Science and Industry Museum Manchester Review

A Full Day of Learning, Play & Wow Moments at the Science and Industry Museum Manchester

October 2025 gave us one of those crisp, proper autumn days — the kind where the air bites a little, leaves crunch underfoot, and children can’t resist kicking piles of them wherever they go. That was exactly how our Manchester trip began, and honestly, it set the tone for a brilliant day of learning disguised as fun. We were heading to the Science and Industry Museum Manchester for Gabby’s birthday — her choice, and a big one — so we packed snacks, excitement, and boarded the train ready for an adventure.

First Impressions: Manchester Piccadilly Station

When we arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, we all just stopped and stared.

Compared to smaller stations like Crewe — and even Liverpool — Piccadilly feels huge. Clean, bright, organised, and honestly more like walking into a shopping mall than a train station. There are shops everywhere, clear signage, helpful staff, and plenty of space to breathe. It immediately gave us the sense that Manchester is a city that knows how to move people efficiently.

Just outside the station, you’re met with two striking sights.

First, a giant bee sculpture. This isn’t just decorative — the worker bee has been Manchester’s symbol since the Industrial Revolution, representing hard work, industry, and community. Manchester was once described as a “hive of activity,” and the bee became its badge of honour. Once you know that, you start spotting bees everywhere in the city.

Nearby is a much more sobering piece: a sculpture called Victory Over Blindness. It shows a group of soldiers blinded during the First World War, standing shoulder to shoulder, supporting one another. What struck us most is that it’s at ground level — not towering above you — so you walk among them. It sparked a quiet but meaningful conversation with the kids before our day even properly began.

Getting Around: The Free Double-Decker Bus 🚍

Now for one of my personal highlights.

Manchester has free city buses that run all day on set routes, looping around the city and back to Piccadilly! No tickets. No tapping in. You just hop on.

We climbed excitedly onto a double-decker bus (first time for me — after nearly two years in the UK!), and I felt like a child myself. Sitting upstairs, watching the city roll past, heading toward our destination… honestly, magical.

We hopped off near Campfield Studios, home of Blue Peter. You can’t go inside, but for kids who’ve grown up watching it, standing outside the building was a proper “is this real life?” moment.

From there, it’s a short walk to the museum.

Arrival at the Museum

As you approach, one wall reads:

Play. Explore. Experiment.

And really — that sums the place up perfectly.

The museum itself is built on the site of the world’s first steam-powered inter-city passenger railway station, opened in 1830. Many of the original railway buildings, warehouses, and structural features are still part of the museum today. Even the roof beams and metalwork above you are pieces of industrial history — you’re literally learning inside history.

Power Up: The Gaming Experience 🎮

Because this day was for Gabby’s birthday, we headed straight to Power Up.

This is a paid exhibition, and you must book online in advance. The museum itself is free, but booking ahead makes entry smooth and stress-free — especially with kids.

Power Up is worth every penny!

The moment you walk in, everything is bold red and black, with clear sections labelled: multiplayer, four-player, retro, modern, VR, driving games — the lot. There are around 150 playable games, spanning from early consoles like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Atari, all the way through to modern systems.

The kids scattered in every direction (safely — there’s only one entrance/exit and staff everywhere). Sonic was an immediate hit, especially for Gabby. Luke and Clive headed straight for the retro consoles, comparing Sega Mega Drives to Commodore systems and having that rare role reversal where Dad actually knew more than the teenager.

There’s:

• Virtual reality (first time for all of them)

• Arcade machines

• Driving simulators

• Handheld consoles

• Couch seating for breaks

• Hand sanitiser everywhere (thank you 👏🏻)

We don’t allow violent games, but that wasn’t an issue — we simply skipped those sections. There’s more than enough choice without them.

One of our favourite moments? All six of us taking turns playing Pac-Man on a tabletop arcade. Proper old-school fun.

Lunch Break 🍴

After a few hours, we took a break at the museum café.

Food here is simple and sensible — not fancy, not overpriced, but filling enough to refuel tired brains. Portions aren’t huge, but it does the job. You can also bring a picnic and eat in designated areas.

We rested, regrouped, and then headed into the science galleries.

Hands-On Science: Learning Without Realising It

This is where the museum really shines.

The science galleries are packed with interactive experiments, each one clearly explained, encouraging curiosity rather than passive reading.

Some highlights:

• Heat vision cameras showing body temperature…

• Thermal handprints that appear on walls…

• Magnetic fields and compasses spinning wildly…

• Building challenges like Soma Cubes and travelling towers…

• Sound experiments where your body creates music…

• Shadow stories and light-drawing walls, plus Earthquake Tables testing how strong your tower really is…       

• Optical illusions, periscopes, infinity wells

• Airflow games balancing balls on streams of air

Everything ends with a question — Why did that happen? What do you think would happen if…?
It’s home education gold.

No one got overstimulated. Each section flowed naturally into the next, and because everything is different, kids reset mentally without even noticing.

Back to Gaming (Because… Birthday)

By mid-afternoon, Gabby was done with experiments and ready to celebrate properly — so back to Power Up she went, along with siblings rotating between science and games.

Some sat, some explored, some chilled. No boredom. No meltdowns. That’s rare.

The Warehouse: Trains, Tools & Dressing Up 🚂

Before closing, we visited the warehouse section, filled with real historic trains and railway equipment. 

Between the giant locomotives are brilliant interactive stations:

• Designing wheels that actually stay on tracks

• Turning cogs to see how systems work

• Dressing up as engineers with safety helmets and vests

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Completing a technician’s to-do list (Zeke took this very seriously) 

• Smelling stations (oranges, toothpaste… and fuel)

• Steam whistles, pipes, and temperature tracing

Luke especially loved learning about engineering careers — one display even featured a modern Manchester engineer talking about sustainable design.

The One Downside

The only negative? Closing time.

There was no gradual warning — just a sudden “we’re closing in 10 minutes”. With kids scattered everywhere in the Warehouse, that felt really rushed and quite stressful.

A staggered warning system, perhaps over an hour before the actual closing time, would make a big difference.

Final Thoughts

This was hands-down one of the best museum days we’ve had in the UK.

✔ Suitable for all ages
✔ Brilliant for home education
✔ Clean, well-organised, welcoming
✔ Worth paying for Power Up
✔ Free transport around the city
✔ We’ll absolutely be back

Manchester surprised us — in the best way.

If you’re looking for a full day where kids learn without complaining and adults actually enjoy themselves… this is it.

We share more UK travel ideas and family days out based on places we’ve genuinely visited, with a strong focus on hands-on learning, mixed ages, and what actually works in real life. You can explore more honest reviews and practical tips in our UK Travel Guide.