21 Fun Indoor Activities in Newcastle (Perfect for Rainy Days!)

Coming up: arcades, adventures, more indoor golf than you’re probably expecting, fish, fangs, dodging bad weather, many rainy day options, a museum (or many), and the top 21 indoor activities in Newcastle.

Here at Travelness, we’re always writing about Newcastle.

(mainly cos I’m from the place).

Well, here we are again, writing about Newcastle once more. Previously, we’ve brought you guides on weird miscellany like beaches, golf courses, and even pumpkin patches.

… but this time, we’re back with the top indoor activities in Newcastle. Expect kid-friendly fun, lots of eating and drinking, bowling and game-playing, and a big weird tunnel.

Bring your packed lunch, and come join the fun!

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Wander around the Grainger Market

Best for: independent eats, mixing old with new, and meeting Newcastle grandmas

Open since 1835, this old-school market is one of my favorite places in Newcastle.

A maze-like grid-style mish-mash of shops and eateries, it’s somehow both modern and retro.

Yep, you get grocers, butchers, and fishmongers, who all seem like they’ve been here for thousands of years. But you also get hip independent gentrified spots, offering tapas, Greek food, Asian eats, brownies, hot drinks, sweet treats, thrift buys, and pizzas-by-the-slice.

I recommend eating at SnackWallah (for Indian street-food style snacks), and Acropolis (for some of the best Greek food I’ve had in the UK). And sip on a coffee from either Pumphrey’s (for friendly and retro) or North Shore (for people-watching on a busy corner).

Note: Some stores start closing from 4pm onwards

• Address: Grainger Street, Newcastle, NE1 5QQ
• Opening Hours: 9am until 5:30pm Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sundays.
• Best time to go: weekday lunchtimes, when it’s at its busiest

Explore the eerie underground of Victoria Tunnel

Best for: learning about history and heritage, visiting something unique and unusual, and being near the Ouseburn

Not so many people know about this place. Which is weird, given it’s one of the most interesting attractions in the city.

Once an underground wagonway built to shuttle coal through the city, this 2.4-mile (3.9 km) tunnel has also been an air raid shelter, a gig venue, and home to a mushroom-growing business.

Now, it’s a place to learn about the city, its industrial heritage, and its past and people.

Consistently recommended as the #1 Newcastle attraction on TripAdvisor, it always wins lots of awards. Yep, it’s 30 minute walk from the city center, but it’s totally worth the trip.

I won’t give you too many details here, cos we’ve already written about the place in our big guide to the Victoria Tunnel. You can take various tours… but for the vast majority of people, this 75-minute experience is the best option.

• Address: Victoria Tunnel Entrance, Ouse Street, Byker Valley, Newcastle, NE1 2PF
• Opening Hours: you have to enter on a tour—check here for details

See some art (or a screen)

Best for: artsy individuals, film fans, and childless folk

Newcastle’s best art galleries and cinemas are:

• The Baltic: modern, weird, experimental; sometimes good, sometimes bad. It’s free to enter, they have a nice cafe, and the outdoor ‘viewing terrace’ has good panoramas of the city and the River Tyne. If you like modern art, you’ll love it. If you don’t, you’ll hate it.
• The Laing: ‘normal’ art, some local artists, and mainly paintings.
• The Biscuit Factory: the biggest independent commercial art gallery in the UK, this place was once… you guessed it… a biscuit factory.
• Tyneside Cinema: one of the best independent cinemas in the UK (fun fact: I used to work here). They have lots of old and new movies, along with themed seasons, unusual offerings, all-nighter events, and a great on-site bar/cafe.
• Star and Shadow: a community-run cinema, they host gigs, occasional theater, odd events, board game days, and screenings of often unique cult-classic movies.

Exploring museums

Best for: couples with kids, and anyone who wants interactive fun

Newcastle’s best museums are:

• Discovery Museum: it’s free, it’s interactive, and it has many hands-on exhibits about science, the people and places of Newcastle, and some other miscellaneous stuff.
• Great North Museum (also known as ‘the Hancock’): also free, this place is home to a dead Egyptian, a planetarium, a bunch of stuffed animals, lots of fun for little kids, and some unique archaeological finds. It sits near the southern end of the Town Moor.
• The Life Centre: the most famous museum in Newcastle, and one of England’s best science museums. Highlights are: an experiment area, a game-filled ‘brain zone,’ visiting exhibitions (past iterations have included planetarium events and retro arcade games), and an interactive ‘digital globe.’

As you can tell, most of Newcastle’s museums are for families. So if you’re not traveling with kids, I wouldn’t bother with the city’s museums.

