July 6, 2024 Love…read morelove love The Biscuit Factory! Located in an old biscuit (cookie) factory, this beautiful old building displays contemporary art over several floors. Wide, open staircases carry you to each floor where your eyes take in the tastefully planned displays. Little benches here and there invite you to sit and soak in all the art. All the artwork is for sale. The best part for us - we enjoyed Afternoon Tea in the Biscuit Factory Cafe. We were able to choose from their regular offerings, vegetarian or vegan. Our delicious food included mini quiches, mini sandwiches, avocado toast, lemon blueberry cake, brownie bites and cherry scones with Chantilly cream. I know how much my partner loves me when when he gave me his little pot of that incredible cream! Free admission to the gallery. Really nice gift shop. Beautiful art!

It was not what I had expected going in, but I was pleasantly surprised! The Biscuit Factory is set…read moreup like an art gallery where all the pieces are for purchase. On the outside, it looks rather small but once you are inside, the rooms actually extend really far back and it is a lot bigger than you'd expect on both floors. One of my favorite things about this gallery is that most (if not all?) pieces here are made by local artists and a lot of the pieces they had were all tied to a Newcastle theme which is one of the reasons why I am very drawn to this gallery! The Biscuit Factory features so many unique pieces that you just aren't able to see in any musem or gallery.

I love the exterior of this building but the interior is a major disappointment with 5 floors of…read morenothing, a total waste of space. This is supposed to be a building to house contemporary art but the art was very minimal and nothing that excited or inspired or touched me in any way. The only good thing I can say about this gallery is the roof top terrace gives a fabulous view of the bridges and the shop has some cool things but apart from that, it left me uninspired and disappointed.

I came across it by accident. It was a very foggy Saturday morning in Newcastle and my head was…read morebegging for a cup of coffee. First I spotted the cafe, then the bookstore, which was a treasure trove of sorts, then I noticed the label Free Entry and I was already walking towards the reception desk. The receptionist met me with a very warm smile eager to welcome me and tell me about the exhibitions - from all five floors, only two were open. The ground floor contained an installation by Jordan Baseman and the second floor had a pharmacy exhibit by Damien Hirst. Baseman's work consisted of three audio/video clips with disturbing stories of people being sexually harressed or somehow psychologically damaged or scarred. The second exhibition was a bit disappointing: in a very small room the whole arrangement was that of a pharmacy store with the counter installed in too. Only after reading the brochure I realized the artist's idea behind it, which I found a bit fa-fetched and untruthful. I spent almost an hour inside because of the shop and the cafe which treated me with a great service: I bought a melting chocolate flapjack and a hot cup of espresso. For such a lovely architectural design, I though it was a bit of a shame that they do not to use the whole space for art, I am sure there is a lot of interesting art that could be and should be made available to the public.

Great day out packed full of interesting things to see. I've been coming here since I was a kid,…read moreand always enjoy a visit, learning something new about the local history each time. With free entry, and in town, it's definitely worth including it in your day travels.

Another nice and interesting museum in Newcastle, definitely a city of cultural delights. The…read moreDiscovery Museum mostly focuses on telling the story of the city and of the Northeast in general. It goes through the good times and the bad times in the city, including the coal mining boom, the poverty, the World Wars, the politics, everything is covered. There are real life examples- interviews with real Newcastle people over the years, and plenty of interesting memorabilia as well. It's a very cool place. There are also sections devoted to science and technology, and the discoveries made by people from the area. There is a good café with excellent prices, and a nice little shop too. A big advantage of this museum for families is that the exhibits are quite interactive, and should keep children interested as well. Best of all, it's all free. However, if you can, please do donate to keep important institutions like this one accessible to all.

A real ale bar, this place has had a great refurbish in recent years and really brought the pub…read moreback to how it should be. A friendly atmosphere and great staff make this place an excellent place to have a drink in Sunderland.

