COVID-19 UPDATE: There have been so many changes for businesses lately it’s hard to keep up! This section will be updated in due course as things return to normal, in the meantime you can use the ideas here as a rough guide or can check our A-Z of Days Out here for more recent info and links. You can also like our Facebook Page here for updates
As well as the info below, there are lots of indoor activities listed here:
Cinema & Theatre
Play Cafes
Soft Play Areas
📌 Union Hall Farm, Brasside, Durham, DH1 5SG
📆 Open daily (closed Tues-Wed during Nov-Feb, exc school holidays)
🕗 10am-5pm
👉 Book here
Adventure Valley is North East’s biggest Family Adventure Park! With over 50 activities and attractions, themed events every school holiday, 18,000 sq feet of indoor play, plenty of cute and cuddly friends at the Farm Yard and acres of more, including:
🔸Mini Train Ride🔸Adventure Golf🔸Indoor Play Town🔸Wild West Saloon🔸Café Italia🔸Undercover farmyard & Creature Corner🔸Aviary, wildlife pond, paddocks & goat mountain🔸Outdoor adventure play and Runaway Races Slide🔸3D net climb, jumping pillows, dragon swing, sand pits, under 5’s area🔸Pedal go-karts🔸Tractor and trailer rides
Ticket Prices
Child/Adult/Concessions: from £8.95 – £13.50
Carer: £5.95 – £9.50
Term Time Passes: £30 pp per year
Annual Pass: £60-£65 pp
Babies & 1 year old’s: Free
If you run a relevant activity or business that’s not listed yet (or if you’re a parent with a recommendation) please feel free to get in touch with details.
Basic listings are free, information on upgraded listings (with up to 200 words, social media links & photos) can be found here.
Monday – Thursday: 10am – 10pm
Friday – Saturday: 10am – 1am
Sunday: 10am – 12am
Galleries Retail Park, Washington, Sunderland, NE38 7RZ
Tel: 0844 826 3035
Tenpin bowling, arcade games and ‘Pacman Smash’. Amateurs, experts and everything in between are invited to take a swing and compete for the top spot.
Adults from £5.79
Kids from £4.79
Families from £18.29
Wednesday – Monday: 10am – 6pm
Tuesday: 10.30am – 6pm
Gateshead Quays South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Tel: 0191 478 1810
You can enjoy a changing programme of exhibitions, stunning views, a cafe bar and gift shop. There’s also an open area on Level 2 where kids can get creative with crafts and toys, plus a sensory room and sensory wall for infants.
Free.
Monday – Friday: 9am – 11pm
Saturday – Sunday: 8am – 11pm
K83 Third Avenue, Team Valley, Gateshead, NE11 0PR
Tel: 0191 482 2222
Pick up a laser pack and get blasting in a 15,000 square foot arena! With hefty and atmospheric obstacles to utilise (cower behind) including abandoned vehicles and buildings, plus camo uniforms, face paint, special effects and other surprises.
£12.00 per game. 6 years+.
Daily: 10am – 5pm
Grand Parade, Tynemouth, North Tyneside, NE3O 4JF
Tel: 0191 2581031
Over 40 different displays, from local waters to the more exotic, including black tip reef shark and cownose rays. Watch colourful fish all around as you walk through the ocean tunnel.
Prices: £8.50 – £10.95
Family: from £37.90
(show bus/metro ticket when purchasing your tickets to save £2 pp).
Monday – Friday: 4pm – 8.30pm
Sat – Sun: 9.30am – 5pm
(Last admittance 1.5h before closing)
Gateshead Leisure Centre, Alexandra Road. Gateshead. NE8 4JA
Tel: 0191 433 5733
Featuring 25 climbing lines across 21 unique challenges, perfect for children and adults. Solve puzzles and navigate around different shapes, textures and difficulty levels on your way to the summit 25 feet high.
Adult: £12.00
Children: £10.00
Leap of Faith / Vertical Drop Slide: £2.50
📌 Blandford Square, Newcastle, NE1 4JA
Exhibitions on local maritime, scientific and technological history, including Science Maze with interactive exhibitions, toddler play space and ‘play+invent’ space for older children. Plus, RAF Red Arrows Flight Simulator ride (min height 42″).
👉 For more info, visit @newcastlediscovery
🎫 Free (donations welcome). Charges apply for flight simulator & selected activities.
*Play Tyne water play room for under 7s currently closed for extensive repairs, look out for updates on re-opening around Easter 2022
📌 The Chapter Office, The College, Durham, DH1 3EH
Welcoming of all faiths and ages, with guided tours and regular toddler/family activities. Borrow a kid’s backpack with toys and games, and see the 300,000 brick Lego replica cathedral.