Fun Shack Newcastle

Best for: people with young kids

You know those big indoor play areas for young kids? The ones with the slides and ball pools and assault courses, and all that other stuff?

Well, this one’s the best and biggest in Newcastle.

I won’t bore you with the details, cos not everyone will be interested. So here’s the website.

It’s not in Newcastle city centre, but it’s easy to access by public transport.

• Address: Unit A3, Benfield Business Park, Benfield Road, Newcastle, NE6 4NQ
• Opening Hours: 10am until 6:30pm Wednesday until Monday. Closed on Tuesdays
• How to get here: hop on the Metro to Walkergate

Four Quarters

Best for: getting nostalgic, playing retro games, and a fun date night

Brimming with old-school games consoles and retro arcade machines, I reckon this is one of the most fun venues on our list.

Playable classics include Pac Man, Point Blank, Moonwalker, House of the Dead, Tekken, and Time Crisis. They also offer pizzas, drinks, movie nights, quizzes, and a fun laid-back atmosphere.

• Address: 54 Dean Street, Newcastle, NE1 1PG
• Opening Hours: 4pm until midnight Monday to Thursday, 4pm until 1am on Fridays, 12pm until 1am on Saturdays, and 12pm until 10pm on Sundays
• Official website

NAMCO Funscape

Best for: families who like games, and groups of teens

Sitting inside the Metrocenter (a big shopping/entertainment complex just over the river from Newcastle), the NAMCO Funscape is sort of similar to Four Quarters…

… but it’s not a nostalgia-fest, and it’s geared towards families and teens, instead of bearded sentimental hipsters.

It features bowling, soft play, dodgems and clip ‘n’ climb. But the big event is all the arcades: expect shoot-em-ups, air hockey, driving simulators, Guitar Hero, coin slots, retro games you have heard of, and new games you haven’t.

• Address: 244, Metrocentre, Gateshead, NE11 9XY
• Opening Hours: 10am until 11pm, 7 days a week
• How to get here: take one of the very-regular direct trains from Newcastle to Metrocenter. The journey takes 7 minutes
• Official site

All of The Metrocenter, in general

Best for: family fun all under one roof, basic indoor entertainment, and doing loads of shopping

Because it’s one of the biggest shopping centers in the UK, the Metrocenter also has loads more fun.

Obviously, it has lots of shops—and anything you could ever possibly ever want to buy, you can buy it here.

But other highlights include family-friendly restaurants, an Odeon cinema (good for watching all the latest blockbusters, award winners, and kid-friendly stuff) Treetop Golf (family-friendly mini golf), and bingo.

Local people often head here on a rainy day. Cos there’s enough to fill a full day.

Pro Tip: Take one of the very-regular direct trains from Newcastle to Metrocenter. Again, the journey takes 7 minutes

• Address: St. Michaels Way. Metrocentre, Gateshead, NE11 9YG
• Opening Hours: 9am until 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am until 7pm on Saturdays, and 11am until 5pm on Sundays

The Valley

Best for: climbing and clambering, and getting some exercise

Indoor climbing is really trendy right now.

(If you’re not into it, feel free to move on)

But if you are into it, here’s some news for you:

This is the best indoor climbing wall I’ve ever been to. It’s all bouldering (no rope climbing), but the space is massive, the routes are well-marked, the staff are friendly, and the music is good. And because it’s in the Ouseburn (more on that place in a second), it’s in a top location for having coffee or cake or drinks or food when you’re done.

• Address: Quality Row, Byker, Newcastle, NE6 1NW
• Opening Hours: 7am until 10pm Monday to Friday, and 9am until 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays
• Official website

Golf Fang

Best for: kid-less people (who enjoy behaving like kids)

Sitting inside the Ouseburn*, this place was once known as ‘Ghetto Golf.’

An edgy version of mini golf, it’s home to offensive and illuminated areas, with a load of tucked-away spooks and surprises. A self-titled “cathedral of graffiti,” you need to be at least 18 to visit.

*The Ouseburn is the most trendy neighborhood in the city, home to independent cafes, craft-beer pubs, and unusual attractions. It’s the same place where you’ll find the Victoria Tunnel and The Valley climbing center. For way more on the place, here are the 21 best things to do in the Ouseburn, the 13 coolest restaurants in the Ouseburn, and the 9 best coffee shops in the Ouseburn.

• Address: The Clay Shed, Hoults Yard, Walker Road, Newcastle, NE6 2HL
• Opening hours: 2:30pm until 1am on Friday, 10:30am until 1am on Saturdays, 11:30am until midnight on Sundays, and 5pm until midnight from Monday until Thursday
• Best time to visit: If you want busy vibes and party atmosphere, weekend evenings are best. If not, an afternoon weekday is best
• Official website

Seven Stories

Best for: reading, immersive entertainment, and families who like books

The ONLY museum in England dedicated solely to kids’ books, this place sits inside the Ouseburn (yep, the same neighborhood I keep banging on about).

