Things to do during the school summer holidays 2021 in Manchester

The summer holidays are a conflicted period for parents and carers: a restorative break for kids and a great opportunity for their extra-curricular growth, the annual break in the school year equally risks being expensive and exhausting for those looking after children. Above all, these weeks off can be a lot of work to plan – which is where we can help out. We may not be able to babysit, but this roundup includes venues that are free to visit, adventurous activities, cryptic challenges and outdoor distractions for screen-obsessed kids.

Let’s start with a new addition to Manchester’s cultural landscape (quite literally): RHS Garden Bridgewater (ticket booking required) first opens on 18 May 2021 on the former site of Worsley New Hall in Salford. This incredible visitor attraction includes a wild adventure space for children across several zoned woodland glades, featuring a hide-and-seek trail through the rhododendrons and a low ropes course among the sycamores. Elsewhere, there’s a welcome building, diverse gardens, two cafes and a garden centre stocked with plants, gifts and homewares.

Another fantastic outdoor attraction is Chester Zoo, award-winning for its conservation work and home to over 21,000 exotic and endangered animals across 125 acres. Here you’ll find adventure play areas, tours and hands-on experiences, as well as an organisation that puts education at the heart of its efforts. Available closer to home is Didsbury Bicycle Hire, an opportunity for older kids to get out and about on some extremely cool retro bicycles, with recommended outings including a picnic in Didsbury’s Marie Louise Gardens or a route through woodland trails in Chorlton. Or to explore north of Manchester, take a ride on the East Lancashire Railway which steams between Bury and Ramsbottom.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t also suggest some adventures suitable for bad weather: despite what its name might suggest, Treetop Adventure Golf is perfect in this regard. Here, there are two 18-hole mini golf courses set in an indoor rainforest at The Printworks with food and drink available from The Market at the end. Breakout Manchester is one alternative for older kids: there are clues to find, codes to crack and puzzles to solve in differently-themed live escape rooms at two locations in the city centre. Equally, should the weather turn out to be too good, there’s Chill Factore, a £31m real snow centre at a cool, guaranteed minus four degrees.

Last but not least are Manchester’s incredible museums. The National Football Museum reopens on 27 May with a new exhibition, English Hall of Fame, as well as all floors and the museum shop accessible to visitors again. Manchester Jewish Museum has undergone a multi-million pound transformation with a new gallery, shop and café complimenting the restoration of the historic 1874 synagogue. A fascinating visit in its own right, and an important part of the city’s heritage, the museum will be launching with an MIF co-commissioned installation. The Science and Industry Museum has also undergone significant changes, with a multi-million pound restoration project still underway; open from 19 May will be the museum’s new Special Exhibitions Gallery, as well as Top Secret: From Cyphers to Cyber Security, which delves into the incredible world of communications intelligence. With reports from GCHQ staff, this is set to be a sure-fire hit with any young espionage enthusiasts.