Family Day Out In Salford: Ordsall Hall and Salford Museum & Art Gallery

Today we headed to Salford to for a family day out. We’re fairly local to Salford and Greater Manchester in general and yet we have never explored what Salford has to offer.

Salford Museum and Art Gallery

We started the day with a trip to Salford Museum and Art Gallery. The pay and display car park is only small so it’s worth getting there early at a weekend and during school holidays. The museum opens at 11.30 at a weekend, and 9.30 during the week, although it’s closed all day on a Monday. Entry to the museum is free.

Lark Hill Place at Salford Museum

We headed straight to Lark Hill Place as we knew the children would enjoy it. Lark Hill Place is a re-creation of a typical northern street during Victorian times. My eldest has just finished studying the Victorians at school so was particularly interested in reading and seeing the shops on the street.

The kids had the opportunity to dress up so my younger two did whilst my eldest was “too cool” to partake! They then ventured onto the street which was complete with atmospheric lighting and sounds. We were told that the shop fronts were authentic and had been saved and restored from 1957 when many shops and houses were demolished to make way for new developments. The shops and building were full of authentic items and the kids found it fascinating to see how the Victorians lived.

There were various activities for the children to take part in, including searching for alphabet blocks in each window.

The sweet shop actually opened at 12pm and for a small donation the children were given sweets, measured out on an old-fashioned weighing scale. We felt this was a particularly nice touch.

The Galleries at Salford Museum

There were various galleries upstairs to go and explore. There was a huge painting at the top of the stairs where we were invited to try and find various characters and historical icons, Where’s Wally style! The kids really enjoyed this and were also interested in the suits of armour situated next to the painting.

There were a lot of hands-on activities for the children to explore which we always find is a massive bonus. So often museums are completely “hands off”.  Whilst there’s obviously areas you can’t touch, making these interactive makes it so more welcoming for kids.

There was something of interest in each of the galleries. My sons were fascinated by the Pilkington exhibit whilst my daughter enjoyed being Queen Victoria!

We particularly enjoyed the A-Z exhibit. There was everything from elephants to doll houses, to apes and Buddha!

The Cafe at Salford Museum

After all our exploring we stopped at the cafe at lunch time for a bite to eat. The cafe seems to be really popular as it was quite busy, and we could understand why. The children had kids meals which provided a generous amount of items and the sandwiches looked fresh and appetising. My husband and I opted for a ham and cheese toastie which was delicious.

Ordsall Hall

Ordsall Hall is close in distance to Salford Museum but it’s a bit of a pain to get between the two places due to the one-way system. However it’s definitely worth the effort. The pay and display carpark was of a decent size and we had no trouble parking.

The Easter Bunny Trail at Ordsall Hall 

Whilst it’s free to enter Ordsall Hall, they were running an Easter Bunny Trail for £2 a child. The children needed to find ten rabbits throughout the hall and answer the riddles found with each one. If they successfully find all ten, they receive a chocolate prize.

My eldest son has visited Ordsall Hall before on a school trip and so elected himself as our own personal tour guide! I could tell he had enjoyed his previous visit as he was so enthusiastic and had retained so much information.

The trail took us through the large building and there was plenty of activities for the children to take part in. My eldest two had fun dressing up in the Great Hall while my eldest played a version of Connect 4 with my husband.

As with Salford Museum, there was a lot of interactive activities for the children, from turning the spit to completing puzzles and searching for bunnies.

The staff were very knowledgable and friendly and were always on hand to answer any questions we might have had.

The Cafe at Ordsall Hall 

At the end of our Bunny Hunt we stopped at the cafe for refreshments. They have a variety of cakes, sandwiches, teacakes and other snacks available, along with an array of hot and cold drinks.

Seating within the cafe is limited but it can be taken outside to be consumed in the garden and grounds.

I’d definitely recommend a trip to both Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall. They really do focus on making it interesting for children which so many places forget to do. The children all had a fab time and my youngest two fell asleep on the drive home – always the sign of a successful day out!

Disclosure this post was written in collaboration with Salford Leisure.