A fascinating perspective on the contributions by the people of the Manchester area to major…read moreinnovations in science and industry throughout history. Numerous displays and examples of equipment and machinery large and small. Steam engines to electron microscopes on display, with emphasis on Manchester's relationship with the cotton industry, both good and bad. Something for everyone here, young and old. Free to enter, donations appreciated. Reservations will make sure that you don't need to wait for entry. A must-see if you are in the area.

Fantastic place for families with children! Adults can enjoy the many exhibits while young ones can…read moreenjoy the hands on displays. We liked watching the textile demonstration in the Textile area. This place has so much to see and do. And it's free! Contributions are gladly accepted to keep this fabulous museum operational.

This is a very impressive museum full of artifacts and exhibits. We loved everything about this…read moremuseum and the best part was the entrance is free! They have artifacts from Egypt, Africa, and many locations. They have quite a bit of wild animal exhibits representing the different species in the UK. They have a nice cafe to sit and rest also. They have a lift. I definitely recommend this museum. So nice and so much to see.

Imagine it is 150 years ago, and you are a rich, white English dude. You travel the world and…read moresimply help yourself to whatever catches the fancy of your magpie little brain. You plunder flora and fauna, antiquities, important cultural objects from other peoples. You compete with other rich, white dudes to create the biggest collection of the most random things someone could think of. "I have one of every butterfly on each of the inhabited continents!" "Oh yeah, my stuffed 2-toed sloth is bigger than yours!" Fast forward to the present, and the current caretakers of this hodgepodge of objects of dubious provenance are tasked with creating cohesive exhibits for the public. There are some really interesting pieces in the museum. I was able to hold a 2,000 year-old carved stone perfum vial. See the cross section of a turtle skeleton (so cool how the spines follow the inner curve of the shell), admire a stuffed porcupine. It was fascinating to think about what caught the fancy of people in the past. I would have loved to have seen more discussion of how these objects came to be, and what that tells us about classism, racism, and the history of imperialism. Be that as it may, I'm glad to see that someone's past light fingeredness is at least entertaining and educating the public today, instead of collecting dust in a storage facility somewhere.

We only visited to see the Northern Ireland exhibition. It's a very light touch. I wouldn't…read morerecommend it to anyone seriously studying our horrible history. We lived through this civil war for about 30 years. There's no sense from this exhibition that the British Army murdered 13 innocent people in Derry and it took over 50 years for a British prime minister to apologise after failed cover up and repeated denials. There's nothing about State sponsored murders. There were no CS gas canisters on display although they were routinely used and impacted many innocent folks living in their homes. The rubber bullet on display isn't the first generation I saw used - the ones I saw were far thicker and larger and I saw them fired at head height which wasn't permitted. The murderous IRA and their loyalist equivalents aren't condemned either. Northern Ireland was a hopelessly divided place from its creation over 100 years ago and I'm not convinced it's changed much for the better.

Wow, I was thoroughly impressed with this museum. It wasn't somewhere I was particularly keen to…read morevisit, but it's free and we had some time to kill in Salford Quays, so we thought we would have a quick wander around. Well, to be honest, I didn't want to leave! The museum presents a history of war from World War I until present day Afghanistan. This is done in such an informative and interactive way it will appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. I have to admit that I didn't even know how WWI started until I visited here (the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia if anyone's interested). The items they have on display are fascinating and emphasise the written words immensely well. My favourite interactive item was the mystery smells from the trenches - uumm, is that mustard gas or smelly feet?! There were models of planes, tanks and barrage balloons. There was exhibits about the role of women in WWII, there was information on the Cold war, the Falklands war, the Gulf war etc etc. It was a little depressing to watch history repeating itself over and over again but in a world full of politics, religion and greed (and oil) this is consistently going to be the result. The shape of the building is also unusual so you never really know how far around the museum you are. The building design from the outside is beautiful and contemporary but at the same time fits well into its surroundings. They usually have a special exhibition - this one was on war correspondents, but unfortunately I ran out of time to look around. There is a coffee shop and gift shop at the end, and plenty of staff available if you need to ask any questions. Best of all, the museum is free to enter, they just ask for donations and you can also buy a guidebook with all proceeds going towards the running of the museum.

We were advised to go to the museum in a bar the night before. It was a pleasantly surprising…read moreexperience. You have free entry to an excellent walk through of English history in light of worker rights and living conditions. It takes you from Peterloo to current day by exploring the impact of class distinction, the industrial revolution and onwards. Very interesting and insightful.

I'm going to do something really bad right now. I'm going to review a museum... café! Without…read morereviewing the museum itself, you see. So last Saturday I sidled in here, sheltering from the Mancunian drizzle, to get me some lunchtime eats. I was greeted by a very pleasant man who seemed to be running the show by himself, and there were countless comfy sofas and chairs and vertigo-inducingly high tables and stools dotted around. It was quiet, and that's the way I like it. The Left Bank café's incredibly sleek, as one would expect from a Couture Café enterprise (my, all Manc's museum eateries seem to be in bed with one another!). I clocked the chalkboards behind the dude in charge and saw 'vegetarian hot sandwich'. SOLD! Only then I was crushed, because as soon as I started saying it the gent told me the chef doesn't work on weekends so the options were pre-made sandwiches and soup. But this is where the place started to shine. When I heard tomato I winced, thinking, 'If this is cream of tomato, I'm outie.' Nope! Inspection of the self-service vat revealed a vegetably proper Italian soup, and since it was self-service, I totally abused my bowl. The bread was also help yourself, in a cute little box behind the soup, with options of white and granary. Very nice it was too. Combined with a very good strong coffee my lunch only cost me a little over a fiver, and I was full to the brim. I made a mental note to go back on a weekday and try more of their options. Oh, and I might have to check out the museum too. PHM, thankies for providing me with a most pleasant weekend afternoon!

