Manchester is home to plenty of parks, attractions and play areas that both kids and parents can enjoy during the weekends and school holidays. That is why we have compiled a massive guide of events for all families who may want to drive out of the city for the day.
But, if you would like to stay closer at home, we also have our A-Z of family days out in and around Graeter Manchester for children of all ages to enjoy. Now, if you are the kind of parent who revels in taking a longer trip out of town we also have guides for Lancashire, Yorkshire and Wales.
Mums and dads have been telling us their favourite places to take the kids to and our own Manchester Family have previously gone out to try them as well. Here are 15 of our favourite spots all situated within an hour and a half of Manchester.
READ MORE: The best places to enjoy a reservoir walk in and around Greater Manchester
An added bonus of all these spots won't cost too much money either which is especially good news for those concerned with the rising cost of living. While the weather might not be perfect for a lot of these locations right now, make sure to keep them in your calendar for those extra sunny and hot days - personally, we recommend the Splash Park at Happy Mount Park which opens in May.
Lancashire
Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Burscough
There's loads for families to see and do at the popular Martin Mere Wetland Centre.
From having fun in the muddy meadow and play area, to taking a boat ride or trying your hand at canoeing, you can easily fill a day with the activities on offer. Depending on the season you can spot everything from ducklings to migrating swans and there's flamingos, otters, geese and more.
At weekends and during school holidays children can join in activities such as delving into a pond and seeing what creatures lurk underneath between 1.30pm and 3pm.
There are lots of bug-themed activities to enjoy too, including a mini beast hunt and the chance to see the Guinness World Recording-holding World's Largest Bug Hotel.
On top of that, there are daily feeds and talks, den building, wet play and more.
From March 28 onwards it opens daily from 9.30am to 6pm, with last entry an hour earlier.
For more details visit the WWT Facebook page here or the WWT website.
How much is it?
The trail is included in the usual admission fee - adults £14.50, children £7.77, under fours free, or a family ticket for two adults and two children £37.86.
Where is it?
Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Fish Lane, Burscough, Lancashire, L40 0TA .
Lancaster Castle, Lancaster
What child doesn't want to be king of the castle, especially one as spectacular as Lancaster's.
Visitors can enjoy the courtyard spaces, external views of the historic building, two small exhibition spaces, and the gift shop without charge, but public access to the interiors of the castle buildings is by guided tour.
A guide will take you through tales of witchcraft, religious persecution, crime and punishment, rehabilitation and release throughout the ages. You may even get to stand in the dock, raise your left hand to be sworn in, and uncover the true meaning of being ‘sent down’.
You can also try out one of the medieval cells for size and marvel at one of Europe’s most extensive collections of heraldic shields.
Activity Backpacks are available to take along with you on the tour. Suitable for children aged three to six, you can borrow the bag of goodies and find the castle bears dotted along the tour route.
For older children there's an activity book available to buy for £1 and available from the ticket desk on the day.
The Grade 1 Listed building occupies a city-centre hilltop location on the site of three successive Roman forts and has been described by English Heritage as 'not only the North-West's most important historic and archaeological monument but also of international importance'.
It opens 9.30am to 5pm seven days a week (except over the Christmas / New Year), and hour-long guided tours run throughout the day.
Special events are also planned there, especially during the school holidays
Visit the website for more details, or to book call 01524 64998.
How much is it?
Tours cost £8 for adults, £6.50 for children(under 5s free) and concessions, or £20 for a family. To make a group booking call 01524 64998.
Where is it?
Lancaster Castle, Castle Street, Lancaster, LA1 1YJ.
The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre, Preston
Let's face it, we always need an option to head indoors during our good old British summertime and this one's a popular one with families of all ages.
Situated next to the Barton Grange Garden Centre, The Flower Bowl houses everything from crazy golf and bowling to curling sessions and a cinema - on sofa style seating.
It's perfect for a rainy day as everything is inside.
Crazy golf is in the Secret Garden, which is outdoors yet still under cover and takes you round flower-filled borders, water features and garden statues.
Just turn up to play between 10am and last entry 9pm, with a maximum of five per group.
There's eight lanes of bowling open during the same hours and on certain days you can book on an hour-long Try Curling session, for which the minimum age is 11.
The cinema is a unique experience with its sofa style seats and there are just three screens available - each named after leading ladies Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman and Uma Thurman.
Films and times are updated every Tuesday and show availability for the following 10 days.
