Lovely museum for a good afternoon out. Very educational! Local history in a beautiful settingread more

Wonderful fascinating house plus lovely grounds to walk the dogs in…read more Yummy tea room too

This Edwardian building, which houses the Public Library also (entrance round the corner) is simply…read morestunning. And I wouldn't be surprised if many residents of Bury and the surrounding areas had never set foot in here even once. The Art Gallery and Museum has both permanent collections and a changing schedule of exhibitions plus Archives of family histories that people travel considerable distances to consult. It's all free admission of course and they even have a service which advises you on how to look after valuables, paintings and antiques, although they do not provide valuations. Go on Antiques Road Show for that. The Wrigley Collection is very impressive: Turner and Constable amongst 20th century art as well as prints and ceramics showing that you don't necessarily have to travel far to see some greats.

I know that for many people Bury sounds anything but exciting. If you live in a big city there is…read morealways a danger to start believing that all truly great things are located, planted, and happening in your vicinity. Bury is being scorned so often, it is almost hard to imagine that it is also inhabited by people. If you read this and feel for Bury, then you will be pleased to know that there is a lovely art gallery there. Admittedly, it is small. It is located in a quiet street, in an 18th c. building, and when you enter it you will be impressed by the staircase. Once you are on the staircase, however, you should be even more impressed by one of the 19th c. representations of Dante's story of Paolo and Francesca; the painting hangs just above the stairs. Venture further into the collection, and you will find one of Turner's seascapes, a selection of works by local painters, as well as a massive Chinese chimney. How good is that for a local art gallery that lies forgotten somewhere in the north of Greater Manchester? Bury Art Gallery has strong links with the MET, and 2009 has seen the gallery hosting exhibitions by contemporary artists who work to fuse words and images, as part of Text Festival. So, if you are wondering about what to do this coming weekend, take a tram to Bury and see the art gallery for yourself. You will love it.

How do you solve a problem like visiting family members and what to do in the day time? Ok so…read moreManchester has epic food and drink easily covered when it comes to evening and lunch time but do you really want to be dragged around the shops or do something as equally boring in between...? So with this in mind I planned on opening up the floor to my visiting Mum and saying we'd wander down into Stockport town centre to go to some of the (ahem, cough) many world famous tourist attractions. This might be slightly mean as Stockport has got quite a few good things to see like Robinsons Brewery, the Air-raid shelters and excellent Hat museum but on this occasion my Mum pulled a total curveball by suggesting we went to the Stockport Story museum in the Market square and specifically the Staircase house. Staircase house is an old building from the 1600's that's been totally rebuilt and showcases what life would be like for those living through the years since. One room is Tudor, one is Georgian, one World War 2 etc and it's pretty interesting if not something I'd massively rush out and buy tickets for again. You get a free audio guide and the guys who run it are pretty knowledgable and friendly so could be a good option if it's raining or you have relatives in town looking for a bit of nostalgia. My Mum was like wow, I remember your Gramps having one of these, ooh look at these etc etc You can grab a single adult ticket for £4.50 but can buy a £10.50 ticket and get access to Staircase house, Bramall Hall and the Air-Raid shelters (which lasts 12 months) - probably a good deal if you want to check out a few other cool places just down the road!

We stumbled upon this newly opened museum whilst walking back through Stockport from Vernon Park on…read moreSunday afternoon. I must admit that I wasn't really in 'museum mode' so maybe I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've done. The museum is located inside the newly renovated Staircase House building, which also houses a tourist information, shop and a separate museum (but you have to pay to go into that one so I'll save that for another day). There are five galleries spread over different floors, which tell the history of Stockport from 10,000 years ago to the present. On the floor on which you enter (the third floor!) there are displays of Iron Age pottery and such, you then progress through the Dark Ages to Medieval Stockport. My favourite was the Victorian floor, which included exhibits on Victorian toys (with a couple to play with) and a full-scale marketplace where kids could dress up and sell baskets full of fruit and veg. I quite fancied a go, but restrained myself. The museum looked and smelt brand spanking new, but I have the feeling that it won't take long for the carpet to wear away and the white walls to become adorned with grubby finger-prints. Overall, a good free insight into the history of Stockport, but for a brand new museum it could do with a few more hands on exhibits and perhaps a bit of light (all the blinds are drawn throughout).

'Chets'. Perhaps more famous for being the subject of one of ITV's huge range of reality…read moredocumentaries - don't you remember? They had a spate of them back in the day including Redcoats, Airline, something about vets and sewage cleaners and... heck, they had one for everything. Chets tended to get shunted to the graveyard slot along with Redcoats which made the two programmes essential student viewing after a few beers and a stumble round Manchester. While the aforementioned image I've offered may give the impression that Chets is an establishment of debauchery (it was certainly the case with Redcoats), nothing could be further from the truth. Visually, anyway. If you thought the Royal Northern College of Music was posh you ain't seen nothing yet. Again. Visually. Housed in one of the most stunningly beautiful buildings in Manchester adjacent to the painstakingly rebuilt ancient pubs in Exchange Square, the school is on the site of a manor house and Manchester Castle. Now comprising buildings way back from 1421 and several more (including an orphanage in 1653 and the Long Millgate building in 1978 as well as brand newies, it's a school of music with the motto 'Love to Live to Play'. Chets is open. You'd think by looking at it that you'd have to win scholarships or have parents with 'the third' at the end of their name (you being 'the fourth') to even go near the place but that's claptrap. Over 290 students attend the school between the ages of 8 and 18, and anyone can become a Chet regardless of background or financial situation. All students are entitled to government funding and all a potential student has to do is audition. The school offers essential academic qualifications alongside the principal study instrument and usually a secondary one too. (Remember, one's instrument can be one's voice.) Students can choose to board or not, so if required this can be one heck of an intense musical experience. Chets has some impressive alumni and it's definitely worth a shot if music is your life and you can't imagine yourself doing anything else. It's great preparation for university studies or life as part of an orchestra or choir, and I can safely say it's one of the most beautiful places you can go to school.

