Please plan my birthday for me - in Newcastle!

[Malteasermover]

I’ve name changed as combined with other threads this makes me pretty obvious!

It’s my birthday in next few days. I’m recently single, and dreading it. Friends all busy / broke etc. It’s literally making me want to cry even just thinking about it.

So!!! I’ve told Ds (he’s 7) we are going to have a birthday adventure. I have hardly any money - maybe £50 ish and about half a tank of petrol. But he’s excited and looking forward to “our birthday day out”

What can I do that’s vaguely special, will keep me busy enough not to dwell, that a 7year old can feel he’s involved with?

We have been to all the usual places and regularly goto Northumberland, so no where feels different enough for this occasion.

Help?!

The Discovery Museum in Newcastle is free and a fantastic half day out, Hancock Museum also free.

We also used to love doing a full circuit on the yellow Metro route - with a stop off in Cullercoats for an ice cream.

Fenwick's window!! Hancock museum!!

Have a look at what is on at the Baltic.
Ice skating outside the centre for life but it’s price.
Do you have any tesco clubcard vouchers?

Metro tickets for the day. Museums then ice cream and chips on the beach.

I would do one of the sight seeing buses. A free museum and then maybe The Vue cinema in Gateshead as that’s really cheap. Or you could get the ferry from south to North Shields and walk up to tynemouth

How about a trip out on the train and visit Durham cathedral and the castle? Might be a bit of an adventure with the Harry Potter link?

If you took the metro to the coast, you could walk from Tynemouth to the lighthouse at Whitley bay. There's a pretty good tea shop at the reopened Spanish city - or you could stop off at the fish shack on king Edward's bay at Tynemouth. The view (on longsands beach) is a good option for coffee and cake.
In Newcastle itself, Victoria tunnel would be a more unusual adventure, though I don't know what the opening hours are like. Or maybe the castle keep?

Discovery museum gets my vote. It’s free and is really fun.

I live in newcastle ( well north tyneside ) so i will just say loads of idea as not sure what you are after. in oseburn near newcastle seven stories is brilliant loads to do and there is also a little community farm opposite and you can walk a little way over the river, I've only been once but we went to Kiln which is a cafe / bar and pottery area very close by and we loved it not sure if pottery always on so id check , they also have the victorian tunnel tours. In central newcastle Discovery museum is really good and free lots to do aswell,Baltic does have a child's level and sometimes has good events on but part of it is art gallery so might not be that interesting for children. The centre for life is amazing loads to do and lots based on science if your lo likes that this will fill the day id say they also have the ice skating on at the moment. There is a climbing centre in byker , exibition park is good fun and a nice walk. Jesmond dene is lovley and a really nice walk you could then go on to a nice cafe in jesmond The coast is lovley all the beaches are nice you could go along tynemouth then into cullercoats loads of nice cafes / ice cream parlour. The dome in Whitley bay has reopened and has a waffle and ice cream bar it's next to the beach and play park and you could go on to the lighthouse if you wanted to do some rockpooling. Rising Sun country park is nice it a lovley walk and has a nice wooden play structure. You could go further along the coast to Seaton Sluice or blyth , blyth has a really big park aswell as the beach. If you wanted to go a bit further Gibside national trust is gorgeous and loads to entertain you. South shields has a really big park that has a mini steam train plus lots of things to do on the front beach , obstacle course , amusements ECT you could also go further on to souter lighthouse towards Sunderland.