👉 For more info, visit @durhamcathedral
🎫 Free (donations welcome)
Monday – Friday: 10am – 10pm
Saturday – Sunday: 9.30am – 6pm
(8pm weekend closing throughout winter)
St Johns Road, Meadowfield Industrial Estate, Durham, DH7 8TZ
Tel: 0191 378 9555
Catering for every level of climber, the Advanced area (ages 12+) has a good selection of routes in coloured circuits, the Junior wall has easier problems and gentle slopes. There are Parent and Toddler sessions on weekdays mornings on the Junior wall.
From £3.50.
Monday – Friday: 9am – 7.30pmÂ
Saturday – Sunday: 9am – 3.15pm
(last admittance 1h before closing)
Heworth Leisure Centre, High Lanes, Gateshead, NE10 0PD
Tel: 0191 433 5715
The ultimate surfing and body-boarding experience suitable for children and adults, and holds up to eight people at a time so your friends can all get involved.
Adult £12.00
Children £10.00.
Age 5+ (plus height restrictions)
📌 Pier Parade, South Shields, South Tyneside, NE33 2JS
Indoor swimming pool with large twisty flume slide, family bubble spa and a water play area for younger children with bridges, slides, jet sprays and bubble features. Cafe serving snacks.
👉 For more info, visit South Tyneside Council
🎫 From £1.15-£5.35 pp / Family from £18.55
Cardholder discount available
Monday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
New Ferens Park, Durham, County Durham, DH1 1GG
Tel: 0333 344 2220
16,000 sq ft of trampolines (over 80 trampolines!), with tumble tracks, raised platforms and box sections. There are 3 performance trampolines to teach you wall running and 2 differing heights to practice on.
£11.95 per hour.
Ages 8+.
Monday – Friday: 9am – 9pm
Saturday: 9am – 7pm
Sunday: 11am – 5pm
intu Metrocentre, Gateshead, NE11 9YG
Tel: 0191 493 0200
There’s a small free toddler area with soft play shapes upstairs in the Forum, and a free outdoor play area outside the Qube entrance for ages 3-10. ‘Fun Buggy’ ride-on cars can be hired from customer service desks, and for older children there are bungee trampolines in Exhibition Square. From here you also can take a train drive around the centre.
Free play areas.
‘Fun Buggy’ hire: £3 – 4 per hour (£10 returnable cash deposit)
Monday – Sunday: 9am – 10pm
Warden Law Motorsport Centre, Hangmans Lane, Sunderland, SR3 2PR
Tel: 0191 521 4050
One of the largest karting circuits in the UK, with a highly experienced team, paintball (age 8+), competitive archery and tomahawk games (age 8+) and the fastest hire off-road rage buggies in the UK (age 12+).
From £25.
📌 New Bridge Street, Newcastle, NE1 8AG
Art and sculpture galleries, including a play space for toddlers with toys, books and dress-up, and weekly pre-school workshops with gallery exploration, practical art activity and story time (term-time only, booking required). Also regular Saturday art classes for 10-15 years (booking required). Cafe serving hot and cold meals.
For more info, visit @laingartgallery
🎫 Free, donations welcome
Opening hours varies, booking required.
Eden Hill Plantation, Beamish, County Durham, DH9 0HU
Tel: 0800 652 1394
Laser tag is a realistic, super safe zero contact combat gaming experience played with infra red equipment. There are indoor and outdoor courses to choose from.
Adults: from £18
Children: from £13
Morning or afternoon special: £15 per session pp.
Monday – Friday: 11am – 9pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10am – 9pm
Bank & School holidays: 10am – 9pmÂ
30 to 32 John Street, Sunderland, SR1 1RH
Tel: 0191 565 2916
An action packed sci-fi adventure for all ages, played with state of the art infra red equipment and a futuristic body pack! Navigate the Labyrinth, with mazes and catwalks on two levels and swirling fog and other effects.
Prices from £4.50.
Monday – Friday: 12 – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 7pm
Sea Road, South Shields, South Tyneside, NE33 2LD
Tel: 0191 455 3885
A fun indoor game ideal for kids and adults of all ages, located within Ocean Beach Pleasure Park which is packed with attractions, rides and food outlets.
Prices from £5.
Party/group discounts available.
📌 Times Square, Newcastle, NE1 4EP
Fun and interactive science exhibitions, including live Science Shows, Planetarium, Creativity Zone and Making Studios, Experiment Zone and under 7s Play Zone.
