5 Free Things to do with Kids in Liverpool

We don’t live too far from Liverpool, only across the water in fact, but I would really recommend it as a city to visit for the weekend if you’re visiting the UK, or live in the UK and are thinking of somewhere different to visit for the weekend.  There is the Albert Dock, some great parks, fantastic museums (including a Beatles one!) and some brilliant places to eat and drink. You can book some great Liverpool hotels through Expedia and I love that it has the facility  to compare hotel prices and reviews, so whether your drive to book is based on location, price or quality, there really is something for everyone.

If you’re travelling to Liverpool with kids there is also some fantastic FREE things to do with them. Here are five of my favourites:

1 Museum of Liverpool

Down on the docks, this Museum only opened in 2011 and is open daily 10-5.  There are exhibitions a plenty and for kids usually a craft afternoon or two in addition to the hands on exhibits, trails round the museum and  dedicated area Little Liverpool which is a hands-on gallery specially for visitors under the age of six.

2 World Museum

Again open daily 10-5.  A much older museum but definitely one of my children’s favourites.  There is an aquarium, a planetarium, a bug house, dinosaurs. There is an area to eat your picnics in (saving you more money) or a lovely cafe on the ground floor.  There are microscopes and skeletons (they can play with) and a Discovery Centre where you can touch things from all round the world.  It’s a great museum and we always find something new to see.

3 Big Art, Walker Art Gallery

Walker Art Gallery has a whole section just for kids. Big Art. It’s a fantastic room with books, dressing up clothes, games, sensory activities and of course the opportunity to get involved in some art.  Throughout the year they run activities in here on different days for pre-schoolers but at the weekend it’s just a free for all. My three can spend a good couple of hours here.  You can even get dressed up in fancy dress and then find yourself in one of the pictures in the ‘adult’ gallery.

4 Liverpool City Library

Liverpool City Library has been the subject of a £55 million refurbishment.   The building itself is worth a look (well if you like that sort of thing) but the children’s section is huge and great fun. The curved flat ramps that feed into the circular area designed for pushchairs and wheelchairs no doubt are also (ahem) great for toddlers to run up and down.  I’m not saying we particularly encourage this, but it certainly doesn’t feel like an area you have to be shhhhh in.  There are bean bags for lounging in, tables and chairs for the more studios and of course thousands of children’s books for 1 yr olds to teens.

5 Albert Dock

The old weather map from Granada News is long gone, but there are pirate ships and boats to look at.  Liverpool is a city in which to wander.  You can wander around the dock, have a picnic, have ice cream on the grass and then our girls will often entertain themselves for what feels like hours on the river front. Dancing and performing shows for us on a makeshift stage.

NB: This post has been created collaboratively.