A great free day out for all the family, IWM North brings to life stories of how war has shaped lives over the past century. A varied programme of events, activities and hands-on interactive displays makes our subject matter accessible to all ages.

Get hands on with history at our TimeStack object handling sessions and enjoy our changing storytelling sessions and performances involving fascinating characters.

Get creative in our Learning Studio (which also has a soft play area for younger visitors) and make a crafty souvenir to take home.  

Visit our What’s On calendar to see what is happening on the day of your visit. 

Don’t miss our Action Stations interactives in the Main Exhibition Space. Feel and smell some nasty surprises at “The Trench”, camouflage yourself against different backgrounds and have a go at code-breaking. 

Our family visitors say:

‘Great museum for all the family, definitely somewhere to come back to in the school holidays with children and grandparents together’

‘Wonderful place, came for a couple of hours, stayed all day, so much to see and do for all the family.’

We are proud to be signed up to the Kids in Museums Manifesto.

The WaterShard Café & Kitchen offers children’s portions or pick five items to make your own ration bag, plus activity sheets are always available. Our indoor picnic area is available at weekends and in the school holidays for visitors to bring their own refreshments. The IWM North Shop offers a range of pocket money purchases. Find out more about our facilities. 

We are open daily 10am – 5pm and easily accessible by car or public transport. To plan your visit see our opening times and directions page.