Chetham's School of Music is definitely up there with the top selling points of Manchester as a…read morecity to rival the capital. The student culture in Manchester is second to none, and the city is home to the best young talent across the disciplines, not least the youngest and most talented musical genius! Along with the Royal Northern College of Music and The Martin Harris Centre (home to The University of Manchester's musical population), Chetham's is in the top musical venues in the city. Whereas the Royal Northern College of Music and The University of Manchester deal with university age children, Chetham's is for musicians aged eight to eighteen, and it is home to nearly three hundred of them. Situated in the city centre, right next to the Manchester Wheel and the Manchester Cathedral, the setting is nothing short of idyllic. The buildings in which the school is situated are some 600 years old! And the Chetham Library (see Yelp) is a piece of architecture and local heritage not to be missed out upon! Between these aforementioned landmarks in the area is a lovely square with several of Manchester's best pubs, so this little part of the city is worth a visit for literally everyone (thats to say, if you don't like anything else, and you will, at least you'll like the pubs) If you go onto the website you can see all the upcoming events, many of which are free and some of which don't even require booking. Some of the more popular events are around the £15 mark, but still cheap for what they are. They even have lunchtime concerts. A really fantastic place to study, see live music or even walk around and have a look at the architecture. 5 stars without a shadow of a doubt!

This is one the greatest places you could venture to on a cold rain soaked day as it has real life…read moreworkable roof where any rain fall will simply bounce off and the visitor inside will never be none the wiser. Also great for students and primary schoolers who can't be bothered to go to their school and/or college and need somewhere to hide out from tutors/the fuzz. There are museum and art things in there too I've been told, so that's a bonus right there for the bored masses of society.

We visit this place fairly regularly. It's a traditional (ie not very interactive) museum but they…read moreoften have Special Events which (in our experience) have been great. A recent Dinosaur week allowed you to dig for fossils, handle dinosaur bones etc and was well-received by our two (aged 3 and 5). The aquarium in the basement is rather small, seems to be a bit dingy and, one feels, they could make a lot more of it -- but all in all, it's not a bad place to kill an hour or two if you're in the middle of town.

Not changed much since I was little, but that's part of the fun. It's now a sort of museum of…read moremuseums, with 1930s style galleries of minerals, plants and (oddly enough) fish in the mix. My personal favourites include the mummy (shown complete with x-rays as well as a sarcophagus) and the new cabinet of curiosities room where the stuffed animals used to be. Oh, and the consoles in the room with the vending machines where I spent far too long playing Sonic. And the room that is full of Stuff - I honestly have no idea of the theme of the room, it just seemed to be full of everything that had no other place to be. I loved it - everything from mummified cats to Maori tiki. If you're after an interactive extravaganza, you're in the wrong place. If you want a museum that has a great selection of artefacts and local history, and is free, you'll spend a lovely few hours among the old-school cases.

For a small town museum, there is a lot going on here. Although my children are now well-grown, we…read morestill take others children here as most Warringtonians don't visit it. Such a shame, as this has four floors of the most wonderful exhibits around. It would take a few days to see all that is on display and there are many more in storage! Particularly impressive are the Egyptian and Natural History sections. There are also a number of superb grandfather clocks dotted about the spaces and, often, examples of local artists' works. Since a few years ago, when the entrance area was completely revamped to incorporate a disabled lift, the access is excellent and the foyer is much more welcoming. All of the attendants are extremely knowledgable and will direct you to whatever you wish to see with the minimum of fuss.

An historical building and one that provides all sorts for the public. The hall has three rooms to…read morerent out to people, whether it be weddings, conferences or productions. They are available with first class service. I once performed here with my school for the mayor, and yes I was nervous but I kept getting lost as the place is soooo big. A map would be helpful! There is also a museum inside this gigantic building. It is the museum of the Manchester Regiment. They have many things on offer and lots of school kids go and have a wander and learn about what their grandad did etc. It is fun to go and look at all the history! The added bonus is that it is free to get in so HIGH FIVE! If you are thinking of having a wedding reception here. It is an ideal place as this building is fantastic from the outside and inside is even better. Look at the photos or take a look at the website.

I scorn people who whinge about Salford and claim that it's 'rough', 'scary' or 'crime-infested'…read more No more than any other city. Okay, maybe Shameless has given us a really dreadful name, but come on. Every city has its nasty parts and its good parts. I for one am a fan of Salford's university area, and one of the hotspots of that is the Museum and Art Gallery, located right in the middle of campus. I'm lucky to have lived with this historical and gorgeous building around the corner from me. Devoted to the history of Salford and Victorian architecture and art and with free admission, it houses temporary exhibition spaces as well as the LifeTimes Gallery (family friendly exhibitions about the history of Salford), the Victorian Gallery (boasting an impressive range of paintings and some spectacular marble statues), the Local History library where researchers and avid scholars alike can brush up on their Salford knowledge, and of course refreshments in the form of the Lark Hill Tea Rooms. Just stunning. Who says Salford is all stabbings outside pubs and teenage mothers. For true Mancunian culture, the end I live in is doing just nicely, thanks to places like this. Enjoy.

This is a relatively small museum and art gallery located next down to one of the Salford…read moreUniversity buildings. The place has some nice art pieces. I was not here long so only managed to check out the art gallery bit but some people commented on how the museum but was good. On the ground floor is a cafe (plus a shop). The cafe is pretty large in size with lots of seating. I can't comment on the food but a few people I was with had some cake which they liked. I just had a cup of tea.