Tours and Activities in the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Spring yet? Yes? Please? Soon? While we all spend the next few weeks asking these questions, staring wistfully towards grey windows, we’ve assembled a selection of indoor tours and activities that will have you feeling cosy and comforted.

Kicking off with Poems and Coffee, a club for poetry-curious individuals who are keen to engage in group writing sessions. Poet Louis Glazzard facilitates a coffee fuelled (other drinks are available) creative hub where people can write, socialise and make art out of words together.

Over in Leeds you can join Leeds Central Library for a tour of the Leeds Tapestry, a large scale public artwork created to document the heritage, day to day happenings and beauty of Leeds life.

At the Portico Library, artistically curious folk are invited to explore their current exhibition Echoes: China and Hong Kong through a series of folk life drawing sessions.

Scroll down to find more top picks of tours and activities, and break away from your normal.

Our top picks

Coffee and Poems Club

Coffee and Poems Club at SEESAW, Manchester, 12 March 2025, from £8.00 - Book now

Explore poetry creation in a relaxed communal space under the expert guidance of Louis Glazzard.

Graphic promotion
Louis Glazzard

The Undoing – A Workshop for Overwhelm at Yoga Hero

The Undoing - A Workshop for Overwhelm, 9 March 2025, from £17.50 - Book now

Join Yoga Hero to press reset on your nervous system and begin to facilitate your own healing.

Yoga Hero Studio
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Folk Life Drawing: China and Hong Kong

Folk Life Drawing: China and Hong Kong at The Portico Library, Manchester, 26 March–28 May 2025, from £5.00 - Book now

Folk life drawing combines a mindful art class with the current Echoes exhibition at Portico Library.

A Poster of the event featuring pixel-art people along the bottom border
The Portico

Tapestry Tour at Leeds Central Library

Tapestry Tour at Leeds Central Library, Leeds, 19 March 2025, from £4.00 - Book now

Take a deep dive behind the expert needle work and thoughtful composition of this large scale civically celebratory public artwork.

Section of Tapestry depicting a couple eating fish and chips
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Online Course: A Man’s World with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

Online Course: A Man’s World – Kings – The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Manchester and online, 14 May 2025, from £13.00 - Book now

Interrogate the role of Men in a Man’s World from the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell and her contemporaries with Dr Sherry Ashworth.

Classic books on a shelf with 10 year branding on image
Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Poor Artists: The White Pube in Conversation with Frances Disley

Poor Artists: The White Pube in Conversation with Frances Disley at Bluecoat, Liverpool, 27 February 2025, from £5.00 - Book now

The White Pube (Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad), visit the Bluecoat to discuss their debut book Poor Artists.

Dead Ink Books
Dead Ink Books

Sound Bath Relaxation Workshop

Sound Bath Relaxation Workshop at Yoga Hero, Leeds, 28 February 2025, from £17.50 - Book now

Access a deeper level of consciousness and find true relaxation through an hour long sound bath with Lee Bloomfield. 

Sound Bath Relaxation Session
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Those Who Hold Up The Sky at Aviva Studios

BRiGHTBLACK X FUSION FACTORY present Those Who Hold Up The Sky at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 28 February–2 March 2025, free entry - Find Out More

Gaming meets live performance in this playable art installation co-created by a collective of Greater Manchester residents together with artists BRiGHTBLACK.

Those Who Hold Up the Sky
BRiGHTBLACK X FUSION FACTORY

Häppy Hour: The Nordic Council at the Lowry

The Nordic Council - Häppy Hour at Lowry, Manchester, 12 March 2025 - Book now

Join virtuosic circus trio the Nordic Council for a satirical take on Scandinavian nightlife in Häppy Hour. 

Stock image from The Lowry
Image supplied by Quay Tickets

2025 Banner Bingo at PHM

2025 Banner Bingo, Until 29 December 2025, free entry - Visit now

Explore the People’s History Museum with your banner bingo card in hand as you navigate their galleries through the lens of craftivism. 

Two young visitors looking up at a banner in a case, holding pencils and an activity sheet.
People's History Museum

Floating Art Workshops

Floating Art Workshops, Until 31 May 2026, from £24.30 - Book now

Join expert teacher Ula for relaxed painting workshops that will have you creating work you can be proud of, no matter your level of artistic experience.

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour, Until 29 June 2025, from £15.00 - Book now

The Leeds Liverpool canal has a rich history as well as an exciting future. Discover both in a Leeds Waterfront walking tour.