There are plenty of places to eat at the venue too, from traditional chip shop fare at The Ocean Fish and Chips Restaurant, and flat breads, burgers and 'world dishes' at Blooms, to hot drinks, sweet treats and snacks at the Oasis Coffee Bar.
How much is it?
The cinema costs from £6 for children and £8 for adults on weekdays until 5pm, up to £8 and £10 respectively at weekends.
Crazy golf costs £10 for children and £12 for adults and bowling is £8 for kids and £10 for adults. Curling sessions cost £12 for an hour.
Visit the website for more details.
Where is it?
The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre, Garstang Road, Preston, PR3 0BT.
Happy Mount Park, Morecambe
Well you certainly need the nice weather for this one, but Happy Mount Park, and particularly its Splash Zone, is a firm favourite with families when the sun's out.
Open from May through to September, the brightly coloured interactive play area has multiple water jets activated by buttons, so children of all abilities are able to activate the sensor operated water jets.
It's built on an outdoor soft play surface, so wheelchair users can access the fun too.
Among the water jets a carousel of buckets spills water from above, a water arch sprays all who move through it, and cannons soak all those enjoying the watery fun.
The Splash Park costs just £1 per person and capacity is limited in each session to avoid overcrowding.
You can book in advance on the day - at the park kiosk - where you'll be given a coloured wristband to show which session you're in.
Choices are 10.30am to 11.45am, 12pm to 12.50pm, 1pm to 1.50pm, 2pm to 2.50pm, 3pm to 3.50pm, 4pm to 4.50pm and 5pm to 5.50pm. The first and last sessions of the day are 25 minutes longer as they're generally quieter.
There are some changing huts in the Splash Park itself to give you space to get changed and toilets are available just down from the main exit of the Splash Park - your wristband will allow you to re-gain entry.
Once you've had some fun in the water, or while you're waiting for your session, there's loads more to keep families entertained, including a woodland walk, adventure play area, the Happy Mount Park Express train and a privately run Pirates In The Park indoor play area.
There's also swing boats, trampolines and adventure golf.
You can take a picnic to the park, or there's the Cafe Rastelli close to the main entrance selling a variety of hot and cold food and drinks.
You can breakfast items, like sausage or bacon barms, paninis and burgers, or more substantial meals including fish and chips, or lasagne.
If you're driving there's a pay-and-display car park on the promenade close to the park entrance. The park opens daily 8.30am until dusk.
See the Facebook page or website for up-to-date information.
How much is it?
Splash park sessions and rides on the Express train cost £1 per person.
Adventure golf costs £3.25 for children under 14, £3.95 for adults and £3.75 for seniors.
Where is it?
Happy Mount Park, for satnav use the postcode LA4 6AQ.
Days out with the kids
Farmer Parr's Animal World, Fleetwood
If your lot likes getting up close to some furry friends then you might want to give Farmer Parr's a try.
Daily events include farm tours, animal shows, tractor rides, pony rides and grooming, egg collecting, animal feeding and petting.
There's outdoor play plus an indoor bouncy castle and indoor animal barns too, so you can shelter from the rain if you need to.
The Fylde Country Life Museum is there too - with a blacksmiths, an old cottage and other displays giving a taste of years gone by - and you can wander round the paddocks, ponds and walkways at the farm too.
If your little one fancies showing off their creative side they could also call in The Pottery Studio, where students from the charity Autism Initiatives can give them a hand.
You can take your own picnic along - and there is a picnic and play barn to sit in, as well as other picnic areas - or food is available from the adjacent Tractor Shed Bistro, which is open for breakfast, lunch and fine dining in the evenings.
The menu features a Young Farmers selection, with the likes of pasta bake, chicken goujons or fish fingers (with fries and beans or peas) for £3.50, or a picnic box, including a sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and drink for £4.
The farm is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm.
How much is it?
It costs £8 for adults, £7 for children, or £25 for a family, between March and October. Between November and February tickets are reduced to £5. Visit the website for more details.
Where is it?
Farmer Parr's Animal World, Rossall Lane, Fleetwood, FY7 8SL.
Yorkshire
Forbidden Corner
The Forbidden Corner is a unique labyrinth of tunnels, chambers, follies and surprises created in a four acre garden in the heart of Tupgill Park and the Yorkshire Dales.
This 'day out with a difference' promises to 'challenge and delight adults and children of all ages', although there is some squirting and loud noises to be aware of with any timid ones in tow.
There are paths, passages and extraordinary statues, with 'decisions to make and tricks to avoid' at every turn.
Originally built as a private folly, following public demand it was subsequently opened to the public.
A visit can take anything from two hours to a whole day as you can go in and out of the gardens as many times as you like.
And following the opening of a brand new play park this summer, there's even more reason to hang around.
There's only limited access for wheelchairs and pushchairs in the gardens, so again it's advised to have baby carriers and slings for smaller children.
There are picnic areas for you to take your own food along, or there's The Corner Cafe on site selling everything from sandwiches and jacket potatoes to pies and pizza.
How much is it?
Adults £14.50, children (aged four to 15) £12.50, seniors £13,50 or a family of two adults and two children £50. Under threes free. Book online. Free parking available.
Where is it?
Tupgill Park, Coverham, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, (for sat nav) DL8 4TQ.
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
On the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire, the famous Ingleton Waterfalls Trail offers some of the most spectacular waterfall and woodland scenery in the north of England.
At 4.5 miles long - with quite a number of steps - it's a bit of a trek, so you and the little ones need sturdy shoes and the paths are no good for prams so those with babies tend to carry them round in slings.
It can take up to four hours to complete so you can definitely make a day of it and there's a Children's Challenge for youngsters to do along the way.
You buy the activity sheet and pencil from the ticket office on your way in for £1 and along the way there are 10 wooden marker posts to make a pencil rubbing of each one.
Once completed you hand it in at the end to get a special waterfalls trail medal.
To keep it cheap you can take a picnic along with you and you'll need plenty of drinks to keep you all going, so maybe give the kids their own rucksack to share the weight.
If you haven't packed anything, you can grab something from the Falls Cafe at the entrance, or there's a refreshment hut half way around the walk, just before Beezley Falls, selling hot dogs, sandwiches, drinks and other snacks.
A bit further on along the walk and on nicer days you'll come across an ice cream van too.
How much is it?
The trail costs £8 for adults (16 and over), and £4 for children under 16. Car parking is free.
Where is it?
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Broadwood Entrance, Ingleton, LA6 3ET.
Stockeld Park
One look at the description of this place and it's easy to see why it sells itself as 'the home of adventure'.
With five adventure playgrounds, a giant maze, an enchanted forest, bumper boats, a roller rink and loads more, there's something to keep children of all ages entertained.
There are over two miles of path in the 8-foot high giant yew tree maze, making it the largest in Yorkshire.
You can climb the castle viewing tower to look out over the tops of the trees to get your bearings or cross bridges and discover surprises, musical instruments and some unexpected obstacles along the way.
The retro roller rink is based in front of the Woodland Cafe, so if you're not joining the kids for a skate, you can have a drink and a snack while you watch.
There's indoor stuff in case it rains too, like a giant indoor jumping pillow and inflatable fountain bouncer, game machines and a craft area inside the Lakeview Marquee.
If you want to take a picnic along there are outdoor benches in the large field and a small covered area on the forecourt.
The Woodland Café serves hot food between 11.45am and 8pm and there are other outlets on site selling drinks and snacks.
How much is it?
The cheapest tickets are booked in advance online with the Weekend Adventure day pass costing £14.50 which gives you access to 14 different activities and attractions.
Most of the activities are included with the pass, but there are some that are charged separately including Buccaneer Boats, costing £6 per boat and Laser Adventure for £4 per person.
Where is it?
Stockeld Park, off the A661 Wetherby Road, North Yorkshire, LS22 4AN.
Things to do with the kids
Yorkshire Sculpture Trail
Yorkshire Sculpture Park was the first sculpture park in the UK and is the largest of its kind in Europe.
There's 500 acres of landscape to explore with contemporary sculptures spread around for visitors to see and take pictures of.
Children are free to explore and play around the site and there are regular family-friendly activities to enjoy at the Indoor Galleries.
Various exhibitions are on display in the park - the Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads is a popular one which was added in 2017 to mark the venue's 40th anniversary.
It features a dramatic group of 12 bronze animal heads that has been on a worldwide tour since May 2011.
Visitors can take a picnic along or there are places to eat there, including the YSP Restaurant, the more informal Cafe - where you can eat in or takeaway - or you can pick up snacks and drinks from the kiosk at Longside Gallery, which is open during exhibitions.
It's geared towards families so there are baby changing facilities, highchairs and free tap water so you don't have to be buying drinks.