Sitting over seven storeys (hence the pun), it features a bookshop, storytelling sessions, costume characters, themed areas, seasonal events, and—obviously—lots of books to read.

And as a nice bonus, it’s completely free for everyone to enter.

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(oh, and for more close-by kid-friendly fun, head to the Ouseburn Farm petting zoo).

• Address: 30 Lime Street, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ
• Opening hours: 10am until 5pm Thursday to Tuesday, and closed on Wednesdays
• Official website

Mr. Mulligan’s

Best for: indoor golf, with friends or kids (or both)

Similar to Golf Fang, but actually kid-friendly, Mr. Mulligan’s is another indoor golf game.

Home to 3 courses, it also features pool, beer pong, and electro-darts. And because it’s right in the center of the city, it’s a good spot for some imaginative spontaneous rain-dodging.

Pro Tip: If you want to head here with kids, choose a daytime slot. Otherwise, you’ll probably be surrounded by loads of childless people.

• Address: 117 Newgate Street, Newcastle, NE1 5RZ
• Opening Hours: 11am until 10pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11am until 11pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11am until midnight on Fridays, 10am until midnight on Saturdays, and 10am until 10pm on Sundays
• Official address

TeamSport Indoor Karting

Best for: zooming around on some indoor karting courses

This go-karting center has two race tracks, along with ‘normal’ go-karting, combat karting (sort of like Mario Kart, but real), and virtual reality races.

Other on-site fun includes mini bowling and sim racing. The karts go up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour), and they have separate cars for kids and adults.

They host kids parties, and adult parties, and they serve food and drink.

Pro Tip: The number 12 bus runs directly from Eldon Square to the race track. It takes 15 minutes, and runs every 30 minutes

• Address: Unit B, Armstrong Works, Scotswood Road, Newcastle, NE15 6UX
• Opening Hours: 9am until 11pm, 7 days a week
• Official website

InflateSpace Newcastle

Best for: jumping, playing, and upgrading beyond the normal bounce-house experience

The biggest inflatable theme park in the UK, InflateSpace Newcastle is MASSIVE. Sort of like a mad English version of Takeshi’s Castle, it’s home to climbing, jumping, slides, basketball areas, racing zones, gladiator battles, and a massive range of other stuff.

Though it’s best-suited to kids, it’s also good fun for adults: they have family sessions, and not-just-family sessions.

(But whatever sort of session you want, you should book in advance: it’s often full, so it’s not a good idea to just turn up)

Pro Tip: This place is very close to Fun Shack Newcastle. So if you wanted to plan a bumper day of kid-friendly fun, you could visit both venues in one day.

• Address: Benfield Business Park, Unit A4-A5, Benfield Road, Newcastle, NE6 4NQ
• How to get there: Take the Metro to Walkergate station
• Opening Hours: 3:30pm until 8pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 9:30am until 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed on Wednesdays.
• Official site

NUFC Stadium tour

Best for: learning about football—and insights into how top-level playing really works

Newcastle United are the biggest and most famous football team in north east England.

… so if you want a tour around a football stadium, this is the one to visit.

Lasting 90 minutes, these tours are accompanied by a guide, and include:

• Seeing the pitch from ground-level (the way the managers and players do!)
• Seeing where players and managers are interviewed
• Sitting in the home dressing room
• Taking home a souvenir

… and you also get access to various other places the public usually don’t.

If you like football, you’ll love this. If you don’t, you really won’t

• Address: Barrack Road, Newcastle, NE1 4ST
• Opening Hours: you can only enter on a tour, as above

Tynemouth Aquarium

Best for: looking at sea creatures, visiting the coast, and touching some starfish

If you hop on the Metro (Newcastle’s easy-to-use light rail system) and head east for 20 minutes, you’ll find yourself at the coast.

… and at the coast close to Newcastle, there are three charming towns (Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, and Cullercoats).

In Tynemouth, you’ll find Tynemouth Aquarium. Inside the aquarium (which is the only one of its kind in northeast England), you’ll find otters, seals, pufferfish, sharks, and 17 different themed areas (many of them featuring interactive experiences).

… and to make this into a full day of fun, you can combine it with our next entry.

(For more underwater action, here’s our list of the 13 best zoos, animal farms, and aquariums near Newcastle. And here are the 15 best aquariums in the UK.)

