The Easter holidays are in full swing and after a week of mostly sunshine, the weather appears to have taken a turn.
But never fear as our mammoth list of Easter events features loads of indoor attractions where you can shelter from those showers.
We've pulled together all the places you can escape the rain in this handy guide.
From adventure golf and indoor Easter trails, to museums, theatre shows and even a panto, there really is something for everyone.
Read more: Things to do with the kids in the Easter holidays
Here's our full round-up of indoor family events in and around Greater Manchester...
Tatton Park
There's loads of Easter fun happening at Tatton Park over the holidays and lots of it involves the children's favourite Tiger Who Came to Tea.
As well as an outdoor trail in the spring gardens, there's also an indoor mansion trail running until April 16.
Little ones can discover what’s on Sophie’s shopping list after the tiger has eaten all the food.
Running from 12.30pm to 4.30pm, the trail will feature dressing up, hands on play, and taking your seat next to the tiger. Again there'll be chocolate for anyone taking part over Easter.
And there's lots more to enjoy too, including the chance to learn about sheepdogs in a separate trail, also running until April 16.
Event tickets can be pre-booked with admission. For more details visit the website.
Tatton Park, Knutsford, WA16 6SG.
GMP Museum
Greater Manchester Police Museum has been recognised twice by Visit England as being a 'hidden gem'.
Founded in 1981, the GMP Police Museum is itself located in a former police station and is hosting its popular open days during the school holidays.
Call in between 10.30am and 4pm on April 11 or 13 for some free family fun.
It collects and preserves relevant archive material and acts as an important resource for community engagement.
Open days focus on different units within the police force from the North West Underwater Search and Recovery Unit to the Tactical Dog Unit and the North West Ambulance Service.
GMP Museum, 57A Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1ET.
Beauty and the Beast
Easter pantos have become quite popular over recent years - oh yes they have - and the Bolton Panto returns for the holidays.
Beauty and the Beast is taking place at The Victoria Hall, with showings from April 1 to 14.
The best bit is tickets are just £5 each so it's accessible for more families.
It promises 'a laugh a minute script for all the family with glittering costumes, beautiful bright sets and toe tapping musical numbers'.
Book your tickets on the website.
The Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street, Bolton, BL1 2AS.
Putters, Urban Playground
Manchester's Urban Playground is letting kids play a free round of golf over the holidays.
The attraction is home to The Cube Live, where visitors can have a go at the hit ITV game show, but also hosts a Putters crazy golf course.
Groups of up to six can take on three different themed nine-hole challenges on the tech-infused mini golf course where on-screen animations and audio bring the holes to life and live scoreboards show each player’s points.
The brightly coloured course features circus and fairground themed holes, which anyone from the age of five can tackle.
The free golf offer is running from now until April 13, with one child free for each paying adult.
If you want to have a The Cube while you're there, the minimum age is nine and the experience lets you pit your wits in a number of extraordinary mental and physical challenges in the show's iconic perspex boxes.
To book golf, from £7.50 per person, or The Cube, costing from £69.99 for two people, visit the website. Sign up for your free golf session here.
Urban Playground, Manchester Arndale, Manchester, M4 3AQ.
National Football Museum
Little ones can make their own tiny egg versions of their favourite players at the museum this Easter.
Whether it be Lionel Meggi or Sergio Egguero, you can use the egg cup body to draw your team's football shirt, attach one of the 'replica' egg heads, then add your player's features with googly eyes, craft paper and pens.
This activity is running daily from April 1 to 16 and will be taking place in the Pitch Gallery between 11am and 1pm.
It is included with your admission ticket, adults £11, children £6, which can be booked online.
National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester, M4 3BG.
Gandeys Circus, The Trafford Centre
A circus is back at The Trafford Centre this Easter as part of the Spring Escape event.
Sandro the clown is making his European debut appearance at Gandeys Circus, which is returning to the site with a new 90-minute show Glitterati.
Circus tickets can be bought separately to the funfair without the need for an entry fee.
It's showing until April 16. Tickets, from £9.99, can be booked on the website.
The Trafford Centre, Trafford, M17 8EB.
Inflata Nation
An Easter egg hunt which challenges bouncers to find sweet treats and toy bunnies hidden amidst the giant inflatables is taking place at Inflata Nation.
Families can also take advantage of 15% off throughout the Easter break by using the code EASTERMANC when booking online.
The indoor attraction offers slides, climbing walls, giant ball pools and assault courses, with something for all ages and abilities.
It's open 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday during the holidays, and 10am to 7pm on Saturday and Sundays.
One-hour bounce sessions cost £5.99 for under-fours and £10.99 for everyone else.
Inflata Nation Manchester, Textilose Road, Trafford Park, M17 1WA.
