The city's and the region's principal art gallery, the Laing Art Gallery is centrally located not far from Northumberland Street. A glass entrance leads into a deservedly popular gallery which has risen to the challenge of communicating the region's art and craft tradition to the local population. The gallery's extensive collection includes paintings, costume, silver, glass, pottery (including an extensive collection of locally produced but internationally renowned Maling ware) and sculpture. There is a varied collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, a Gaugin, and pieces by Henry Moore and Stanley Spencer. The award-winning Art on Tyneside is one of the gallery's permanent displays. Regular family fun events and activities for children take place, as well.

Built as a Millennium project, the Life Science Centre brings together a cutting-edge genetic research facility and a family-friendly, jargon-free exhibition of the latest developments in science and biotechnology. The center aims to provide visitors with a new way of looking at life: "where it came from, how it works, what it means." This major attraction offers film showings, live theater, and hands-on demonstrations to give visitors a unique and remarkable experience of development through science. There are plenty of science events and exhibitions and also a host educational activities for kids, that take place at the center.

The Baltic occupies a former 1950s flour mill overlooking the River Tyne. The Baltic is home to five galleries, studios, workshops and features a rooftop restaurant with breathtaking views of Tyneside. A variety of art exhibitions take place from time to time. Genres like fine arts dominate the exhibits. A perfect place for art lovers to meet and discuss new ideas.

Embracing the sweeping countryside like only it could, this metallic Antony Gormley masterpiece is a sight to behold. Overlooking the majestic Tyne Bridge from atop the verdant hill of Birtley, this 20-meter (65-foot) steel-cast angel pays tribute to the long, coal-mining heritage of the Tyne region, besides also inspiring one to overcome their fears. With a stupendous wingspan of nearly 54 meters (178 feet), the Angel of the North dominates Gateshead's skyline with its impressive embrace. An interesting fact about this statuesque angel is that, it is modeled on a cast of artist Anthony Gormley's body.

Have you ever seen a huge mechanical digger digging up the road and wished you could have a go? Well now you can! Diggerland offers everyone from children of five years old the chance to ride in and operate real mechanical diggers, or join in dumper truck races- under strict supervision, of course. As well as the diggers there are lots of other things to entertain, including computer games, bouncy castles, a sandpit, clowns, and a licensed bar for the adults. Food is available. This is a truly original and unusual day out.

Home of the Dukes of Northumberland since the end of the Norman Conquest, Alnwick Castle is a treasure trove of history. You will not find a dry, dusty ruin, but a lively vibrant place that is the second largest inhabited castle in the country (after Windsor). Besides, the usual attractions of an old castle such as battlements and dungeons, Alnwick has many more things to offer. There is an enviable collection of fine art, including paintings by Van Dyck, Canaletto, and Titian. The Northumberland Fusiliers also house their regimental collection here. And if you still can't persuade your children of the castle's merits as a day out, tell them it was the location for 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' in the first two 'Harry Potter' films. That should do the trick. The magnificent castle is home to several events from time to time. Please note that the castle is only open seasonally.

Erected between 40.47 hectares (100 acres) of green parkland, the Preston Hall is a historic building. Acting as a museum since 1953, the edifice houses a number of objects which expand over six themes. Various valuable treasures, paintings and more are part of the collection and they depict the local history of everyone related to the edifice and surrounding areas. A range of cultural activities and festivals are occasional hosted here. The large grounds around the hall serve as a peaceful area where visitors are enjoy the tranquility as their children enjoy activities in the play area. There is a gift-shop too where you can pick up locally grown foodstuff, home-ware, postcards and delightful souvenirs to take home.

Once a famed frontier of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall is a stunning feat of ancient engineering. Stretching across miles and miles, this wall ran coast to coast from Segedunum at Wallsend on the East Coast through Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Built during the incumbency of Emperor Hadrian, it is as if this wall slithers through the many velvety green terrains of England, charting out stirring chapters of history on its way. Perhaps the crown jewel of the wall were its many well-preserved forts. The wall is dotted by significant Roman relics like reconstructed military dwellings in Arbeia, the magnanimous boar emblem, the Walltown Turret in Greenhead, the Poltross Burn in Milecastle, and the Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria, which is fantastically preserved. In true Roman fashion, life was incomplete without a bath complex, and the one at Ravenglass is the tallest structure overlooking the ocean where weary soldiers once refreshed themselves after a long day.

The magnificent coastal setting of this completely restored medieval castle, once the cradle of power of the Kings of Northumbria is perched high on a bluff overlooking the North Sea in Northumberland. It has attracted the eye of many a film director and Bamburgh Castle has been a “film set” several times over, welcoming Hollywood idols like Elizabeth Taylor. The castle is steeped in fascinating stories and features in Arthurian legend as Sir Lancelot's mythical castle, Joyous Garde. The museum housed within is a treasure trove of local history, with collections of military artifacts, paintings, china, and furniture through the ages collected by the Armstrong Empire, the castle's current owners. Standing on the edge of a steep cliff, Bamburgh Castle commands stellar views of Lindisfarne and The Farne Islands and is an iconic landmark of Britain's coastline.