A docked narrowboat next to a heritage crane and surrounded by buildings and blue sky at Granary Wharf in Leeds
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Opera North Pre-Show Talk – The Flying Dutchman

Opera North Pre-Show Talk - The Flying Dutchman at Lowry, Manchester, 15 March 2025 - Book now

A pre-show talk where you get the chance to learn bit more about the opera and the production directly from the company.

Stock image from The Lowry
Image supplied by Quay Tickets

The Wild Grill Experience at Millington Hall Farm

The Wild Grill Experience - Spring Edition at Millington Hall Farm, Manchester, 11–27 April 2025, from £89.50 - Book now

The Wild Grill Experience at Millington Hall Farm is ideal for those who love meat, barbecue and learning something new.

Come and enjoy The Wild Grill Experience here at Millington Hall Farm
Millington Hall Farm

Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Craft Beer Tour Manchester at Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, Manchester, Until 31 December 2026, from £35 - Book now

Explore Manchester’s thriving artisanal brewery scene with the experts from Craft Beer Tour.

Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Image curtesy of Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Sauna and cold plunge pools at iglu sauna

Sauna and cold plunge pools at Hebden Bridge Hostel, West Yorkshire, Until 31 August 2025, from £10.00 - Book now

Award-winning sauna and cold-plunge pools experience located in the heart of Hebden Bridge, iglu brings the Scandi experience to Yorkshire. 

iglu sauna
iglu sauna

Flavours of Manchester – A Taste of Two Cities

Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities , Until 31 December 2030, from £49.00 - Book now

The culinary worlds of Manchester and Salford are both uncovered in this brand new food tour from Flavours of Manchester.

Group Day
Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities

Eat The City – Scranchester Tours

Eat The City - Scranchester Tours, Until 31 December 2027, from £60 - Book now

Join Scranchester Tours for a feast of edible culture as you rediscover Manchester’s past and present through its food.

Millington Hall Farm

Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Lane, Cheshire, WA14 3RN - Visit now

Millington Hall Farm is a one of a kind destination offering field to fork dining alongside learning experiences that will stay with you long after your visit.

Millington Hall Farm
Image courtesy of Gemma Parker

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Cumbria, Until 5 July 2025, from £0.00 - Book now

Experience the art of Abbot Hall in a hands on and creative way with their monthly Sketch and Stroll tours. 

Person sketching inspired by our Charmaine Watkiss: Legacy themed guided art tour at Abbot Hall.
Lakeland Arts

The Modernist App – architectural city tours

The Modernist App - architectural city tours, online, Until 31 December 2025, free entry - Visit now

Delve into the treasure trove of 20th Century architecture design with the expert knowledge and passionate curation of the Modernist App. 

Image of The Modernist App in use
The Modernist

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, Until 30 September 2025, free entry - Visit now

Discover 40 of the highlights and hidden gems that are available to explore every day at the Science and Industry Museum.

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Industry Museum © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

More activity events

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ActivityManchester
Coffee and Poems Club

Coffee and Poems club is a nomadic happening open to all who have the curiosity to explore poetry with no previous experience required.

from £8.00
Until
ActivityManchester
Floating Art Workshops

Join expert teacher Ula for relaxed painting workshops that will have you creating work you can be proud of, no matter your level of artistic experience.

from £24.30
Spotlight on

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Tours and Activities in the North

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Lancashire
Bed & Breakfast
Everything Retreat

A haven of luxury and serenity in the heart of the Ribble Valley, Everything Retreat is an idyllic spot for an indulgent getaway.

Curzon Sheffield
Sheffield
Cinema
Curzon Sheffield

Curzon’s Sheffield branch is a comfortable three screen cinema specialising in independent, foreign and art-house films, with the odd blockbuster thrown in for good measure.

fuse
Bradford
Event venue
Fuse Art Space

Fuse is a new and exciting venue where multidisciplinary art forms meet a full spectrum of live performance, this dynamic space is broadening the artistic minds of Bradford and beyond.

The Light Cinema - Sheffield.
Sheffield
Cinema
The Light Cinema Sheffield

Opened in 2017, The Light Cinema Sheffield is a nine-screen multiplex venue showing the latest mainstream blockbusters and independent films.

Tyneside Cinema
Newcastle
Cinema
Tyneside Cinema

In the city centre of Newcastle you can find the Tyneside Cinema. The Tyneside is one of the most loved cinemas in the North East of England, from its iconic Art Deco interior (best shown off in the Classic Screen) through to the wonderful range of world films and amazing community.

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Poet Evan Jones
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Theatre in Manchester and the North
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