Rainy day ideas

Indoor activities

Find indoor activities for half term holidays, bank holiday weekends, seaside escapes and city breaks. Take your pick from indoor attractions and such as free museums and other indoor attractions such as aquariums and galleries, or if you’re feeling braver, there are climbing centres, underground caverns and cycle velodromes. You can tour television studios and explore living history heritage attractions, or even whet your whistle on a brewery tour. Whatever you fancy doing, England is packed with indoor activities and things to do on a rainy day.

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Get on board at the National Railway Museum

The world's largest railway museum is home to a staggering collection of restored locomotives, including the fastest steam engine of all time.

Location: York, North Yorkshire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Step back in time at York Castle Museum

Travel back in time on a rainy day at this trend-setting museum, which transports visitors back through 300 years of history.

Location: York, North Yorkshire

 
Little girl inside astronaut costume at the National Space Centre

Blast off to the National Space Centre

From astronauts to rocket towers, satellites and meteorites, there is plenty of space to explore at this fun, family-friendly attraction.

Location: Leicester, Leicestershire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Explore history at Winchester’s Military Museums

Broaden your knowledge of the British Army and the various battles fought throughout history at Winchester’s six Military Museums.

Location: Winchester, Hampshire

 

Travel back in time at Milestones Museum

A trip to Milestones in Basingstoke brings the past to life. The museum is home to over 20,000 objects that were either made or used in Hampshire, and is a record of the county's social, industrial and transport history.

Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Visit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford

All the great civilizations of the world are represented in the Ashmolean Museum’s collections; escape the rain for a whole day, or pop in for five minutes for a quick browse.

Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Sunderland Museum

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a great place for the whole family to spend the day – and it’s free.

Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear

 
A family watching chocolate being made at Cadbury World, Birmingham.

Go chocolate crazy at Cadbury World

A must-visit destination for chocoholics of all ages, Cadbury World in Bourneville near Birmingham is full of fun indoor activities and things to do when it rains.

Location: Birmingham, West Midlands

 

Rainy Day Activities: Discover tropical fish at SEA LIFE Brighton

Take a deep breath and see if you can walk through the world’s largest under-sea glass tunnel at SEA LIFE Brighton.

Location: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex

 

Rainy Day Activities: Explore Earth and space at Liverpool’s World Museum

Need ideas on things to do when it rains? Visit one of North West England’s oldest museums and get a hands-on look at our planet from the oceans to the stars.

Location: Liverpool, Merseyside

 

Rainy Day Activities: Climb the walls of St Werburgh’s Church

Test your strength as you climb up the walls of this 15th-century church on an indoor activity break in Bristol.

Location: Bristol

 

Rainy Day Activities: Step into history in the Churchill War Rooms

Delve underground into Churchill’s War Cabinet Rooms and uncover the secret location which housed the Prime Minister during WWII.

Location: Westminster, London

 

Rainy Day Activities: Discover Sheffield’s story at Kelham Island Museum

The ‘Steel City’s’ unique industrial story is brought to life through interactive galleries at this captivating indoor museum.

Location: Kelham Island, South Yorkshire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Explore the spectacular Science Museum

Known around the world for its historic collections and inspirational exhibitions, London's Science Museum is a treat for all the family.

Location: South Kensington, London

 

Rainy Day Activities: Get hands on at the Natural History Museum

See hundreds of exciting, interactive exhibits in one of London’s most beautiful landmark buildings.

Location: South Kensington, London

 
The last ever concorde to fly, in a hangar at Aerospace Bristol

Step aboard a supersonic Concorde at Aerospace Bristol

Visit the true home of the Concorde at Aerospace Bristol, which tells the story of Bristol’s amazing aviation achievements.

Location: Bristol

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