Science and Industry Museum

date Idea fun activity

Summary

price fom

free

Opening times:

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:00

Reviews:

4.4 from 18,600+ users

About

Housed in a former railway station in the middle of Manchester, the Science and Industry Museum isn’t your standard “look, don’t touch” kind of place. This spot is part industrial time capsule, part hands-on science wonderland — and somehow manages to make engines, cotton mills and computing history feel genuinely cool.

You’ll find thundering machines from Manchester’s textile heyday, steam engines that still chug to life, and a gallery that’s basically a playground for your inner inventor.

The warehouse spaces are huge, raw, and full of character — the kind of place where you can stumble across a vintage plane one minute and a robot demo the next.

There’s loads for kids to mess about with (and plenty for adults to pretend they’re “just helping with”), plus ever-changing exhibitions that dabble in everything from space tech to gaming nostalgia.

It’s the sort of museum that lets you push buttons, pull levers, and properly get involved — no stiff upper lips required.

In short: it’s gritty, geeky, and packed with stories that shaped the modern world — all wrapped up in proper Mancunian style.

Directions

M3 4JP (see on map)

0.3 miles from Deansgate tram stop

Reviews

4.4 from 18,600+ users (source: Google reviews)

‘‘It's a free attraction in the city but you need to book your free tickets for the requisite timeslot. It's a good museum but frankly was a little let down for me given I'm from science background.

I mean a lot of it is fun but felt there is a lot of scope for upgrade. Most of it was a little outdated given the movements in science and technology in recent decade.

But for kids and young adults it's definitely engaging attraction with the 2nd level having some fun activities for different science phenomena.’

- Review by Sagnika Dutta

What we think:

Great fun for families and young adults, the museum is an interactive show of how science has impacted the world.

From steam engines to first computers, the museum has lots to cover, yet we would say it sort of lacks when you compare it to its London sibling.

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Location on map: