Tours and Activities in the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

And so doth begin the era of beer gardens – that fleeting stretch of sun-drenched afternoons, greenery, and leisurely pints. To celebrate, we’ve included two of our favourite beer tours in this month’s Tours and Activities guide. One from the newest breweries on the block in Manchester and another that traces Leeds’ 300 year old pub heritage.

Alternatively, the antidote you need to the very silly pressure to have a ‘beach body’ can be found in burlesque workshops with Hattie Go Lucky. Also over in Leeds, the Literary festival will be bringing their annual book quiz back for another year with host Gary Wigglesworth.

Back in Manchester, the People’s History Museum and the Cathedral are joining forces for a week of events exploring the legacy of the Peterloo Massacre, including a guided tour of the archive.

Scroll down to find more top picks of tours and activities, and break away from your normal.

Our top picks

Peterloo guided tour & archive open day

Peterloo guided tour & archive open day at People’s History Museum, Manchester, 15 August 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

Dive into the Peterloo archive with a guided tour from the People’s History Museum.

Image of curved wooden brown wood cane on a blue background.
People's History Museum

Leeds Heritage Pub & Brewery Tour

Leeds Heritage Pub & Brewery Tour at The Tetley, Until 30 August 2026, From £35.00 - Book now

Take a journey through 300 years of pub and brewing history in Leeds, with a heritage Pub and brewery tour. 

Whitelock's Ale House
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

2025 Quiz at Hyde Park Bookclub

2025 Quiz at Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, 15 June 2025, From £7.50 - Book now

Get literarily lit with Gary Wigglesworth and the Leeds Literary Festival 2025 quiz at Hyde Park bookclub. 

open books
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Craft Beer Tour Manchester at Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, Manchester, Until 23 December 2027, From £35 - Book now

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Image curtesy of Craft Beer Tour Manchester

MIF25: THE HERDS

The Herds at Market Street Manchester, Manchester, 3–5 July 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Manchester International Festival 2025 kicks off with an awe-inspiring outdoor spectacle as THE HERDS take to the streets of Manchester, Rochdale, and Wigan.

The Herds, The Walk Productions
Image courtesy of Ant Strack.

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

With its rich industrial past, iconic architecture and vibrant arts scene, Manchester is a city that begs to be explored step by step.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Image by Jonathan Schofield.

Rock and Goal Tour

Rock and Goal Tour at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester and online, Until 27 February 2027, From £9.99 - Book now

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

Rock and Goal

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025, 11–20 July 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returns this July. 

LAAF - Save The Date
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival

Altogether Otherwise

Altogether Otherwise, 6-10 Hanover Street, NOMA, Manchester, M44BB - Visit now

Altogether Otherwise is a haven of activity where all are encouraged to make, do, dance, read and enjoy pursuing creativity with no pressure.

Image of the outside of Altogether Otherwise at night with people inside
Altogether Otherwise

The Manchester Pub Walkabout

The Manchester Pub Walkabout at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, Until 6 December 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

Stagger across three hundred years of Manchester’s drinking history in one of the city’s most fun-loving walking tours, packed with fascinating stories, brilliantly bizarre facts and hilarious fun and games.

Bars
Band on the Wall

2025 Banner Bingo at PHM

2025 Banner Bingo, Until 29 December 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Explore the People’s History Museum with your banner bingo card in hand as you navigate their galleries through the lens of craftivism. 

Two young visitors looking up at a banner in a case, holding pencils and an activity sheet.
People's History Museum

Floating Art Workshops

Floating Art Workshops, Until 31 May 2026, From £24.30 - Book now

Join expert teacher Ula for relaxed painting workshops that will have you creating work you can be proud of, no matter your level of artistic experience.

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour, Until 29 June 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

The Leeds Liverpool canal has a rich history as well as an exciting future. Discover both in a Leeds Waterfront walking tour.

A docked narrowboat next to a heritage crane and surrounded by buildings and blue sky at Granary Wharf in Leeds
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Craft Beer Tour Manchester at Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, Manchester, Until 23 December 2027, From £35 - Book now

Explore Manchester’s thriving artisanal brewery scene with the experts from Craft Beer Tour.

Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Image curtesy of Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Sauna and cold plunge pools at iglu sauna

Sauna and cold plunge pools at iglu sauna, Until 31 August 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Award-winning sauna and cold-plunge pools experience located in the heart of Hebden Bridge, iglu brings the Scandi experience to Yorkshire. 

Flavours of Manchester – A Taste of Two Cities

Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities , Until 31 December 2030, From £49.00 - Book now

The culinary worlds of Manchester and Salford are both uncovered in this brand new food tour from Flavours of Manchester.

Group Day
Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities

Eat The City – Scranchester Tours

Eat The City - Scranchester Tours, Until 31 December 2027, From £60 - Book now

Join Scranchester Tours for a feast of edible culture as you rediscover Manchester’s past and present through its food.

Private: Millington Hall Farm

Private: Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Lane, Cheshire, WA14 3RN - Visit now

Millington Hall Farm is a one of a kind destination offering field to fork dining alongside learning experiences that will stay with you long after your visit.

Millington Hall Farm
Image courtesy of Gemma Parker

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Cumbria, Until 5 July 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

Experience the art of Abbot Hall in a hands on and creative way with their monthly Sketch and Stroll tours. 

Person sketching inspired by our Charmaine Watkiss: Legacy themed guided art tour at Abbot Hall.
Lakeland Arts

The Modernist App – architectural city tours

The Modernist App - architectural city tours, online, Until 31 December 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Delve into the treasure trove of 20th Century architecture design with the expert knowledge and passionate curation of the Modernist App. 

Image of The Modernist App in use
The Modernist

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, Until 30 September 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Discover 40 of the highlights and hidden gems that are available to explore every day at the Science and Industry Museum.

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Industry Museum © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

More activity events

Walking Tour Stock imagery
Until
ActivityCity Centre
The Manchester Music Walkabout

Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day.

From £25.00
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Take me there

Tours and Activities in the North

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Showroom Workstation
City Centre
Cinema
Showroom Workstation

Sheffield’s premier arts centre houses an established independent cinema along with an entrepreneurial hub for creative and digital industries.

The Dukes, Lancaster
Lancaster
Theatre
The Dukes

Lancashire’s only producing theatre hosts exciting seasons of work featuring new writing and the classics in a converted church in central Lancaster. The Dukes is also a cinema, hosts gigs, talks and other special events, run a youth theatre and is a popular all day cafe bar.

Ilkley
Cinema
Ilkley Cinema

Ilkley Cinema combines relaxed and sociable spaces, state of the art screening technology, and a great programme of indies.

Cumbria
Gallery
Florence Arts Centre

Florence Mine has been transformed into a centre for cultural activity, offering workshops, gallery space, cinema and music venue.

Manchester
Cinema
Cultplex

Billing itself as Manchester’s home of cult films, video games and cool nerd stuff, Cultplex is a small cinema offshoot of indie street food destination Grub Manchester.

The Kirkgate, Cockermouth, image via Visit Cumbria
Cumbria
Music venue
The Kirkgate, Cockermouth

A theatre-cum cinema in Cockermouth offering a wide programme of touring theatre, music, independent film and events to townsfolk and visitors.

Culture Guides

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Isabel Galleymore in conversation
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.