The Best Indoor Play Areas in Newcastle City Centre
Where to take your little ones in the city for fun indoor play
Keeping little ones entertained isn’t always easy, especially when the unpredictable North East weather isn’t playing nice!
Luckily, there’s a handful of great venues in Newcastle city centre that are home to fun and fabulous indoor play areas perfect for kids and their families on rainy days… or even sunnier ones!
Play Zone @ Life Science Centre
Young imaginations are bound to run wild with a visit to Life Science Centre’s Play Zone. Designed to inspire curiosity and imaginative play in kids aged under 7, the zone takes up half of the centre’s upper floor so there’s plenty of space for little ones to run around and explore. There’s tonnes of fun to be had too with a pretend marketplace, soft play shapes and tunnels, a mini-boat to climb aboard and a selection of fancy dress costumes to try on – including astronaut costumes!
Suitable for: Under 7s
Cost: Included in admission (Adults £12.95 / Adult concession £12 / Kids aged 3 and over £9.50 / Kids 2 and under go free)
Tiny Tyneside @ Discovery Museum
Discovery Museum’s brand-new play space Tiny Tyneside is perfect for kids aged five and under and it’s completely free to attend too. Created to encourage young visitors to learn about the themes of the museum, kids can climb mini-Turbinia and mini-Mauretania ships, build a foam Tyne Bridge and ride a replica Nissan car – plus much, much more!
Suitable for: Kids 5 and under / Donations welcome
Cost: Free
Urban Rooms @ Farrell Centre
The Farrell Centre’s Urban Rooms aren’t aimed specifically at children but there’s plenty for kids, toddlers and babies to enjoy with events like Little Builders – where toddlers can explore architecture through sensory play, crafts and stories – and Virtual Builders: Minecraft Club which is perfect for pint-sized gamers. Plus, with an ever-evolving range of displays and objects, grown-ups might discover something that ignites their own curiosity too!
Suitable for: All ages
Cost: Free but event booking is required
Mouse House @ Great North Museum: Hancock
Great North Museum: Hancock’s multipurpose play space Mouse House aims to inspire curiosity in younger kids and encourage them to explore the museum’s collections through play. There are storybooks to dive into, a crawling tunnel and the chance to play dress-up alongside suggested activities to help young ‘uns explore the rest of the museum with their parents. The Mouse House also holds regular free family events like Curious Crawlers (designed for pre-walking babies) Museum Mice, offering singalongs and play for under 5s.
Suitable for: Under 5s
Cost: Free entry / Donations welcome
Playspace @ Laing Art Gallery
An art gallery might not be the first place you’d think to head for indoor play, but Laing Art Gallery is in fact home to a fantastic circus-themed play area for its youngest visitors. There’s a Big Top-shaped den for kids to explore, a sofa for them to cosy up with a book, plenty of toys to play with and costumes to dress up in – that’s bound to keep them busy for an hour or two!
Suitable for: Under 5s
Cost: Free entry / Donations welcome
With five fantastic indoor play areas to visit – and many of them offering free entry too – there’s tonnes of fun to be had for little ones and their families in Newcastle city centre. Next time you’re in the city with the kids, why not treat them to a trip to one of play areas above?
Main image: Life Science Centre's Play Zone, Photo by Bec Hughes / The House of Hues (Image courtesy of venue)
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