👉 For more info, visit @scienceatlife
🎫 From £9.50-£18 pp / Family £22.50-£47.50 (age 4 and under free)
Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 11pm
Thursday – Friday: 11am – 12am
Saturday: 10am – 12am
Sunday: 10am – 11pm
The Gate, 117 Newgate Street, Newcastle, NE1 5RZ
Tel: 0191 453 7870
Three space-themed courses, with atmospheric surroundings including a secret airship hangar and a crash landing on the moon. Each course has 9 holes designed to suit all ages and abilities.
12+ years: from £6.25.
Under 12s: from £5.
Family tickets available.
📌 Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Gallery exhibitions, daily glass making demonstrations and a virtual glass making game, plus borrow a kids adventure backpack with activity cards and colouring activities (£5 refundable deposit, ages 4+). Regular family workshops including glass painting, glass fusing and sandblasting. Cafe serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
👉 For more info, visit @nationalglasscentresunderland
🎫 Free, donations welcome.
Monday – Friday: 10am – 10pm
Saturday: 9am – 8pm
Sunday: 10am – 8pm
(may vary seasonally)
St Marks Church, 285 Shields Rd, Newcastle, NE6 2UQ
Tel: 0191 265 6060
This listed building provides a spectacular climbing environment with over 1200sqm of climbing walls for roped climbing, lead wall and bouldering, from novice to expert level.
Bouldering: £6
Adult: £8-9
Child/Senior: £6-7
Ages 5+.
Monday – Sunday: 8am – 8pm
Unit 4, King Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2Y
Tel: 07464 482410
Indoor paintball, laser tag, or airsoft and experience different action-packed scenarios. Gear up and enter a 2-floor arena and battle your way as a team through the different game zones with cool full-size props.
Laser Tag from £12.00
Paintball from £25.00
Airsoft from £35.00
Age 4+.
Monday, Thursday & Friday: 10am – 8pm
Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday: 10am – 9pm
Saturday: 9am – 8pm
Unit 8a Shaftsbury Avenue, Jarrow, South Tyneside, NE32 3UP
Tel: 0191 420 8156
There are a variety of levels and ramps suitable for all ages and abilities to practice and improve their skills. Beginner Scooter, Skaters and Boarder sessions are also available. A range of good quality gear is available to hire.
Prices from £3.50.
Age 4+.
Monday – Sunday: 10am – 10pm
Unit G on Colima Avenue, Sunderland, SR5 3XB
Tel: 0191 549 6778
This family friendly centre offers 19 lanes of modern tenpin alleys with light balls, gutter guard bumpers and smooth ball ramps to help the kids. There’s a cafe style seating area with hot and cold drinks and snacks.
From £2.
Open from 9am, 7 days a week
St Mary’s Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
Tel: 0191 443 4666
Enjoy fun, creative and engaging family concerts and workshops. You can also make a visit for the free children’s playspace, crafts, and cafe.
Free entry for visit, performances prices vary.
(FREE metro travel to/from Gateshead, retain concert ticket for inspection on Metro).
📌 30 Lime Street, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ
The National Centre for Children’s Books, with specialist children’s bookshop, cafe, regular family events and free interactive exhibitions and galleries celebrating popular authors and illustrators past and present,
👉 For more info, visit @7Stories
🎫 Free entry to galleries and bookshop (charges apply for special workshops & events)
Tuesday – Friday: 10am – 4pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Monday & Sunday: Closed
Shipley Art Gallery, Prince Consort Road, NE8 4JB
Tel: (0191) 477 1495
Five gallery spaces showing a range of exhibitions, with regular events including family activities. There is a children’s play space with toys and books, plus you can request a ‘Magic Carpet’ play mat or Toddler Backpack with additional toys and creative activities.
Free entry, donations welcome.
📌 Ocean Road, South Shields, South Tyneside, NE33 2JA
Works of art and interactive exhibits on local social, industrial and maritime history, and 20th century author Catherine Cookson. Plus Creature Corner with live reptiles and insects and free family activities during school holidays. Cafe serving hot and cold refreshments.
👉 For more info, visit @South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
🎫 Free, donations welcome
Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 4pm
Sunday: closed
Oakwellgate, Gateshead, NE8 2AU
Tel: 0191 433 4699
Medieval, grade one-listed building formerly a parish church, with displays about local history and a heritage bookshop. Also events and workshops including children’s activities, local history talks, tours, concerts and performances.
Free.
📌 Middle Engine Lane, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 8DX
Steam railway museum with interactive exhibitions and a range locomotives and carriages. On Sundays, bank holidays (and selected dates) take a four mile return trip on a vintage locomotive in 1950s passenger carriages.
