Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Manchester’s new 509-bed Fusion Students building on Deansgate opens for 2026/27 with roof terraces, a gym and karaoke booth included.
Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.
A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery opened in 2016, providing a permanent space to showcase the University of Salford Art Collection within the New Adelphi School of Arts and Media.
1863 offers a seven-course Lake District tasting menu that overdelivers at every turn. Cumbrian ingredients, clever ideas and classical cooking techniques.
Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.
Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.
An Ai Weiwei-inspired menu at Aviva Studios’ dining space The Social, balancing East Asian small plates with a teahouse-style atmosphere.
Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.
Marriott’s huge new Deansgate hotel pairs heritage archway with a gleaming tower, complete with sweeping views across and beyond the city.
A 5-star countryside retreat complete with spa, golf course, luxury rooms, club lounge and a Gordon Ramsay restaurant.
Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.
Free family day of live music, art and cycling activities on Chapel Street, Saturday 19 September, celebrating Salford’s new walking and cycling route.
Free entry
Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.
Free entry
Thomas moves off the screen and onto the tracks in this immersive, steam-powered family railway adventure.
From £15.95
Do you dare take a ride on the Halloween Ghost Train at the East Lancashire Railway this half term?
From £15
This world-premiere exhibition offers a hands-on journey through the Solar System, making complex science tangible, playful and participatory.
From £10.00
From Mario to Sonic and Pong to Fortnite, play your way through five decades of the best video games. Fun and educational. Win-win.
From £18.00
Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
Our latest exhibition picks include a lost recording of the Strangeways protest, Manchester's first sound art festival, and queer archives revisited.
Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.
Contemporary performance, verbatim theatre, dark comedy and a bold vision of Gaza - an eclectic mix for the start of autumn.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