Arcade Club Bury
You can play earlier and for longer at the Arcade Club in Bury, which has extended its opening hours for the Easter holidays.
The Ela Mill venue features hundreds of retro and modern machines over four floors and gamers have been flocking there since it opened in 2015.
There's everything from Pac-Man and Space Invaders to Donkey Kong and Sega Rally and kids can play their modern favourites like Fortnite and Rocket League.
It's opening from 11am on Thursday and Friday, April 13 and 14, closing at 11pm on the Thursday and midnight on Friday. On Easter Monday, it's opening 11am to 8pm.
The £9 entry fee is for kids aged five to 15 to play all day long. If adults want to play too it's £17 per adult, or £43 for a family.
For more information, or to book tickets, visit the website.
Arcade Club, Ela Mill, Cork Street, Bury, BL9 7BW.
Peppa Pig at Sea Life
Peppa Pig is back at Sea Life Manchester this Easter for an amazing Aquarium Adventure.
Guests will be able to meet and greet Peppa, and dive into the fun of the attraction, meeting some incredible creatures and discovering how to keep them safe in the oceans.
Follow the interactive, immersive trail, where visitors will be tasked with several activities, from spotting seahorses and crabs to counting starfish and learning how fast sharks can swim.
There will also be fun workshops where little ones can create ocean friendship bracelets and join in with other Peppa-themed crafts.
The Peppa Pig Aquarium Adventure is running from now until June 4. To book tickets, from £18.50, visit the website.
Sea Life Manchester, Trafford Palazzo, M17 8AS.
Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester
A new City of Champions event is running at Legoland over the break.
It features stunts, builds, secret trails, games and a Miniland Mega Parade.
Visitors can collect exclusive limited edition mission cards for four brand-new mini figures and meet the mini figure team Ricky Rocket Racer, Mech-Max, Go-To Gary and Fearless Fi.
There'll be all the usual fun too including Merlin’s Apprentice ride, Kingdom Quest, Mini Land and the 4D cinema.
The event runs from now until July and tickets, costing from £15, can be booked online.
Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester, Trafford Palazzo, M17 8AS.
Science and Industry Museum
A 'gaming extravaganza' is promised at the science museum this spring.
Ultimate gaming experience, Power Up is open every day throughout the holiday with five decades of games and over a hundred different consoles to enjoy.
Visitors can rediscover classic arcade favourites like Pac-Man or explore the future of gaming through virtual reality experiences. Manchester’s links to the gaming industry will also be explored, and visitors can journey through the evolution of games consoles.
Turn It Up: The power of music exhibition is also running, where families can 'play, experiment and make music together in the specially commissioned musical playground'.
General admission tickets to the museum are free but must be booked online. Tickets for Turn It Up and Power Up cost £8 for adults and £6 for children and must also be booked online.
Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Rd, Manchester, M3 4FP.
Treetop Adventure Golf
There are two 18-hole mini golf courses to enjoy at Treetop Adventure Golf inside The Printworks and if you get there early enough you can play two for the price of one.
The offer applies to anyone playing the Tropical Trail or Explorer courses between 10am and 1pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 12pm on Sunday.
You get a shot at the Bonus 19th Hole for the chance to win a free game and there's a free photo booth to snap a memory of your day to take home.
Treetop has its own cafe area with the Pizza Cabana serving up handmade pizzas.
Treetop Adventure Golf, The Printworks, Dantzic Street, Manchester, M4 2BS.
The Crystal Maze Live
There's an Easter addition to The Crystal Maze Live Experience this year in the form of a grumpy Easter Egg.
Alongside games in the Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic and Medieval Zones, guests will be able to visit the stern Easter Egg in his wonderland decked out with pastel eggs and spring blooms.
Once guests locate the Easter Egg deep within the Maze, all they must do in this brand-new game is get the sour-faced egg to crack by telling him a joke.
Anyone succeeding in their chortle challenge will be awarded with a Crystal, ready for their visit to the Crystal Dome.
The Easter event is running from now until April 16 and guests can also get up to 40% off family tickets when booking in advance on the website.
The Crystal Maze, St Johns, Lower Byrom Street, Manchester, M3 4FP.
Manchester Museum
Visit Manchester Museum which reopened in February following a huge refurbishment.
The Wild Escape is running throughout the break. Pick up your free Belonging Gallery Art Cart for the free self-led family art activity celebrating UK wildlife.
The drop-in event is available 10am to 5pm April 4 to 15, excluding April 10, and then April 22-23. Visit the website for more details.
Manchester Museum, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PL.
The Flower Bowl, Preston
Not too far from Manchester is The Flower Bowl entertainment centre, which has just has been voted Lancashire's Visitor Attraction of the Year.
