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Museums & Landmarks

Science and Industry Museum

๐Ÿ“ Manchester, North West

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โ˜…4.4(21,058 Google reviews)๐Ÿ’ฐFree๐Ÿ‘ถAll ages

The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester offers free entry to interactive exhibits covering trains, textiles and engineering. Four scientific play-and-learn areas, with two free. Pram-friendly throughout.

โœ“ Free entryโœ“ Interactive exhibitsโœ“ Train enthusiastsโœ“ Manchester historyโœ“ Hands-on learningโœ“ Pram-friendly

๐Ÿ† Funzaroo Verdict

Best for families with children aged 5 and above who are curious about trains, machines and how things are made. The free entry makes it a strong option for repeat visits. Children who want purely hands-on play may need direction toward the dedicated play areas - the broader collection rewards curious, engaged kids more than restless ones.

โ„น๏ธ What to Know Before You Go

๐Ÿ’กArrive well before closing to access all attractions and weekend demonstrations
โฐTwo of the four children's play-and-learn areas are free entry
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธSpending over a set amount in the shop unlocks a cafe discount - ask at the shop
๐Ÿš—Staff may present a contactless machine for donations at entry - these are voluntary

๐Ÿ’ฌ What Families Are Saying

View all reviews โ†’
4.4
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21,058 Google reviews

5โ˜…
12,868
4โ˜…
5,071
3โ˜…
1,994
2โ˜…
638
1โ˜…
487

G Reviews from Google

L

Liliane Leite

8 months ago

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โ€œA lovely experience, mainly for kids to play and understand the origin of many things they see such as cars, airplanes and fabrics...4 different kids scientific play&learn areas, 2 of them are free entry. Too many attractions during the day, better to arrive before 4 o'clock to make it better. There is a Cafรฉ inside and many family friendly restaurantes around, on Liverpool road for instance, just the street behind the museum building. We spent a lovely time there, around 2h visit.โ€

M

Marc van Dellen

9 months ago

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โ€œThe museum is a really nice place. I was able to take many impressions of old Manchester with me. The department with the cotton and the hall with the machines is beautiful. In the hall with the machines, you immediately have this old smell in your nose. Then this arrangement of the machines. On my day Sunday Feb.08. In 2026 there was a demonstration of an old diesel generator. You could not only see how it works, but there was also an explanation. I thought it was very nice.โ€

B

Beth Murray

9 months ago

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โ€œWe had a great family visit! Perfect for a train/engineer enthusiast. Lots for children to interact and engage with. Free entry, donations accepted. If you spend over ยฃ10 in the shop you get 20% off in the cafe, wish I knew before buying lunch in the cafe! Great food and drinks though.โ€

๐Ÿ“Š Commonly mentioned in Google reviews

Based on Google review tags

Free entry

593 reviews

Textiles

266 reviews

Refurbishment

255 reviews

Interactive exhibits

249 reviews

Industrial revolution

230 reviews

Overview

The Science and Industry Museum covers Manchester's industrial heritage across multiple buildings, with historic trains, working machines and hands-on scientific learning stations. Four dedicated children's play-and-learn areas are on-site, two of which are free. The textiles hall and machine hall are standout spaces - the latter retains its original industrial smell and layout. Arrive before closing to make use of all attractions and live machinery demonstrations on weekends.

๐Ÿ• Opening Hours

Monday10:00-17:00
Tuesday10:00-17:00
Wednesday10:00-17:00
Thursday10:00-17:00
Friday10:00-17:00
Saturday10:00-17:00
Sunday10:00-17:00

๐Ÿ“ Other Museums & Landmarks in Manchester

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