Family Activities

Hello everyone!

We are considering an expat assignment to the North East (Durham/Newcastle area) and will be coming with two young sons (ages 4 and 2).  In the US, we are very active and enjoy venturing out on the weekends to find some fun experiences for the kids.  

I am trying to learn what fun things you have found to do with a young family in the UK.  I'm sure there is plenty, but I unfortunately do not know very much about the UK.  Are there any things you would recommend that should be on a "must see or do" list for a family in our situation?

Of course we will have an easier time getting to things in the North East part of the country, but are up for weekend adventures too!

-Brandon

The problem with two & 4.....will they even remember it? Probably not. I think about this all the time.

Listen, one thing, just going to the store over here the first few times is an adventure. The local library often has a lot of stuff going on. Trains are great. You may or may not pop up to Newcastle via train. All the little processes involved...the scenery floating past....ticket machines, turnstiles, and train bathrooms. Then once in the city...buses/ cabs. Snacks and food.

You may want to shell out for National Trust membership (stately old stuff and natural wonders). There are always plenty of castles and manor house about - you can hardly throw a shoe without hitting a Norman keep - usually with some smelly goats in a petting zoo. But fun and enriching.

I have found that sometimes the stuff stridently marketed towards children ends up being a let down. They have these Christmas village thingies set up sometimes.....Father Christmas' Happy Festive Wonderland. They are a bit of a running gag.....seeing which one is the biggest rip-off. It can be a bit ersatz. "German Christmas Village" is a phrase to be leery of, as is "Festive Lighting Switch on Ceremony". They can actually end being crowded, greasy chip wagon affairs. Probably in a drizzle.

British theatre, in my opinion, is top notch. Even regional things. Matinees are great. Give Pantomime a try.

Thanks for the great insight! 

We have a (nearly) 3 year old, an 21 month old and a 9 month old.

Obviously at our kids' ages, they're mostly in/out of strollers.  What sort of things do you enjoy doing in the US?

There are loads of parks around here, there's petting farms etc too.  My kids love a trip to the coast, Roker beach is nice and it's quite unique in that the park exits straight onto the sea front.  Then you've got (going North) Seaburn, Marsden, South Shields, Tynemouth etc.

There's a large outdoor museum nearby called Beamish museum which is great for a day out and it's huge, like a full village, but victorian era. 

Newcastle has some good musems, such as Hancock/Discovery, and then there's the Life Centre, Sunderland has the museum and winter gardens which are well worth a look too.

I'll try to think of other things!