Your Guide to Free Family Fun this Half Term with Liverpool Museums

You’re absolutely spoiled for choice this half term with so many different activities, every single day at Merseyside’s museums and galleries…..and the best bit is……it’s free!

Plan an exciting day out that will not only thrill the kids, but also teach them something new too! Here’s your guide to half term fun that doesn’t depend on the weather!

1 – The Museum of Liverpool

The waterfront, Museum of Liverpool is the setting for transport-themed family activities and workshops inspired by the fantastic collections, including the Liverpool Overheard Railway carriage, a Ford Anglia model and Lion, the famous steam engine.

Visitors can become a train, horse, car and many more on a journey through the Museum in the I like to move it move it (26 & 28 October) events; an exploration of the transport collection for children under eight. There are also transport-themed crafts and stories for families throughout half-term. (24-28 October). More details available here.

2 – Merseyside Maritime Museum

Over at the Albert Dock, Merseyside Maritime Museum is getting ready for Halloween by creating lantern crafts (27 & 30 October). Make your own spooky lantern to take home with you.

Heading upstairs in Merseyside Maritime Museum to the International Slavery Museum. Opened in 2007, it is the only museum of its kind to look at aspects of historical and contemporary slavery, as well as being an international hub for resources on human rights issues.

See the fantastic Afro Supa Hero exhibition, celebrating the importance of role models and icons. The exhibition highlights the importance of Black heroes and role models within society and their ability to have a positive impact on the lives and aspirations of us all.

This half-term there are some ‘supa’ exciting events , tied to the exhibition, including  crafts sessions (24-28 October) for families to create their own super hero and a photo booth and costumes (27 & 28 October) for those who want to record becoming a super hero themselves! Find out more here.

3 – Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock

Head over to Tate Liverpool and take part in Creative Studio a free creative workshop for children with autism and other social communication issues, their siblings, parents and carers. Led by artist Sarah Marsh, the workshop will focus on movement and participants will explore materials that you can push, pull, float, stack, drag and drip.  These drop-in sessions will run in the gallery’s specially designed family centre which will be closed to the general public. Check out the other half term drop-in session here.

4 – World Museum, William Brown Street

Discover treasures from around the world, explore outer space and meet live creatues with five floors of intrigue and excitement at World Museum. From the wonders of space, treasures from around the globe, and live creatures in the Bug House and Aquarium, there is something for everyone.

It’s shark week at World Museum. Get creative with drop in craft sessions (24-30 October) to celebrate and learn more about the most misunderstood predator of the sea.

Visitors can also celebrate Day of the Dead (29 & 30 October) at World Museum this Halloween. Death is a lively, colourful celebration in Mexico. During the celebrations Mexicans fill their cemeteries and streets with skeleton and skull decorations, bright flowers and candy. Come along to make masks, skeletons and help create a communal Day of the Dead art piece. The final piece will be used as a backdrop for a special Day of the Dead ceremony.

All session times are available here.

5 – The Walker Art Gallery

The Walker Art Gallery, one of the finest art galleries in Europe, also has Big Art for Little Artists, a dedicated space for children that is stocked with costumes, stories, trails and games, families can explore the world-class collection in a fun way.

This half-term the Walker Art Gallery has a special visitor; Felix the Cat. Felix has inspired the Education team at the Gallery so much that they have come up with a host of fun cat-themed activities for everyone. Create cat masks (26, 27, 28 & 29 October), pick up a pencil and draw your own cat (24-29 October) or you can pick up on the free cat trails (24-29 October) and explore the galleries looking out for some feline friends. Find out more about Big Art and Felix here.

6 – Victoria Gallery & Museum, Ashton Street

The Victoria Gallery and Museum are hosting family drop in sessions on both 27th and 29th October. Between 1-4 you and your little ones are invited to create your own bird collages based on the Audubon bird paintings using loads of natural autum materials, think leaves and pva glue, mega! The ever popular Family Saturday (29th October) features a family film from 10:30am followed by a Halloween craft session based on The Plague. Kids can create their own sinister plague masks based on the book ‘Micrographia’, and no doubt frighten the life out of fellow museum visitors! Drop in sessions are free, for more infro click here.

7 – The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Wirral is a beautiful building housing one of the UK’s finest collections of fine and decorative art. A recent development has seen the South End Galleries returned to their original architectural glory, complete with fascinating interactives to help families get to grips with the spectacular collection.

While having a looking around watch out for Pesta, the Gallery’s spooky guide. Join Pesta (28 October) for a family-friendly, spooky tour of the Gallery and hear some scary stories. Find out more here.

8 – Sudley House, South Liverpool

Sudley House in South Liverpool is a great place to explore and learn about life in Victorian England. Take the family to the childhood rooms where they will see how children spent their time in the days before Minecraft and YouTube! Young fashionistas, get your bling on and take a look around the exhibition Putting on the Glitz, a glamourous display of 1930s fashion. Check out opening times and info here.

Dont forget to check out our 16 Things to Try Out This Half-Term if you fancy farms, forest foraging and more free day out ideas!