THIS PLACE IS WELL WORTH A VISIT…read more Set on the canal side in an old canal boat shed-(large brick building). It is like stepping back in time when you visit the old chippy and pub. Shops and pawn brokers have been recreated with al th old goods that were on sale many years ago. A bar of soap 4d. They have also recreated a church and school room. Well worth a school trip with activities for pupils. They are even taken back to the Victorian era in the old schol room and put through the 3 Rs by a strict looking teacher. She is great at acting out the roll . Down stairs are the more industrial machinery used locally 100 years or so ago. Theres a smal cafe and sovenier shop that is resonably priced. Best thing is that its free of chrage. A great visit for old and young alike

I love taking my son to this museum. It's all absolutely free and we get to chat about boats, watch…read morethe ducks and swans and see how things were 'a long time ago'. The museum caters really well for children with lots to keep them occupied - it's very easy to spend a wet afternoon playing and learning lots. I would also recommend a coffee in the cafe there. The staff are absolutely amazing and the food evebn better!

An historical building and one that provides all sorts for the public. The hall has three rooms to…read morerent out to people, whether it be weddings, conferences or productions. They are available with first class service. I once performed here with my school for the mayor, and yes I was nervous but I kept getting lost as the place is soooo big. A map would be helpful! There is also a museum inside this gigantic building. It is the museum of the Manchester Regiment. They have many things on offer and lots of school kids go and have a wander and learn about what their grandad did etc. It is fun to go and look at all the history! The added bonus is that it is free to get in so HIGH FIVE! If you are thinking of having a wedding reception here. It is an ideal place as this building is fantastic from the outside and inside is even better. Look at the photos or take a look at the website.

The independent organisation and registered charity has a lot to offer visitors. Personally I think…read moreit is one of the best museums around and has been going for years. This museum has a lot to offer in history, It has a beautiful setting right next to the Huddersfield Canal and is part of an old Victorian Mill. This is a great place for adults and kids and stuff to take part in. The museum looks at all areas of Saddleworth such as textile industry and family names. It really is good fun learning about the past of this town. Take a look at their website for more information,

As a football ( soccer ) coach and fan, my wife and I stopped by here to check out some history. It…read morewas located in a nice area surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, pubs, and entertainment. There weren't too many people in when we visited so we had the opportunity to use the interactive exhibits (most of which were free, you just had to grab the ticket hanging on the lanyard next to the scanners to use). My wife and I had a great time and got a good work out in using the interactive exhibits such as the passing, shooting, and penalty blocker games. Great place to take the kids as they will be napping good after.

National Football Museum is the largest football museum in the UK, and even as a big football fan…read morewho follows Manchester City all over the country I was a little disappointed in general, and found that ever since the museum now charges it just doesn't offer value for money any more at £10 entry, I really do think the donations basis was better as obviously the museum does receive great funding from Manchester City Council, and for someone who works in the city centre even though I live just outside the city region, it is quite dissapointing that the free entry isn't rolled out to all Greater Manchester residents. When it was built, Urbis was one of the most recognisable and cool buildings in the city centre, being next to the Corn Exchange, Printworks and Victoria Station, but with Manchester's impressive and growing skyline that has been dwarfed slightly. They do have replica premier league and FA Cup trophies which are a nice addition considering they are some of the main domestic trophies within England, but with the current holders of both trophies being Manchester City, my club have been excellent in bringing the real trophies on a "trophy tour" at various points within the city centre such as bringing them to Selfridges nearby, or to WHSmith in Piccadilly Station and even the women's team trophies to the Manchester Arndale. They do have some interesting changing exhibits including from 1966, where football came home and England won the world cup, defeating West Germany 4-2 in the World Cup Final, but I do think they could have more information focused on more recent history. A cool museum but I'm yet to see the improvement to warrant the enterance fee, and it just left me a little disappointed. 2*

What an amazing and historic landmark! I would recommend anyone tour through the Library. The…read morearchitecture is beautiful and the rare manuscripts and artifacts they house are incredible. They are having a special display of one of Shakespeare's plays, one of the oldest New Testaments, even artifacts from King Nebuchadnezzar's palace. They will all be on display which will be quite amazing to see. This is a must see in Manchester! Truly amazing how it has stood the test of time.

Love spending time in libraries while on holiday (vacation) Stunning late-Victorian neo-Gothic…read morelibrary , John Rylands Library opened at the turn of the 20th century and is a gorgeous remnant of Manchester. Potter-heads would appreciate the look and feel inside the library is inspired the design for Hogwarts. I'm not sure if the Factory Records exhibit is still on display, but I'm a huge fan of Factory Records bands (ie. New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays etc.) and bands that came out of Manchester, the Smiths, James, Buzzcocks, The Fall to name few. It was an experience seeing original handwritten lyrics, instruments played, old punk zines, photos and badges on display.