Newcastle with Kids
A science centre with the biggest planetarium in the North of England, a museum with a real Ancient Egypt gallery, and a steel angel big enough to make anyone stop and stare, the version of Newcastle built for families.
Newcastle works well with kids in tow, several of its best sights are hands-on or free by design, and the compact centre means less time trudging between them. Here’s how I’d spend a family day here.
Life Science Centre
A properly interactive science centre right in the city centre, hands-on exhibits across space, the brain and the natural world, plus the biggest planetarium in the North of England. Genuinely built for touching everything, worth a full morning or afternoon.
Great North Museum: Hancock
Free entry, and a genuinely strong collection covering natural history, Ancient Egypt and a proper Hadrian’s Wall gallery, dinosaur skeletons and a planetarium of its own add to the appeal. A proper full morning out that costs nothing.
The Angel of the North
A properly fun sight for kids, the sheer scale of Antony Gormley’s steel sculpture, taller than four double-decker buses, tends to be a genuine highlight. Free to visit, with open grass around the base for running around.
Discovery Museum
Free entry, and a genuinely engaging local history and science museum, home to the Turbinia, once the fastest ship in the world. A good indoor option when the North East weather turns, which it does often enough.
Jesmond Dene
A proper wooded valley just outside the centre, Jesmond Dene has waterfalls, woodland paths and open space for running around. Free, unhurried, and an easy way to burn off energy between the bigger sights.
Where to eat with kids
Grainger Market’s food stalls offer a properly varied, casual food scene where nobody minds a fidgety kid at the table. A stottie from the market works well as an easy snack between sights too.
A note on the Angel of the North with kids
Free to visit and genuinely striking in scale, but facilities at the site are minimal, no toilets or visitor centre, so plan accordingly with young kids. A short bus ride or drive out from the city centre either way.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
