Here are our top picks for days out with kids on rainy days in the North East, including museums & galleries, mini-golf, gaming, laser tag, escape rooms, swimming, bowling & more (printable pdf here).
There’s a quick summary below of the places listed for handy links to check opening times, booking requirements etc, also along with additional soft plays and play cafes in each area. Browse below or skip straight to a specific area here:
Gateshead
Newcastle
North Tyneside
Durham
South Tyneside
Sunderland
🖼️Museums & Attractions
BALTIC
Shipley Art Gallery
Tanfield Railway
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
@The Castle
Derwent Crossing, Brewers Fayre
Dunston Activity Centre Pop-Up Soft Play
Funshack Gateshead
Jump Giants
Mister Twisters Jump Centre
Namco Funscape Metrocentre
☕Play Cafes & Craft Cafes
IKEA & Småland Crèche
Lilyput Lane
The Kiln Pottery Studio
Pineapple and Bears
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
Clip ‘n Climb
Nerd Arcade
No Limits Paintball and Laser
Raven Valley Gym Club
War Room Laser Arena
🖼️Museums & Attractions
Discovery Museum
Great North Museum: Hancock
Farrell Centre
Hatton Gallery
Laing Art Gallery
Science at Life
Seven Stories
Victoria Tunnel
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
Captain Ted’s
Eldon Soft Play & Bowling
Funshack Newcastle
Inflata Nation Newcastle
InflateSpace Newcastle
Jump 360 Newcastle
New AdventureLands
Round The Twist
☕Play Cafes & Craft Cafes
Canny Crafty
The Owl Tree Childrens Cafe
The Pottery Experience
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
Clip ‘N Climb Newcastle
Eldon Soft Play & Bowling
Escape Newcastle
The Escape Key
The Gate
Lane7
Mr Mulligans Space Golf
Newcastle Climbing Centre
TeamSport Karting
Tumble Gymnastics and Activity Centre
🖼️Museums & Attractions
Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum
Stephenson Steam Railway
Tynemouth Aquarium
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
Ace Playce
Kiki’s Kabin
Royal Quays, Brewers Fayre
☕Play Cafes & Craft Cafes
Acorn & Oak Role Play + Soft Play & Sensory
Craft House
Hotpotz Ceramic Painting Studio
Katie’s Craft House
Littley Bay
PaddlePod
Pots-and Pancakes
Well Bee-ing Hub & Cafe
The Whitley Bay Treehouse
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
The Arcade Warehouse
Gutterball
PaddlePod
Pirate Escape
Retro Bay Cafe
Waves Swimming Pool
Whitley Bay Ice Rink
🖼️Museums & Attractions
The Bowes Museum
Butterfly World
Durham Cathedral
Durham Heritage Centre and Museum
Durham Oriental Museum
Head of Steam Railway Museum
Lanchester Garden Centre – Potters World
Locomotion
Preston Park Museum
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
Adventure Valley
Dunelm Ridge, Brewers Fayre
Hall Hill Farm
Holmside Park
Infinite Air
Jumbo Jungle & Ultimate Bounce Zone
Krazy Kingdom
Ruff ‘N’ Tumble Adventure World
Tweddle Farm
☕Play Cafes & Craft Cafes
Believe & Be
Bertie’s Play Barn
Clart About Sensory Cafe
The Craft Cabin Northeast
Create and Paint
Dragonflies Durham
Dream Big Role Play Centre
Little Land of Adventures
Moobears
Petite Street Playtown
Playdates Baby Lounge
The Play Place
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
Durham Climbing Centre
Escape Rooms Durham
TopGear Karting
🖼️Museums & Attractions
Jarrow Hall
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
Souter Lighthouse
The Word
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
Dunes Adventure Island
Jumbo Jims
Wacky Warehouse-Story Book
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
Dunes Adventure Island Bowling
Enigma Escapes
Haven Point Swimming Pool
Hedworth Gymnastics Centre
Ocean Beach Pleasure Park – arcades & quasar
Override Skatepark
South Tyneside Gymnastics & Wellbeing Centre
The Urban Factory
🖼️Museums & Attractions
National Glass Centre
North East Land, Sea and Air Museums
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
🤸Soft Play & Trampoline Centres
The Fun Jungle
Go Bananas
Millie’s Magical Garden
Super Tramp
Tumbles
Wacky Warehouse, Story Book
The Wessington, Brewers Fayre
☕Play Cafes & Craft Cafes
The Forage Community Project
Full of Beanz Play Cafe
It’s A Small World
Jazzy’s
The Play Café Sunderland
Rosebud Ceramics
Silly Billy’s
The Playgroup Hub
Woodland Play Patch
🏃Sports, Challenges & Gaming
AMF Bowling
Harrys Game Shack
Laser Quest Sunderland
The Strategy Sunderland – Escape Games
Sunderland Aquatic Centre
Sunderland Bowl
Sunderland Wall
👉 For full details, see Days Out.
There’s plenty on Gateshead Mumbler to help keep little ones (and big ones!) busy, check here for more ideas and info for playgroups, classes and fun days out from tots to teens!
If you’d like to keep up to date when new resources are added, please click here and like the Gateshead Mumbler Facebook page