The Northeast
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Northeast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Alnwick Garden
A marvelous flight of fancy, Alnwick Garden celebrated its 20-year anniversary at the turn of this decade and remains one of the area's most beautiful, unusual, and kid-friendly attractions. Alongside traditional features like perfectly manicured lawns, shaded woodland walks, and a charming rose garden are more unusual elements like the enormous Grand Cascade water feature, a Poison Garden with everything from hemlock to cannabis, and a labyrinth of towering bamboo. The grounds are also home to the largest "Tai-haku" cherry orchard in the world, as well as a recently spruced-up shop and a number of excellent dining and drinking options, including one of the area's most unique restaurants, the Treehouse. If you want to take a little of the garden home with you, you can buy clippings of the unique varieties of roses in the shop.
Denwick La., Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1YU, England01665-511350Sight Details
Rate Includes: £14.50, Closed Jan. and Tues. and Wed. in Nov.–Mar. -
2. Beamish, the Living Museum of the North
Situated nine miles northwest of Durham, this impressive "living museum"—a sprawling complex made up of heritage buildings found on-site or moved from elsewhere in the region—offers real insight into the way people in the Northeast lived and worked from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. A vintage bus and a streetcar take you around the site to various points of interest, including a farm estate; a pit village and colliery; and an entire 1920s town complete with a bank, convenience store, and Masonic hall. Everything is staffed by workers in period costumes, and you can buy era-appropriate food and drinks in the pub, bakery, and "sweet shop" (candy store). As well as the permanent exhibits, there are special events year-round, from weekend-long festivals, where you're encouraged to come in old-style fancy dress, to traditional English celebrations such as May Day and Harvest Festival. You can spend at least half a day here, and tickets are valid for a whole year in case you want to return.
Off A693, Beamish, Durham, DH9 ORG, England0191-370–4000Sight Details
Rate Includes: £19.50, Some areas closed weekdays in winter -
3. Cragside
The turrets and towers of Tudor-style Cragside, a Victorian country house, look out over the edge of a forested hillside. It was built between 1864 and 1895 by Lord Armstrong, an early electrical engineer and inventor, and designed by Richard Norman Shaw, a well-regarded architect. Among Armstrong's contemporaries, Cragside was called "the palace of a modern magician" because it contained so many of his inventions. This was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity; the grounds also hold an energy center with restored mid-Victorian machinery. There are Pre-Raphaelite paintings and an elaborate mock-Renaissance marble chimneypiece. The grounds are as impressive as the house; they cover around 1,000 acres and include an enormous sandstone rock garden, a picture-perfect iron bridge, and 14 different waymarked paths and trails, which bloom with rhododendrons in June. There's also a children's adventure playground. If you come by car, don't miss the six-mile Carriage Drive around the estate. There are some lovely viewpoints and picnic spots along the way, like the gorgeous Nelly's Moss lake. To get here, take the B6341 southwest of Alnwick for about 10.5 miles. Paths around the grounds are steep, and distances can be long, so wear comfortable shoes.
Off B6341, Rothbury, Northumberland, NE65 7PX, England01669-620333Sight Details
Rate Includes: Grounds and house £21; grounds only £13, in winter £7.50 -
4. Head of Steam
A family-friendly museum in nearby Darlington tells the story of the early days of rail travel. The town gained fame in 1825, when George Stephenson piloted his steam-powered Locomotion No. 1 along newly laid tracks the few miles to nearby Stockton, thus kick-starting the railway age. Set in an abandoned 1842 train station, the museum has interactive exhibits and big steam trains that are great for kids; antique engines and scale models help bring history to life. There's also a café and children's activity room. The museum is 12 miles southeast of Bishop Auckland, just off the A68. There are also regular train connections; get off at Darlington's North Road station.
