What's on near Gaskell Hall
Step into the majestic Blackpool Tower Ballroom for an experience like no other. With stunning architecture, live music and treats galore, Afternoon Tea here is highly recommended.
From £60.00
The White Hotel’s Blackpool takeover places The Caretaker, Blackhaine and A Guy Called Gerald inside the town’s most iconic spaces.
From £150.00
Come face to face with SEA LIFE Blackpool’s hungriest resident. This unique experience gives you the chance to feed Phoenix the green sea turtle and learn about this endangered species.
From £75.00
An acclaimed production of one of the most influential theatre works of the 20th century plays in the round at Bolton Octagon.
From £15.00
Thomas moves off the screen and onto the tracks in this immersive, steam-powered family railway adventure.
From £15.95
Vintage Vibes returns to East Lancashire Railway this May, taking over Bury for a gleefully bonkers bank holiday weekend of music and retro pop culture.
From £19.00
Discover Rochdale’s rich history on this guided tour, featuring the newly restored Town Hall, St Chad’s Church, and the Pioneers Museum.
From £20.00
Foundational British synth-pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark play in Rochdale, with support from Peter Hook and the Light and A Certain Ratio.
From £55.00Where to go near Gaskell Hall
Famous collection of Gillow furniture and objets d’art, plus gardens and woodland walks. Educational ‘bee corner’, ‘woodland hotel’ and ‘caterpillar maze’ for children.
Carnforth Station is the famous setting of the film Brief Encounter. As you stand on Platform 1 with its vintage suitcases and railway posters, you can almost imagine the era when steam trains frequently passed through.
Independent restaurant, cafe, baker, and deli in the Lake District.
At low tide, the exposed bed of the Irish Sea connects the Lancashire coast with the Cumbrian hills across Morecambe Bay, allowing crossings over the sands.
Sister restaurant to Simon Rogan’s two Michellin starred L’Enclume – more low key but just as tasty.
Morecambe gallery which showcases and sells contemporary works, often by artists from the area, which are varied and beautiful.
One of Cumbria’s finest historical sites, Holker Hall and Garden offers a gloriously asymmetrical pile of rambling galleries and green spaces.
Opening in 2024, Morecambe bay will become a centre for eco tourism with the exciting arrival of the Eden Project North.
A beautiful Elizabethan manor house, featuring the oldest surviving example of a topiary garden – a joy to wander in.
The Westmorland County Show is a traditional county fair dating back to 1799, where tourists and shoppers mix with agricultural professionals and chefs.
Culture Guides
Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.
Our latest music picks spotlight a new underground Manchester scene gaining national attention, alongside jazz, contemporary classical and more.
Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.
Spring is here, so sign yourself up for some much-missed al fresco dining at these highly recommended (and mostly new) Manchester restaurants.
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.