Activities In Greater Manchester

Manchester's rain jokes write themselves, and the county's attraction list reads like a considered reply: of 248 family venues in Greater Manchester, 202 have indoor space. What is less expected is how inventive that indoor scene has become. Kids can step into virtual worlds at X-GenVR, check into The 100 Story Hotel — a storytelling attraction where £9.50 opens a building full of imaginary guests — or work through the enchanted-library puzzles of an escape game built for families rather than hen parties. Out on the streets, the city turns itself into a game board: self-guided mysteries like the Manchester Wizard's Spellbook Treasure Trail lead children past the Victorian warehouses and hidden alleys for £9.99 a trail, with sister versions themed around spies and straight treasure hunts. The 84 outdoor venues skew towards exactly this sort of thing, walking adventures over windswept playing fields. For visiting families the practical picture is generous: nearly everything central sits inside the tram network, sessions run all year, and a wet forecast changes the order of the day rather than the day itself.