Tours and Activities in Manchester and the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Last Updated 5 February 2021

February is when the new year really starts. We begin to see glimpses of spring weather and it’s the perfect time to find new things to inspire us, get creative or expand our worlds, without leaving the house. In this month’s guide of tours and activities, we have a collection of online activities that will keep your hands and minds busy.

For those who are dearly missing their local, Craft Beer Tour Manchester have teamed up with local breweries to give you an artisanal beer based experience, which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. Explore choice beverages from one of Manchester’s many excellent independent breweries, whilst you hear about the brewing process and each drink from the people who make them.

The People’s History Museum, have been curating fascinating conversations, artistic explorations and discussions in their Radical Lates series. Their up coming event responding to the Tape letters project, looks set to be another fascinating evening. Through immersive 3D sound deep listening videos we will be given a glimpse of the experiences of those who migrated to the UK in the 1960s-80s from Pakistan.

As we apporach the year of the Ox, CFCCA are hosting an online lantern making workshop. You can have a go at making three different Chinese lanterns from everyday household materials. The workshop will be online for most of February, but with Chinese New Year just around the corner, there’s no time to waste getting stuck into this crafty activity. If, rather than loving arts and crafts, you are more musically inclined, check out the Jewish Museum’s songwriting group. Through a collective delve into the archive, the group write musical responses to the Museum’s collection.

Scroll down to find out more, alongside some other tops picks of tours and activities, and stay well folks.

Here are our picks

1. Virtual Craft Beer Tasting, with Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Virtual Craft Beer Tasting, with Craft Beer Tour Manchester, online, Until 19 March 2021, from £30 - Book now

Experience the breadth of creativity in Manchesters beer scene from your sofa, with craft beer tasting from Craft Beer Tour Manchester.

Read more
2. Tape Letters: hidden stories of migration, Radical Late

Modus Arts

Radical Late: Tape Letters: hidden stories of migration, online, 8 April 2021 - Book now

Tape Letters is an evening of deep listening and sharing. Using tapes from the Modus Arts Tape Letters project deep listening films have been created around the experiences of Pakistani immigrants who moved to the UK in the mid 20th Century.

Read more
3. Song-Writing Group with Manchester Jewish Museum

Manchester Jewish Museum

Museum Song-Writing Group, online, Until 18 March 2021, free entry - Visit now

Composers Michael Betteridge and Joe Steele lead a musical exploration into the archives, with new songs written by this eclectic group every fortnight.

Read more
4. Life Drawing Manchester Online Classes

Life Drawing Manchester, online, Until 25 April 2021, from £6 - Book now

The popular Northern Quarter community, Life Drawing Manchester, have migrated to Zoom, opening up their classes to models and artists from all over the world.

Read more
5. Half an Hour of Calm with Mindful Manchester

Bridget Fitzpatrick

Half and Hour of Calm with Mindful Manchester, online, Until 31 March 2021, from £5 - Book now

Join Breathworks teacher Bridget Fitzpatrick on a Wednesday morning or evening for half an hour of calm, where you can focus on just being rather than doing.

Read more
6. Online Meditation with the Manchester Buddhist Centre

Vidyapala Whitehead

Meditation at the Manchester Buddhist Centre, Until 30 April 2021, from £5 - Book now

As we learn to live with uncertainty, now is a better time than ever to explore meditation. Let the friendly community at Manchester Buddhist Centre help you on this journey.

Read more
7. Goodtime Games

Goodtime Games

Goodtime Games, 212 Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2LW - Visit now

Goodtime Games is the latest arrival to Burton Road. Serving up delicious vegan and vegetarian food alongside a plethora of table top fun.

Read more
8. Alliance Française de Manchester

Alliance Française de Manchester, 125 Portland St,, Manchester, M1 4QD - Visit now

Le français, c’est chic! The Alliance Française de Manchester has a large range of online and onsite French courses starting 14 September.

Read more

Activity Until 31 March 2021, FREE

Fabric of the North: Gift Directory

Fabric of the North is a blog with an excellent gift directory. They champion independents maker from across the North who are creating beautiful and ethical work.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, FREE

Blackburn Open Walls

Over 3 years, forgotten walls of Blackburn were brought to life with the creation of a vibrant outdoor gallery, by international, national and local artists, who together over 2 weeks, created a collection of large scale murals and art walk trails for the residents and visitors of Blackburn to enjoy.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £18

Pendle Hill Witch Experience Tours

Group tours of Lancashire in the area surrounding Pendle Hill. Through visiting the countryside and villages of Pendle, visitors learn all about the dark deeds and wicked plots surrounding the Pendle Witches in the 1600s.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £80

Discover Buxton Tram Tours

Enjoy a journey through time on Discover Buxton Tour’s unique vintage tram.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £15

Discover Buxton Character Tours

These colourful character guides offer unique and entertaining insights into the history of some of Buxton’s most iconic buildings.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £10

Discover Buxton Walking Tours

Have your history delivered by expert guides whose passion for the heritage of Buxton spills into the unexpected.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £15

Discover Buxton Roman Tours

Join local historian Brian Shepherd for a walk around the town and learn what Buxton may have looked like during Britain’s Roman occupation.

Activity Until 31 December 2021, from £10

Discover Buxton Audio Tours

Discover Buxton’s audio tours of The Peak cover the area around Buxton and are designed to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own vehicle.

Activity Until 28 March 2021, FREE

Winter Scavenger Hunt

Tatton Park’s Winter Scavenger Hunt is an excellent activity for kids and their grown ups to explore nature in the stunning swathes of Cheshire parkland.

Culture Guides

Cinema in Manchester and the North

Online film festivals, brand new streaming film and a Titanic watch-a-long feature in our latest cinema guide.

Exhibitions

From the most prestigious painting prize in the UK to a cinematic experience with an original live score, check out this month’s picks.

Families

Need some inspiration for online activities and creative family fun? Look no further than our top picks online for families across Manchester and the North.

Literature

Online open mics and full-on festivals, virtual book launches and digital reading series… there’s no getting bored when you log on to Live Literature Land this March.