Things to Do With Kids in Newcastle: Free Museums, Animals and Days Out

The best things to do with kids in Newcastle start with the free museums: the Discovery Museum at Blandford Square, the Great North Museum: Hancock at Barras Bridge and Seven Stories, the children's books centre in the Ouseburn, all cost nothing to get in. Add Pets' Corner in Jesmond Dene for goats and peacocks, a Metro ride to Tynemouth Aquarium for the seals, or a full day at Beamish. This winter there is also ice skating at the Life Science Centre from 7 November and Disney On Ice at the Utilita Arena from 11 to 15 November. Check opening days below, because several places shut on particular weekdays or shorten their winter hours.

Discovery Museum, Blandford Square

Discovery is free with no booking, open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and weekends 11am to 4pm, closed on bank holidays. It is a good rainy day option with plenty of space to roam, and Tiny Tyneside is a dedicated play space for younger children that can also be hired for birthday parties. The museum is staying open while roof works go on at Blandford House. Lord Collingwood's Trafalgar flag is on show until 1 November, and there is a Spooky Night at the Museum event for Halloween half term.

Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge

The Hancock is free and open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm. It advertises free family activities this October half term, and in school holidays it runs relaxed early openings on Tuesdays from 9am to 10am, which are worth knowing about if your child finds crowds hard. This winter it runs The Great Festive Dinosaur Show, where the dinosaurs and exhibits come to life; that one is ticketed, and tickets are on sale now through the museum website. For a quieter visit, the museum suggests weekdays after 2.30pm or Sundays.

Seven Stories, Lime Street

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books at 30 Lime Street in the Ouseburn, is now free to enter. It usually opens 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesdays in term time. Storytimes, workshops and performances are optional extras you pay for and can book online or through the box office. Some spaces may be closed during renovations, so check before you go. Manors and Byker Metro stations are each about a 10 minute walk, and there is parking on Lime Street and under Byker Bridge.

Pets' Corner, Jesmond Dene

Pets' Corner, next to the Millfield House visitor centre in Jesmond Dene, is free with a suggested £2 donation. It is open 10.30am to 4pm every day except bank holidays, last entry 3.45pm, with goats, sheep, peacocks and rabbits. Children can look but not feed them, as the animals are on special diets. The visitor centre has a cafe and toilets, which makes it an easy morning out with a buggy.

Tynemouth Aquarium, Grand Parade

A Metro ride out to the coast, Tynemouth Aquarium has a Seal Cove with seal shows, a seal hospital, sharks and rays, plus talks and feeds through the day and the Bay and Laurel restaurant. Note that Seal Cove is closed for maintenance from Sunday 18 to Saturday 24 October with no seal shows. Up to three children aged 11 and under travel free on the Metro with a paying adult, which keeps the cost of getting there down. See our Tynemouth guide to make a day of it.

Beamish, County Durham

Beamish is a bigger day out, reachable on Go North East buses 28 and 29 from Newcastle, and a Go North East ticket gets you 25% off a standard individual admission. Admission is an Unlimited Pass, so one payment covers repeat visits for a year, which is good value if you will go back in summer. In the 1950s Town, Middleton's serves takeaway fish and chips, and the Grand Cinema screens The Polar Express on Saturday 21 November 2026. Watch the winter hours: from 2 to 20 November it is open Wednesday to Sunday only, then daily from 21 November to 31 December except 25 and 26 December. Details on the Beamish website.

Ice skating at the Life Science Centre

The ice rink at the Life Science Centre runs from 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 as part of the city's Christmas programme, and the Christmas Village in Old Eldon Square brings back its carousel and a Ferris wheel that has grown to 22 metres this year. Book skating sessions ahead for weekends and school holidays. Our Christmas in Newcastle guide has every festive date.

Disney On Ice, Utilita Arena

Disney On Ice Presents Discover The Magic is at the Utilita Arena on Arena Way from 11 to 15 November 2026. Tickets are sold through the Utilita Arena.

Good to know

For a free rainy day, pair Discovery with the Hancock and the Hatton, or Seven Stories with a walk along the Ouseburn. On Wednesdays in term time, skip Seven Stories. Most museum cafes and shops rely on visitors, so a donation goes a long way. Santa arrives early in the city centre: Christmas Comes to Eldon Square on 14 and 15 November has a free Santa meet and greet with bookable quiet sessions. For family events this week see What's On, and for more free ideas our free things to do guide.

FAQs

What can I do with kids in Newcastle for free?

The Discovery Museum, Great North Museum: Hancock and Seven Stories are all free to enter, and Pets' Corner in Jesmond Dene is free with a suggested £2 donation.

What can kids do in Newcastle on a rainy day?

Head for Discovery Museum, which has Tiny Tyneside for younger children, or the Great North Museum: Hancock. Both are free and need no booking.

When is ice skating on in Newcastle?

The ice rink at the Life Science Centre runs from 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.

When is Disney On Ice in Newcastle?

Disney On Ice Presents Discover The Magic is at the Utilita Arena from 11 to 15 November 2026.