Brilliant place, beers are excellent and the atmosphere is spot on. Massive selection of real ales,…read morethe only place to rival Fitzys in town for your hard earned coin. staff are friendly, the bar is clean, bright and always well staffed. There is a terrace drinking area if you fancy a bit of fresh air with your pint, and whilst the view isn't the greatest the terrace itself is a nice spot to chill. have yet to find anything bad about the place, although I have only been here three times tbh!

Lovely people, great shop. It's an Aladdins cave packed with all sorts of interesting art & craft…read morestuff. They do classes as well. My neighbours daughter had her birthday party there las year and really enjoyed it because it was so different from her friends.

This is a funny little place for bag pipe lovers only It is…read morein the medival chantry in morpeth best place to park is just opposite that little car park next to the church and bridge What can I say more on Northumbrian pipes than I ever needed to know, now I know someone who plays these instrucments and Im sure she loves the place Its quite clever with the headphonese that change the music depending on where you are I think everything was saved in the recent floods but best call before you go as I am not sure if there are open yet

Above the tourist information centre, you could almost miss this little museum, but don't. Free to…read moreenter, even if you are not musically inclined or hate the sound of bagpipes, it has some interesting displays and information, so worth a quick look. Don't go out of your way especially to visit, though, unless you are a bagpipe fanatic. If you are there go, if you need to detour to get there, think twice - but it will pass some time on a wet day.

My personal favourite place to buy meat, veggies and bread…read more Big barn type market in the centre of Newcastle. Numerous stalls that offer all types of different services. Numerous award winning butchers that offer prime cuts of meat, fantastic mince and healthy plump chickens and eggs! Wonderful bakery that makes the best breads and pastry I have tried. Wonderful vegetables and fruit stands where you get can a serious deal on great vegetables. Cheapest and most authentic pick and mix selection I have ever seen Fish monger, show repair, tea shop, cafes, clothing and boot sale, cd shops, home repair, clothing alterations ... Even a room with a scale in it! Grainger Market is magical. A must see, I consider the market a tourist attraction because of how traditional it is. The people in the booths all seem very authentic and very helpful.

It took me far too long to actually go to Grainger market. I love places with lots of little…read moreindividual businesses. I was used to markets being places with cheap tat and someone with a thick Black Country accent yelling from a van about sausages, and it's just definitely not like that here. There are still veggies, butchers (and decent cheeses to boot), but there are some seriously talented craftspeople too. It's good for a look around even if you don't feel like buying anyth8ng, odds are you probably will end up doing so.

We visited the Beamish Museum 7 years ago and came back for the second time. It is a great living…read morehistory museum. We visited this time specifically the 1900's and 1950's villages. Most houses and shops are accessible with people in period outfits providing explanations. Of course, we also bought stuff in the vintage shops. Getting around happened on the great vintage bus and tram service. Altogether, a great day out. Note: tickets are not cheap, but valid for a year. Do book online to avoid the queue.

Wow! I visited from Edinburgh and had the best time! Beamish museum is such a magical place, like…read morebeing on a movie set with people all in traditional clothing walking around, working in the 1900's chemist where you can buy soaps, lip salve, and other things, the confectionery shop and bakery for pies and cakes and sweets, sit in the sun inn pub for a pint, ride on the many trams for free as the conductor yells 'hold tight' as you travel very slowly around the town, jumping on and off at various tram stops eg: 1900's town, Rowley station, 1900's pitt village, 1940's farm, 1950's town and farm where you can go into an air raid shelter and visit the homes and some of the residents. There is also the 1820's colliery, Pockerley waggonway, old hall and the transport depot all to explore. It is such an experience and I found myself grinning from ear to ear the full 6 hours I was there. Everyone keeps in character that at one point when i was visiting the community hall the lady was sweeping the floors talking about cleaning up after entertaining children and I couldn't tell if she was playing a character or if it was real as there were schools of children visiting that day but thats how it is, its a full immersive experience and I honestly loved it!