Salford Museum & Art Gallery

Salford Museum and Art Gallery is a free museum and gallery in Peel Park, open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30am and at weekends from 11:30am. It sits in a grand Victorian building and covers everything from fine art and social history to a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions, so there is nearly always something new to see.

The undisputed highlight for families is Lark Hill Place, a lovingly recreated Victorian street with genuine original shop fronts and period objects staged inside each one. It is atmospheric and quite dark, and staff will hand you a lantern to help you take it all in properly. Alongside the street, there are several gallery spaces showing local historical paintings, contemporary art, and the Local History Library, which is brilliant if you fancy a bit of family tree research or want to browse old maps and photographs of Salford.

The museum runs a dedicated families programme including hands-on craft activities, under-fives sessions, and school holiday workshops, so it is well worth checking the events calendar before you visit. There is also a café, a shop stocked with books on local history, and accessible facilities throughout including a wheelchair-accessible entrance and toilets.

Entry is completely free, which makes it an easy choice for a family day out, and the building is large enough that you can easily fill a good few hours without feeling rushed.