How much is it?
The best thing is the park itself is free, so all you have to pay for is parking.
You can pay for parking any time during your visit or up to seven days afterwards online. It's £12 all day, £6 for up to two hours, or £3.50 for an hour and the charges contribute to the running costs of YSP, which is an independent museum and registered charity.
Where is it?
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield, WF4 4JX (for main car park).
Eureka
Eureka is the UK's only national children's museum and is one of the north’s most popular family attractions.
Billing itself as 'a unique place for families and groups to visit', it aims to give children, from babies to 11-year-olds, inspiration to learn all about themselves and the world around them by playing, imagining and experimenting.
Based on the North American model of children’s museums, it first opened in July 1992 and has since welcomed more than 7.5m visitors through its doors.
There's loads for kids to see and do at the museum.
There are six zones to discover in all, including Desert Discovery and the Sound Garden, both for under fives, and All About Me, where children can learn about their bodies by looking up a giant nose, scanning a pregnant mum's tummy and standing inside a giant mouth.
If you want to take a packed lunch there are indoor and outdoor places to eat and extra indoor ones are open in the school holidays.
As well as usual outdoor picnic tables to eat at, there are some fun places to sit and eat your butties, including a full-sized, converted train carriage, which opens from 11am to 2pm every weekend, with extended opening during the school holidays.
There are also a number of tables and chairs in the area just under the unique Archimedes water feature, open every day and reserved for families only.
Or you can buy something from the Eureka cafe, which sells meals and snacks, and opens 10am to 5pm every day in the summer holidays (food service from 11am to 4pm).
There’s a microwave available in the cafe to heat up baby food or milk.
How much is it?
The good thing about Eureka is that you pay once for tickets and can visit as many times as you like for 12 months.
Tickets cost £14.95 for adults and children aged three to 15, and £6.45 for one and two year olds. Under ones go free. Pay and display parking is available right next to the museum and costs £3.40 for four hours, or £6.80 for 12 hours.
Where is it?
Eureka, Discovery Road, Halifax, HX1 2NE.
Wales
Zip World, Betws-y-Coed
The UK's first alpine rollercoaster is one of many reasons to make the trip to Zip World at Betws-y-Coed in North Wales.
It might be a two-hour drive from Manchester, but it's worth it to have a go on the Fforest Coaster, which takes thrill-seekers through stunning woodland mountains, speeding and darting through Snowdonia National Park.
Visitors are strapped into their sledge with simple controls meaning they can take control of how fast they go.
There's lots more fun to be had at the attraction too, including Treetop Nets, 60ft up in the trees and available for ages three-plus; the Skyride, which swings four people at once 80ft in the air, with a 1.2m height restriction; and for even bigger daredevils the Plummet, where two people drop through a trap door over 100ft high to experience the closest thing to freefall. Again the minimum height for that is 1.2m.
If you want to grab a bite to eat while you're there then there's indoor and outside seating at the Fforest Caffi.
It sells everything from breakfast baps, from £4, and 'lite bites' wraps and ciabattas, from £6.60, to mains like burgers and fish and chips, from around £8.
There are kids' dishes too, like pasta and meatballs, or fish, chips and peas, for £5.50. Or you can just get treats like cookies and cake.
Fforest Coaster rides can be booked from 9am to 7pm. Check availability online.
How much is it?
The coaster costs £70-87 for a group of four which provides three rides, nets are from £13 and the Plummet is £15 per person or £20 a pair. Book online.
Parking is free and there are lockers to keep your bags in, for a £1 fee.
Where is it?
Zip World, A470, Betws-y-Coed, LL24 0HX.
Swipe right through the gallery below for more images of Zip World
GreenWood Family Park, Gwynedd
There's loads of outdoor activities for the whole family at GreenWood.
Although the popular Green Dragon Roller Coaster and the SolarSplash are still hibernating over February half term - they open for the main season - there's loads of forest fun and indoor play to enjoy.
You can zoom down the 70m Great Green Run, have a got at den building and explore Tree Top Towers.
The Barefoot Trail is a particular hit, offering a sensory experience of walking barefoot through different terrains including sand, bark, straw, timber and water.
All the main rides and activities are included in the ticket price, with some optional extra charges for the likes of Woodland Rovers (£2) and the Tractors and Diggers (£1).