The venue features the north of England’s only full-sized curling rink, a boutique cinema, mini golf course, ten pin bowling alley and so much more.
Visitors can book on whichever activities they fancy and it's advisable to book online in advance as it does get busy, especially during the school holidays, when extra sessions are running - including Mini Curling for beginners, which gives people 'a taste of the game but without any complicated rules'.
Last year, it opened a new ice cream parlour Knickerbockers which serves up delicious Italian ice creams and frothy milkshakes.
More recently it launched a new game called Shuffleboard on Ice, which is a faster version of curling played on a shorter course where players aim to slide their stones into the smallest zone.
And it's now also home to crazy pool, a golf simulator and a new VR jungle ride - where you enjoy a rather bumpy virtual reality boat ride, collecting crystals along the way.
To find out more about the place, or to book activities, visit the website.
Z-arts
There's lots of Easter fun at Z-arts this year, including a brand new multi-themed escape room created especially for families and young people.
Z:escape: The Library of Enchantment opened on April 1 and challenges visitors to solve a series of baffling clues, riddles and puzzles to unlock a succession of doors.
Children aged six plus can enjoy the adventure as part of a family group, or children as young as eight can enter the rooms without an adult, as they will be accompanied throughout by a librarian.
The escape room can be booked online, or by calling 0161 226 1912.
Z-arts, Stretford Road, Hulme, M15 5ZA.
People's History Museum
There are lots of family-friendly activities to enjoy at People's History Museum over Easter.
A sculpture called The Manchester Argonaut, which features ‘bright colours, intricate patterns, statement tattoos and fantastical accessories' is on display to inspire visitors with their own clay creations in Make Your Mark workshops on April 5 and 12.
These are the first of a series of Family Friendly workshops that will take place in every school holiday to explore PHM’s exhibitions and collections through craft led activities.
Make Your Mark is a free activity and all materials are provided. The workshop, which will be led by artist Pauline Wood, is designed to be suitable for five to 16 year olds and takes place between 1pm and 3pm on both dates. Book your place on the website.
Banner Bingo will also run throughout the holidays, where visitors can pick up a player's card from the Info Desk and head to the 2023 Banner Exhibition to find the different symbols. And there are other interactive exhibits and games to enjoy, as well as dress-up boxes and the chance to play in the historic Co-op shop or visit suffragette Hannah Mitchell’s kitchen.
People's History Museum, Left Bank, Manchester, M3 3ER.
Manchester Art Gallery
There's some Easter themed fun planned at the gallery over the holidays.
Workshops with artists in the Lion's Den take place on April 12, 14 and 15 and families can drop in between 1pm and 3.30pm.
Visit the website for more details.
Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3JL.
Elizabeth Gaskell's House
There's lots to see and do at one of Manchester’s most family friendly visitor attractions this Easter.
With the garden full of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils, it’s one of the most picturesque times to visit the home of Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell and to be inspired by the world that inspired her.
Visitors can explore the whole house, with lots of hands on and fun ways to discover how life would have been in Victorian times. This will include spending time in the Servants’ Hall where you’ll be able to make a Victorian card or Easter bonnet.
And when you’ve finished crafting you’ll find more to do with the Family Garden Trail and the indoor Cranford Cat trail. Both activities have been developed with younger visitors and their families in mind.
Having only opened last year, the first floor permanent exhibition is already a family favourite. It invites you to experience Elizabeth’s life through play thanks to an interactive dressing table, Victorian trunk of dressing up outfits and a game of Top Trumps. From April 2 this will be joined by a brand new exhibition in the temporary exhibition space called A Tale of Manchester Life – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Manchester.
Easter activities will be taking place from 11am to 4.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from April 2 to 16 (excluding Easter Sunday). Entry is £7 for adults and free for children under 16s, when accompanied by an adult. All family activities are included within the ticket price. Book online.
Elizabeth Gaskell's House, Manchester, M13 9LW.
The Lowry
If you fancy a trip to the theatre over the holidays, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, which features four timeless stories in 'one delightful show', is running from April 11 to 16 - at 11am and 1pm.
As well as the star of the show - the caterpillar of course - it will also feature the popular titles Brown Bear, Brown Bear; 10 Little Rubber Ducks and The Very Lonely Firefly.
Families are invited to 'dive into Eric Carle’s bright and colourful world as his beloved stories are transformed from page to stage using a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets and charming music'.
For tickets, from £18, book online.
The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
There's lots of Easter fun happening at the museum and gallery over the break.
Activities include crafts such as collage making and Victorian Washday and you can take a step back in time on Lark Hill Place, an atmospheric re-creation of a typical northern street during Victorian times.
On Easter weekend there will be explorer trails to enjoy too.
To book your free ticket and see the full list of events over both weeks, see the website.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU.