👉 For more info, visit @stephensonrailway
🎫 Museum free (donations welcome).
Train rides from £5-£7 pp / Family from £17 (under 5s free)
Seasonal opening, typically closed Nov-Jan (excluding special events)
Monday – Friday: 10am – 10pm
Saturday -Sunday: 10am – 7pm
Doxford Works, Pallion Quay, Sunderland, SR4 6TQ
Tel: 0191 5144 234
Boasting a 23 metre lead wall, over 900m2 of climbing and bouldering and over 120 routes, suitable for all abilities. There’s a range of classes and kids clubs, including a bouldering class for ages 3 – 7 years. Equipment hire available on site.
Adults: £7.
Child: £5.
Concession: £6.
Age 3+.
Opening times vary, contact to book.
Unit B, Armstrong Works, Scotswood Road, Newcastle, NE15 6UX
Tel: 0844 9980 000
With two multi-level race tracks, each accommodating over 16 karts at a time, you can race against friends and friends. TeamSport’s Cadet Karts are especially designed to be safe and comfortable for kids from 8 years..
From £20.
Ages 8+.
📌 Barras Bridge, Newcastle, NE2 4PT
Interactive displays on Natural Science, Living Planet, World Culture, Archaeology and Geology, with full sized replica T-rex skeleton and wide range of animals and sea creatures. Plus, a Planetarium and regular family workshops and events.
👉 For more info, visit @greatnorthmuseum
🎫 Free (donations welcome). Charges apply for Planetarium.
Monday – Wednesday: Closed
Thursday – Friday: 12 – 5.30pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10am – 4pm
496 Durham Road, Low Fell, Gateshead, NE9 6HU
Tel: 0191 366 6375
Paint your own pottery studio & café where you can choose from a huge selection of items including mugs, plates, tea pots, money boxes, collectable animals, trinket boxes and pirates and princess pieces.
Pottery individually priced, starting at £5.
Opening times vary, contact to book.
The Strategy, West Office, Pallion Residents Enterprise, Sunderland, SR4 6SN
Tel: 07789 766259
An immersive experience where you’re locked in a series of rooms and presented with a live escape game filled with clues and puzzles, you and your team must work your way out.
Prices start from £40.
📌 Market Place, South Shields, South Tyneside, NE33 1JF
Children and adult library books, special themed exhibitions, rooftop viewing terrace, gaming zone with retro console games, workshops using 3D printers and vinyl/laser cutters (booking required) and regular family-friendly activities and events. Cafe serving breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
👉 For more info, visit @worduk
🎫 Free (charges apply for selected workshops & activities)
Monday – Friday: 12pm – 8pm
Saturday: 9am – 9pm
Sunday: 10am – 6pm
Unit 13 Rennys Lane Ind. Est., Gilesgate Moor, Durham, DH1 2RS
Tel: 0191 386 0999
Karting in a disco atmosphere with ultra violet tubes, strobe and spotlights with music and smoke machines. Competition sessions or basic open sessions, designed to just enjoy or to improve your racing techniques.
Starting form £20.
📌 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ
Guided tours of the Victoria Tunnel, used to transport coal under the city during the 1800s then converted into an air raid shelter during World War 2. Learn what colliery life was like and listen to ghostly tales.
👉 For more info, visit @VictoriaTunnelTours
🎫 From £5-£12 pp
Suitable for ages 7+
📌 The Links, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, NE26 1TQ
Swimming pool with wave machine and flume slides, and children’s play pool featuring pirate ship with small slides. Compact two-tiered soft play, gym, spa and coffee shop serving snacks and treats. Also after school and school holiday activities offered.
👉 For more info, visit @wavesNTC
🎫 From 70p-£6.50 pp / Family from £9.30 – £21.70
Cardholder discounts
May – Sep, daily: 10am – 5pm
Open selected dates Oct – April.
North Whitehouse Farm, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6AW
Tel: 01670 789998
Family run farm with a range of large and small animals and petting/feeding sessions. Indoor racing cars and 3-tiered soft play with toddler area. Outdoor tractor-trailer rides, pedal go-karts and tractors, frisbee golf, maze, trampolines and adventure playground. Cafe serving breakfast, lunch and main meals.
From £8.25
Family from £32.25
Under 2 years: free
Monday – Sunday: 10am – 9pm
Hillshead Road, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, NE25 8HP
Tel: 0191 291 1000
Open all year round for fun, exercise and developing skills. There are open sessions and various classes, including a gentle introductory class for 2-6 year olds. There is a weekly skate disco on Friday nights. You can also watch Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey team matches.
Prices from £6.50
