play frame, along with some new swings, has proved a welcome addition to the attraction, which gives families a view of the aircraft as they take off and land. It's the biggest adventure golf attraction outside of London and features everything from a Tyrannosaurus Rex and baby Triceratops to Velociraptors and a Diplodocus.
Successfully complete your special mission by finding all of the Story Seekers: Camouflage & Disguise trail objects and receive a special Camouflage Unit badge to take home.For more details about what's going on at the museum over summer, including the chance to create your own camouflage design in the Dazzle Design Studio, or meet the IWM veterans at its We Were There Family Days, see here, or visit the website.
The Ela Mill venue features hundreds of retro and modern machines and gamers have been flocking there since it opened in 2015. Through stunningly restored vehicles, original artefacts and interactive exhibits, families can explore the lives and jobs of people in the early 20th Century. The park has different trails to walk around near the River Irwell, you can feed the ducks and there's an exercise trail for kids.
There Be Monsters, from acclaimed outdoor performers The Fabularium, is billed as 'an outdoor heroic romp-around' and will visit four venues - Moss Bank Park , Queens Park , Atherton Laburnum Rovers and Bradshaw Cricket Club . Later in the summer family fun comes to the Octagon’s town centre building with the free Octagon Family Festival.
Pets Corner is the most popular activity where you get to meet the animals close up, feeding baby lambs and goats and meeting any newborns.The venue also offers tractor rides - on toy ones as well as the real thing - donkey rides and there's a new play area that opened earlier this year. It features Hannah Dale as Alice, who, after falling down the Rabbit Hole, finds herself in the bonkers yet magical world of Wonderland.
There'll be a different theme every week with a range of craft activities, handling tables, films, trails, stories and much more. Entirely volunteer run the museum has been developed over 20 years and showcases many of the manufacturers that powered the North.The popular Steam Days are also returning this August bank holiday weekend - on Sunday, August 28 and Monday, August 29.
The attraction is open daily throughout the school holidays, between 9.30am and 4pm from July 22 to September 4.There's also a caterpillar ride to enjoy for £2 a go, driven by one of the farmers and there's Digger Corner, where kids can operate their own digger for £1.Tickets cost from £6 per person and can be booked online or bought on the day - cash only.
Along the way you may meet some other famous bear friends and learn a few facts about bears too. If you find Nevill you will be awarded an exclusive 'Bear Finder' badge. The Riverside Cafe is open from 11am to 3pm serving drinks and snacks, including bacon barms, crumpets and sandwiches, as well as cakes and ice cream.Jump Heaven / Golf HeavenThe adventure park has two giant inflatable airbags, a Ninja Warrior Course filled with monkey bars, foam pits and climbing walls. The park also has a huge indoor trampoline park and children’s activity frame, filled with different activities for all ages to try their hand at plus a zipline.
You can feed all the outdoor animals, cuddle the rabbits and guinea pigs and take a tractor ride around the nature trail stopping off to feed the pigs on the way. The tunnels, which date back to the Second World War, once held thousands of people as they sheltered from Nazi bombs. Visitors can also explore the area's industrial heritage and discover what life was like down the mines, or on the farm. Find out more about local crafts and industries and marvel at the historic machines. For younger ones there's the 'Nuts and Bolts' educational play area, suitable for children under five.
For more details about the park, or to book one of the attractions, visit www.haighwoodlandpark.co.uk.Lancashire Mining Museum occupies some 15 acres of the Astley Green Colliery site and its 98ft high lattice steel headgear can be seen for miles around. There's a play area, featuring play frames and its own tractor, and there are picnic benches now dotted around it.
Billed as 'the Best Ball Whacking Field in Manchester', everyone is welcome - whether you're a seasoned golfer or just wanting to hit balls at tanks.Footgolf is also on offer, just take your own ball along. See the website for more details.Part of an impressive country park, the lake and surrounding marshland are home to a diverse group of mammals, birds and insects.
It's open every Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and tickets for under-fours are free, with children and concessions £5, adults £7, or family tickets for £20.
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