Ordsall Hall
There's more fun over at Ordsall Hall, which is running fun Tudor related activities and workshops over the Easter Holidays.
Activities include a Wild Escape Trail, Easter bonnet making, Meet the Maid, bug hunts and more.
For more details and to book, visit the website.
Ordsall Hall, Ordsall Lane, Salford, M5 3AN.
Trafford Palazzo
An Easter Tea Party event is running at Trafford Palazzo across the holidays.
Inspired by the famous Mad Hatters Tea Party, the 'magical spectacle' will feature various free activities until April 16.
A full schedule of the family friendly events, with the classic fairy tale Alice in Wonderland theme, can be viewed on the website.
It includes The White Rabbit’s Hat Making Masterclass, The Mad Hatters Mad Dash which will consist of a treasure hunt around Trafford Palazzo, giant chess and the classic garden game, The Queen’s Guards Cornhole.
On April 14, there will be a live DJ alongside the entertainment, as well as sweet and drinks traders.
A Mad Hatters Easter Parade on April 14 will showcase the most extravagant masterpieces from the hat making masterclass.
The Mad Hatter will parade the malls along with characters including Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts, The White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat, who will meet and greet and be available for photographs.
Trafford Palazzo, Trafford, M17 8AS.
Runway Visitor Park
The popular Runway Visitor Park Flight Academy is back this Easter.
Children aged four to 12 can learn about the runway procedure, various airport roles, board an aeroplane and more.
Sessions take place on April 12 to 14 and 30.
Tickets cost £14 for one adult and one child and can be booked online.
The park is just off the A538 at junction 6 of the M56 motorway. Use the postcode WA15 8XQ.
Imperial War Museum North
Families can get hands on with real artefacts at a chocolate-themed edition of the popular Story Seekers.
What can the humble chocolate bar teach us about the Second World War? Find out how chocolate helped power the nation and discover the strange and innovative ways people worked to satisfy their sweet tooth in times of rationing.
Story Seekers, aimed at children age seven and above, is running daily from April 1 to 16. Drop in between 10am and 4pm.
On April 11 it's also the last of the attraction's We Were There family days where you can meet IWM’s veterans and eyewitnesses of conflict to 'gain a unique insight into the impact of war on people’s lives'.
See the website for more details.
IWMN, Trafford Wharf Rd, Trafford Park, Stretford, M17 1TZ.
Bramall Hall
An interactive trail around the hall is taking place over the holidays and families can learn about Easter traditions.
Spot chicks hiding, take part in a craft activity and meet a giant version of one of this holiday's favourite characters.
The event runs from 11am to 4.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays between April 2 and 16, as well as Friday 14, and tickets, costing £3 for children and £6.50 for adults, can be booked online.
Bramall Hall, Hall Road, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 3NX.
Merseyway
The last of the shopping centre's three days of free, family-friendly activities takes place on Wednesday, April 12.
There'll be a craft session where little ones can create a beautiful blossom tree to take home.
Easter activities will take place in the undercover mall outside Specsavers from 11am to 3pm and are free to attend.
Merseyway Shopping Centre, Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1PD.
East Lancs Railway
There are all kinds of events running at the railway this Easter.
Events include The Wizarding Adventure on April 13 - an interactive experience which will see you 'take lessons in the basics of broomsticks, practice your potions, receive instruction in incantation and learn to talk like a tawny owl'.
Your adventure includes a steam train ride from Bury to Rawtenstall and back, a roughly two-hour wizard experience with the madcap magicians, wizard themed activities and plenty of photo opportunities. Book online.
East Lancashire Railway, Bolton Street Station, Bury, BL9 0EY.
Portland Basin Museum
The museum is a popular attraction for families and it's free to enter.
You can step back in time on the 1920s street, as the sights and sounds of bygone Tameside are brought to life. Take a look in the kitchen and parlour to find out how people used to live.
For more details of events, visit the website.
Portland Basin Museum, Portland Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 0QA.
Imagine That!
There's lots to enjoy at the kids' science and discovery centre Imagine That! over the holidays.
Families can make science and space part of their Easter fun at the Liverpool attraction.
Science buskers will be out and about in the Bright Sparks science area with some 'fantastic experiments' and young visitors can paint magnets and make space-themed crafts in the Artbeatz area.
There’ll be egg hunts and Easter bingo, as well as all the usual fun across four zones, with a real car to paint, role play in the Imagination Village, and huge vats of gooey slime in the Slime Factory.
Easter activities run daily until April 16. Tickets, £15.95 per child, £12.95 for children under three, and £7.95 per adult, must be booked online. Babies under one go free with a paying sibling.
Imagine That!, Faraday Road, Wavertree Technology Park, Liverpool, L13 1EH.
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