• Address: Grand Parade, Tynemouth, North Shields, NE30 4JF
• Opening Hours: 10am until 5pm, 7 days a week
• Official website

Whitley Bay Ice Rink

Best for: family fun, doing something different, and slipping and skating on ice

At Whitley Bay Ice Rink, you can do some ice skating (obviously).

One of the best and most well-known ice-skating rinks in the UK, they also offer ice-skating lessons, dancing sessions, private hire, and parties. Big enough for experienced skaters, and quiet and friendly enough for beginners. So basically anyone can skate here!

Pro Tip: If you don’t fancy zooming around on the ice, you can instead head to the same rink to watch Whitley Bay Warriors play one of their ice hockey matches. Check fixtures and prices here.

• Address: Hillheads Road, Whitley Bay, NE25 8HP
• How to get there: ride the metro to Monkseaton station, then walk 10 minutes to the rink
• Opening Hours: varied and unusual, with breaks during the day—check the site for specifics
• Official site

Taste of Newcastle food tour

Best for: munching, slurping, and discovering hidden food

Disclamer: This tour isn’t all inside.

(because, obviously, when you wander from food venue to food venue, you’ll be walking outside).

But the vast majority of the tour is about eating. So the vast majority of the tour takes place indoors.

Anyway, along the way, you’ll munch on lots of meals and morsels. Expect seafood, local produce, street-food-style bites, regional specialities, sweet snacks, independent traders, and food you probably wouldn’t have found without somebody else’s help.

If you’re interested in food, this is the best experience in the city. The whole way, you’re accompanied by a knowledgeable and passionate foodie.

For way more tours, here’s our bumper guide to the top 11 tours from Newcastle.

Eat and drink

Best for: eating and drinking. Duh!

Obviously, Newcastle has pubs and restaurants and cafes…

… like literally every other city in the world.

Some of the the city’s top eateries include:

• House of Tides: the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Newcastle, and good for a classy meal. It specializes in seasonable and sustainable food, and it’s elegant and upmarket without being pretentious.
• The Bake One: I’ve never been to Lebanon. But this is the best Lebanese food I’ve ever put my mouth around. I recommend eating lots of the meaty stuff.
• Dabbawal: street-food-style Indian fayre, including thali trays, authentic snacks, and curries you haven’t heard of.
• All the stuff in the Grainger Market: as we’ve already covered!
• Fat Hippo: for what most locals reckon is the city’s best burger.

For much more detail on eating and drinking, here are the 14 best restaurants in Newcastle.

Lane 7

Best for: bowling, burgers, batting, and other things beginning with b

Bowling, but modern.

Here, you can combine bowling with burgers, drinks, and an ‘I’m sort of having a night out’ vibe. Popular with families, and with groups of friends.

Other on-site attractions include pool tables, a batting cage, darts, table tennis, karaoke, and arcades. You can book tickets for all attractions, or just for a small few (if you don’t fancy playing on everything).

Note: For a busy atmosphere, go weekend evenings. For the opposite, weekday daytimes.

• Address: 80-90 St James’ Boulevard, Newcastle, NE1 4BN
• Opening Hours: 4pm until midnight from Monday to Thursday, 11am until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11am until midnight on Sundays
• Official website

Eldon Square

Best for: shopping, eating, and staying in central Newcastle

Another good option for a rainy day.

Eldon Square is a big indoor shopping center right in the middle of Newcastle.

It’s not the most exciting place in the world… but if you like shopping, this is the venue for you.

Inside, you’ll find pretty much everything you could ever want to buy (though it’s not as big, exciting or varied as the Metrocenter). So… if you’ve ever before been to an indoor shopping center, you know what to expect here.

You also get a family-friendly food court, with lots of chain eateries. They include Pizza Express, Ask Italian, and Chiquito. For similar restaurants (and a cinema!), head to very-nearby The Gate.

While you’re in Eldon Square, make sure you go to Fenwick. A Newcastle institution, this department store has more than 140 years of history, and includes a big tasty food court (with loads of independent and artisan eats).

• Address: Percy Street, Newcastle, NE1 7JB, UK
• Opening Hours: 9am until 7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9am until 8pm on Thursdays, and 11am until 5pm on Sundays. Note: specific stores might have different opening times. So make sure you check!
• Official website

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Final thoughts

Alright, that’s us done—they’re the 21 best indoor activities in Newcastle!

To sum up, my top recommendations are:

• Exploring the Grainger Market
• Heading to the Victoria Tunnel
• And going to Four Quarters

… and if it’s a rainy day, head to either Eldon Square or the Metrocenter.

For more on Newcastle, get yourself over to our guides on:

Thanks for reading, thanks for choosing Travelness, and we’ll see you again soon. Enjoy Newcastle!