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Map of Best Venues in Manchester 2023

1. Alcotraz: Cell Block Three-Four

If you’re looking for a fun filled and entertaining way to sip your cocktails then you have to check out Alcotraz. Alcotraz as the name may suggest is a clever speakeasy based on a prison. You and your friends will be tasked with escaping the jail, and smuggling liquor past the wiley prison guards as you attempt your great escape. Of course like any good inmate you’ll be wearing orange overalls and be behind bars as you work together in order to escape.

2. Manchester Craft and Design Centre

Partly from the hangover of the manufacturing heritage that Manchester boasts, it plays host to an extremely impressive selection of arts and crafts establishments. The Northern Quarters Manchester Craft and Design Centre is one such space. There are regular workshops here allowing you to completely learn a new skill or hone one you’ve nearly mastered. It’s the perfect place to pop in and not only grab, but make your favourite souvenir. You can do screen printing, calligraphy, silver jewellery making, embroidery and much else besides.

3. Manchester Museum

Should you be craving a somewhat educational day out then look no further than the beguiling museum right here in the middle of our great city. There’s a serious amount of seriously fascinating things to see, from genuine Ancient Egyptian mummies and artefacts to Stan, the fossilised T-Rex. As with most museums there’s plenty more here than advertised so you’ll be entertained for hours.

4. Sip some delicious craft beer

Manchester is home to some of the country’s (and if not the worlds) best craft beer producers. It’s perfect for those wanting to try something tasty fresh out of the taps. If you head toward Piccadilly Gardens you’ll find yourself just a few minutes walk from some of the best craft beer breweries and bars alike. You’ll be able to quench your thirst at places such as The Piccadilly Tap, The Brunswick and The Crafty Pig.

5. Watch some world class football

You would be hard pressed to mention Manchester without discussing two of the biggest names in football. Those are of course Manchester United and Man City, two top tier clubs that are famous the world over. If you’re in town and it’s game day it’s well worth attempting to get involved (if you can), there’s really nothing quite like it. If tickets are a struggle then even a stadium tour of one of the clubs is a great day out even if football isn’t your cup of tea.

6. Visit the Warehouse Project for an evening of culture

This could be an understatement. The Warehouse Project is Manchester’s answer to London’s Printworks. It’s a vast space dedicated to the very best of electronic and dance music. They’ve moved around and positioned themselves in some impressive venues, each bigger and better and for now it’s settled in the Mayfield Depot near to Piccadilly Station. Be sure to check out some world class DJ sets for an unbelievable night of electronica.

7. The Science and Industry Museum

After your evenings of excess dancing the night away it’ll be prudent to take things easy in the day and visit The Science and Industry Museum. Often labelled as the world’s first industrial city Manchester has a rich history stemming from the Industrial Revolution and Victorian Britain. There’s plenty to see and admire here, including the Manchester Baby, the first computer able to store and run a program. The beauty is you’ll see that up alongside one of the world’s first steam engines and a host of other interesting greats on display.

8. The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience

That’s correct, it’s a real life remake of your favourite 90’s television show. Unfortunately Richard O’Brian can’t play host this time round but we can offer you a real life reconstruction of some of your favourite zones including Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and the eerie Futuristic Zone. All the while you’ll be hurling instructions (and probably abuse) at your friends as you do what it takes to gather as many crystals for those all important seconds at the end to grab those gold notes. “Will you start the fans please!”

9. Indoor Skydiving: iFly

If you’d like a taste of skydiving but without the part where you throw yourself out of an aircraft at 10,000 feet then you’re both not alone and well catered for. iFLY indoor skydiving Manchester enables you to skydive with relative ease (and considerably less fear) as you and your instructor feel the speed with winds rushing toward you at 135mph in the safe and controlled environment of a specially designed wind tunnel.

10. Try an Escape Room: Lucardo

Thankfully the city plays host to a good selection of escape rooms to match all abilities and preferences. We recommend Lucardo Escape Rooms as there’s a variety of rooms on offer for a whole range of abilities. Included but not limited to are rooms including Espionage – a World War Two British Intelligence themed room, Gem Runner, The University of Magic and The Prison.

11. Take a stroll in Chinatown

Manchester’s Chinatown is the second biggest in the country after London, so there’s stacks to do here and of course there’s no shortage of restaurants and takeaway venues to give yourself a good feed after a long day of shopping and exploring the city.

12. Go on a Boat Tour

The face of Manchester has changed an incredible amount over the last one hundred years, and you can see this change up close with a boat tour. Among the tours is Manchester River Cruises, it sets off from the modern and extensively redeveloped Salford Quays and wends its way down the Manchester Ship Canal. On this tour you’ll see a plethora of old warehouses and factories that used to be the beating heart of the Industrial Revolution. You can take longer tours that go further down the canal and take in more of the old infrastructure such as the Mode Wheel Lock and the Barton Aqueduct. Well worth it for any history or Fred Dibnah fans alike! If you’re into your music and looking combine the both then the company also does live music and DJ’s on board to suit any taste.

13. Visit the Legoland Discovery Centre

If you have kids in tow on your day out in Manchester then a visit that should very much be on the table is to the Legoland Discovery Centre. There’s absolutely loads to do here with the kids (okay and adults too) including Lego Ninjago City Adventure where you can channel your inner Ninja and Miniland built with over 1.5 million bricks, The Great Lego Race VR Experience and much more.