There are picnic areas around the park if you want to take your own food, or the Woodbarn Cafe and Play serves hot and cold food along with a choice of drinks. Various snack bars are also open during busier days.
The park opens 10am to 5.30pm and is open from mid-March to the end of October half term.
How much is it?
Online tickets cost £16.50 for adults and £16.00 for children, aged three to 15. Under threes go free.
Where is it?
GreenWood Family Park, Bush Rd, Y Felinheli, Gwynedd, (for sat nav) LL55 3AD.
Welsh Mountain Zoo, Conwy
The Welsh Mountain Zoo is also known as the National Zoo of Wales, the oldest and most established zoo in Wales.
Occupies 37 acres overlooking Colwyn Bay and the Carneddau mountains in North Wales, it's home to everything from tigers and chimpanzees, to bears, birds and bearded dragons.
The attraction also houses huge gardens, with expanding plant collections, some of which are considered rare and endangered.
There are picnic areas around the zoo - all outdoors but some undercover - and it has catering facilities all year round, including The Penguin Cafe and Safari Restaurant serving a variety of hot and cold food and refreshments throughout the day.
There is also an ice cream shop and a sweet shop open during the busy periods and there's a microwave to heat up baby food in the Safari restaurant.
If your little ones want to burn off some energy there are some play areas at the zoo to keep them occupied too and there's the Jungle Adventureland, for children of all ages, featuring a challenging Tarzan Trail.
In peak season the zoo is open from 9.30am to 6pm, with last admission at 4.50pm.
How much is it?
The cheapest way to buy tickets is to get them in advance online, by midnight the day before of your visit, where it costs £15.87 for adults and £11.92 for children, aged three to 15. Under threes go free.
Where is it?
Welsh Mountain Zoo, Old Highway, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL28 5UY.
The zoo is just half a mile from the town of Colwyn Bay and there's a free Zoo Mini Bus service from Colwyn Bay railway station from March 27 until October 29, starting from 9.30am daily and running every half an hour, until the final return trips from the zoo at around 4.45pm.
Conwy Castle
Thanks to the restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can now walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle.
Billed as 'one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe', the famous fortress is exceptionally well preserved.
It contains the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. The high curtain wall and eight lofty towers rise almost as impressively as when they were built more than 700 years ago.
In the distance rise the craggy mountains of Snowdonia and spread out below you are the harbour and narrow streets of Conwy – still protected by an unbroken 1.3km ring of town walls.
Visitors are amazed by the fact that King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both castle and walls in a barely believable four years between 1283 and 1287.
It hosts various events and activities for kids during the school holidays.
The site is fully equipped for families, with toilets and baby change facilities and there's a water refill station to fill up your drinks bottles.
It opens daily from 9.30am to 5pm until August 31, after which it closes at 6pm. Visit the website for more details.
How much is it?
Admission is via a joint ticket for the castle and Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy, dating from the 16th century.
Tickets cost £11.10 for adults, £7.80 for juniors aged five to 17, or £36.60 for a family of two adults and up to three children. Under fives go free.
Where is it?
Conwy Castle, Rose Hill Street, Conwy, LL32 8AY.
Aber Falls, Gwynedd
If you want to even more of the beauty Wales has to offer then you could take a trip to Aber Falls.
It's a spectacular waterfall located about two miles south of the village of Abergwyngreyn.
And it's not a particularly challenging walk, you can do it in around half an hour, ideal for younger ones who struggle managing long distances.
Families are often spotted having a dip in the plunge pools of the falls when the weather's hot, but the water is pretty cold even at the height of summer and there are slippery rocks to watch out for too.
If you park at Bont Newydd, for a £2 fee, then the falls are accessible on foot on a clearly marked trackway.
There you'll find toilets and picnic benches or you can buy food from the café inside the tourist information centre at Abergwyngregyn village
You can also park in the free car park at the bottom of the village and walk up.
And if you have time after your trip - and can somehow persuade the kids to partake - you can check out the famous Aber Falls Distillery while you're there.
The visitor centre is open for tours of the distillery and your chance to 'experience the skill and passion that goes into Aber Falls spirits', including whisky and gin.
For adults it's £8 and children aged six to 17 go free. As it's a fully operating distillery, with hot pipes and working equipment, children under six are not permitted to access the production area of the tour. Visit the website for details.
How much is it?
The walk is free and the car park will cost you £2.
Where is it?
Aber Falls, A55, Abergwyngregyn, LL33 0L.