Station Rd., Darlington, Darlington, DL3 6ST, England01325-405060Sight Details
Rate Includes: £4.95, Closed Mon. year-round and Tues. in winter -
5. Alnwick Castle
Sometimes called the "Windsor of the North," the imposing Alnwick Castle will likely provoke cries of "Hogwarts!" from younger visitors as it comes into view over the hill; the grounds appear as the exterior of the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter movies. Older visitors might also recognize it as Brancaster Castle from the TV series Downton Abbey. In reality, the castle is the ancestral home to the dukes of Northumberland, whose family, the Percys, dominated in the Northeast for centuries. While the exterior is all imposing turrets and towers, the Italianate interiors are lavish and stately. Family photos and other knickknacks scattered around the state rooms are a subtle but pointed reminder that this is a family home, rather than a museum. Highlights include the extraordinary gun room, lined with hundreds of antique pistols arranged in swirling patterns; the formal dining room, its table set as if guests are due at any minute; and the magnificent galleried library, containing 14,000 books in floor-to-ceiling cases. There's plenty here for kids, too. Join a free film tour to hear fascinating anecdotes from the filming of the first two Harry Potter films (as well as Transformers: The Last Knight, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and many more). There are also Potter–themed events on certain dates, including broomstick lessons on the exact spot used in the movie (check the website for the schedule). Elsewhere, Dragon Quest is a labyrinth designed to teach a bit of medieval history; there's have-a-go archery (weather permitting); and there are regular special events, from alchemy and wand-making to bird of prey displays and longbow demonstrations. For the best views of the castle's dramatic exterior, follow the 20-minute Capability Brown Walk along the River Aln. Tickets are valid for one year, so you can come back if you don't see everything in a day. Keep in mind that many castle events are canceled in inclement weather (which isn't uncommon).
View Tours and ActivitiesOff B6431, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1NQ, England01665-511100Sight Details
Rate Includes: £19.50, Closed Nov.–Mar. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Discovery Museum
Reconstructed streets and homes lead you from Roman times to the present day in this engaging museum. Kids will like its interactive approach to teaching Newcastle's history, including themed trails on subjects from pioneering Tyneside women to climate change—these are self-guided, with PDFs available on the website. Meanwhile, history buffs will be most thrilled by galleries showing off the town's maritime and industrial achievements, including the Turbinia. Built in 1894, it was once the fastest ship in the world and the first to be powered by steam turbines.
Blandford Sq., Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JA, England0191-232–6789Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free (donations welcome) -
7. Life Science Centre
Bringing science to life with hundreds of kid-oriented exhibits divided into themed "zones" that highlight everything from research on genes to travel to Mars, this is one of Newcastle's best family attractions. Highlights include the "Space Zone," which shows how space technology is now a part of people's everyday lives, and the extra-interactive "Experiment Zone," which is full of hands-on scientific gizmos and fun experiments that make science learning feel more like a trip to the playground. There's also a giant 3-D replica of the earth with detailed NASA imagery, a regular 360-degree alien-hunting planetarium show, and a whole host of seasonal events and activities, as well as an ice-skating rink in winter. Visiting as a family? Opt for a family ticket, from £22.50 for one adult and one child to £47.50 for two adults and three children.
Times Sq., Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4EP, England0191-243–8210Sight Details
Rate Includes: £18 -
8. Old Gaol
England's oldest purpose-built prison, dating from 1330, Hexham's Old Gaol houses fascinating exhibits about the history of the borderlands, including tales of the terrifying "reivers" and their bloodthirsty raids into Northumberland from Scotland during the 16th and 17th centuries. Photographs, weapons, and a reconstructed house interior give a full account of what the region was like in medieval times. A glass elevator takes you up and down four floors, including to the dungeon.
Hallgate, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 1XD, England01670-624523Sight Details
Rate Includes: £5, Closed Nov.–Mar., Mon. and Tues. -
9. Roman Army Museum
At the garrison fort of Carvoran, this museum makes an excellent introduction to Hadrian's Wall. Full-size models and excavations bring this remote outpost of the empire to life, with a host of historic artifacts including authentic Roman graffiti adorning the walls of an excavated barracks. There's also a flashy 3-D film that puts it all into historical context. Opposite the museum, at Walltown Crags on the Pennine Way (one of Britain's long-distance national hiking trails), are 400 yards of the best-preserved section of the wall. The museum is one mile northeast of Greenhead.
Off B6318, Greenhead, Northumberland, CA8 7JB, England01697-747485Sight Details
Rate Includes: £8; £14 combined with Vindolanda
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