14. Enjoy a tipple at The City of Manchester Distillery

As well as its breweries Manchester also plays host to award winning distilleries. The City of Manchester Distillery manufactures delicious rum, vodka and its famous Three Rivers Gin. On offer are various spirit experiences, including a three hour interactive tour of the distillery where at the end you’ll be tasked with making your very own bottle of preferred spirit.

15. Cool off at Chill Factore

Dying to hit the slopes but Covid or the fact it’s July put a stop to that? Thankfully in lieu of the Alps we have here in the heart of the North West the UK’s longest ski slope. Made with real snow every night it’s the closest you’ll get to Verbier without having to set foot out of England. It will cater for all, and might prove quite an amusing date spot as well as a good way of getting the kids back on their feet before embarking on that long awaited trip to the mountains.

16. Visit the John Rylands Library

The John Rylands Library is a stunning Victorian Neo-Gothic building located in Deangate. Now part of the University of Manchester and open to the public, the library provides the perfect backdrop for some reading of your own or even to just stare in wonderment at the stunning ornate innards of the structure. An absolute must if nearby, whether on your own or part of a somewhat sophisticated first date.

17. Point Blank Shooting

Still lost for somewhere to go? Hold your fire. Point Blank Shooting offers a pretty unique experience for a great night out and day or evening activity in Manchester – without a single bullet being fired! With an array of real replica guns in their armoury you get to test and show off your sharp shooting skills. Like so many bars these days Point Blank Shooting uses tried and tested high tech equipment to accurately display where your shot would have hit, to within 0.3 of a millimetre. The system is actually used to train professionals in real life firearms scenarios. With a friendly and competitive twist though you can choose between 200 different games, and of course there’s fantastic food, drink and cocktails at your disposal.

18. Ping Pong Bar: Twenty Twenty Two

A tried and tested formula at house parties the world over; Ping pong and the occasional dash of alcohol. Twenty Twenty Two brings these two together very nicely right in the heart of Manchester’s northern quarter, but is more than just a bar offering late night ping pong and by their own admission an organically grown wild weekend party spot. It’s a great events space and can be hired out privately too seven days a week. We cannot be held responsible for any crushing defeats in beer pong.

19. Pixel Bar

Pixel Bar is an excellent concept and those that are even slightly into gaming will thoroughly enjoy. It’s a cool neon lit gaming themed bar that allows you and a selection of friends to rent gaming booths and compete on modern consoles and gaming PC’s to your heart’s content. Booths can be rented from just £9 per hour (and that’s per booth, not per person) making it a steal. For the extra competitive edge you can also rent their gaming PC’s that have an ultra quick and reliable internet connection giving you the edge. Alongside this the bar cooks up a very impressive menu and of course drinks and delicious cocktails are available too. For those wanting a minute away from the screens, there’s beer pong and giant Jenga downstairs as well.

20. 7Sins

7Sins in the heart of the northern quarter is a great venue with a load of activities on offer. It’s ideal for hosting parties of between one and six people but they are adaptable to almost all sizes, just be sure to enquire! Once you have settled in you’ll have amazing food and drink at your disposal and of course some good old fashioned bar games too. There’s both pool and shuffleboard at your disposal to fuel the entertainment throughout the evening.

21. Good Life Skates

One of the more quirky evenings to be had in Manchester revolve around Good Life Skates. The clue is in the title as the guys here offer up a unique experience around you’ve guessed it – roller skating. The venue is set underground in the heart of Manchester and is available for all abilities, including beginner sessions and lessons to really help you get your skates on. Drink of an alcoholic nature is readily available and private hire is available for a multitude of different events.

22. The Bierkeller

In the heart of the Printworks district in Manchester lies The Bierkeller. It’s a sizable venue spread out over two floors with three differently themed bars within. There’s a dedicated sports bar, their beer focused around the world bar and the Bavarian themed Bierkeller – with beer hall tables and an oompah band to match! There is therefore something for all, and while beer may be the focus there is of course a fine and large array of other suspects on offer too including wine and cocktails. Food and drink is served every day of the week; the food in question focuses on what the Munich beer halls themselves tend to dish up. The sports bar has a multitude of screens and projectors for your viewing pleasure and you can expect the whole place to stay open into the small hours.

23. NQ64 Arcade Bar

If you’re into your consoles or classic arcade games then NQ64 has you well and truly covered. While it might be set underground it’s far from a dark and dingy place. It’s an explosion of very cool cyberpunk-esque colours and paint. You can play the evening away on some absolute classics such as Time Crisis, House of the Dead and Crazy Taxi. There are pinball machines too and the venue can be hired out for various events and party sizes. There’s a multitude of drinks on offer too and a lot of these come with their own twist on the gaming world.

24. Roxy Ball Room

Jam packed with a whole host of various physical games, you and your friends will never be short of entertainment at the Roxy Ball Room. There’s pool, shuffleboard, ping pong, beer pong and more here to satisfy that competitive edge all the while enjoying great food and drink with your friends. We recommend booking to avoid disappointment but the best news is there’s two of them in this fine city!

25. Pong and Puck

Living in an electric dream comes one step closer with Pong and Puck, a retro themed activity bar with everyone’s favourite songs from the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s as the background beats. There’s table tennis, shuffleboard, beer pong and interestingly enough; prosecco pong! Pong and Puck also serves up some top notch pizza, and you’ll also be pleased to know live DJ’s perform every Friday and Saturday to properly turbo charge the atmosphere.