10 Best Family Things to Do in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Namco Funscape is part of intu Metrocentre, one of the biggest shopping centres in Newcastle Upon Tyne.  For older kids, high-speed bumper cars are the big attraction. Arcade games, a soft play area for toddlers, and a café with kids' menu add to Namco Funscape's appeal.

If you're looking for activities designed to pump up the family's adrenaline levels, Newcastle Upon Tyne doesn't disappoint. On a fine summer day, you can have fun at outdoor adventure parks with activities such as Go Ape Matfen to challenge children and parents. Make like Tarzan on a rope swing, zoom down zip wires, and clamber between treetops at this adventure park in the countryside. The whole family can also explore the forest on Segways.

Looking for something educational to engage young minds or keep your kids happy on a rainy day? Try Discovery Museum – Newcastle-upon-Tyne's museum of science and technology. Its top attraction is Turbinia, once the fastest ship in the world. Other exhibits that kids will like include ship models and lots of hands-on, interactive displays.

The Parlour at Blagdon is a café-bar and ice cream parlour that serves child-sized portions of dishes like spaghetti Bolognese, pizzas, and sausage-and-mash. It also offers afternoon tea sets, including a gluten-free option. Best of all is its extensive list of homemade cakes – must-tries include the sticky date sponge cake and the decadent double chocolate cake.

Newcastle Upon Tyne has a long history of invention and innovation. The Life Science Centre draws on this heritage to bring the steam age and space age to life. For many families, some of the centre's biggest attraction is the 4D motion ride, planetarium, and live theatre shows on various topics. 

Beamish, the Living Museum of the North displays life-sized displays spanning the heyday of the Roman Empire up to the 19th century, when Newcastle was one of Britain's industrial powerhouses. Costumed re-enactors are on hand to entertain and explain. You can ride on an antiquated steam train or an old-fashioned electric tram at this open-air attraction. Kids can buy candy from a shopkeeper in 19th-century costume, and smaller children will love the animals at Beamish Home Farm.

Children visiting Stephenson Railway Museum may be astonished to learn that little "Billy," one of the world's oldest steam locomotives, was once cutting-edge technology. The museum has a fleet of steam engines (built between 1841 and the 1990s), and families can take rides on steam trains if weather permits.