Two days in Newcastle with 8 and 12 year old, what to do?

[volingaround]

DH is working just outside Newcastle for a few days over the Easter holidays and we've managed to upgrade his hotel to a family room at very little difference, so I was planning to spend Thursday and Friday exploring the city with them and then on Saturday we'll all drive to Beamish for the day and drive home from there.

Any recommendations for things to do? I have my eye on the Discovery Centre and Mulligans Crazy Golf but have never been to Newcastle so would love some pointers! No car, but happy to travel out of the city on public transport within reason.

Centre for Life

Centre for life (city centre, near Central station)is always worth a visit.
Tynemouth is very easy to get to on the metro and the surf school there do great lessons for kids.
There are umpteen escape rooms in the city centre as well as Trampoline parks/ clip and climb/ inflataspace places on the outskirts.

Centre for life!
Metro trip to the beach at Tynemouth/Cullercoats/Whitley Bay

Do you live near the beach at home? If not you could take the metro to tynemouth / Whitley Bay if that would interest you.
Otherwise:

• Centre for life
• discovery museum
• great north musueum / handcock
• Crazy golf
• Escape room
• shopping in Eldon square

Jump on the 28 bus to Beamish Museum for a day out.
I find the Centre for Life, Discovery Museum etc a bit boring for kids and they don’t take long to get around.

7 Stories (national centre for childrens books) and the farm at Ouseburn
(plus everything else everyone has said!)

Seven Stories, Laing Art Gallery, Discovery Museum, Centre for Life

If you get the weather than have a wander down the quayside!

Tynemouth market on Saturdays and Sundays is worth a visit. It is in the metro station itself. The beaches in Tynemouth, Cullercoats and Whitley Bay are beautiful.

Newcastle castle is under promoted and really worth visiting. It is next to the station.

Take the metro to the coast. Great beaches, fish and chips, seal-spotting boat trips, Bamburgh castle.
Jesmond Dene is nice if they like walking- - waterfalls, stepping stones, pets' corner.

Thanks everyone, these are some fantastic ideas!

We were there with an 8 and 12 year old in October 😀. We visit relatives there once or twice a year. Centre for Life is our absolute #1 and we go most times we visit, but I'd also make a bid for Newcastle Castle if you are OK with stairs- amazing views, and a surprising amount to see inside. They had lots of things on for Halloween this year- properly interactive things with actors and activities rather than just a typical kids 'trail'- and I expect there will be similar for Easter. 7 Stories is pretty special. We found the Discovery Centre a bit underwhelming in contrast to all of the above.

Hancock Museum (free!)

Centre For Life
Hancock Museum (Great North Museum)
Discovery Museum
Farrell Centre
Walk across the footbridge over the River Tyne and go to the Baltic
Get a bus/metro to Tynemouth - nice beach, aquarium, park with inflatables, crazy golf, pirate maze

Good choice with Beamish - I love it there!

My top choice would be Centre for Life then Seven Stories, both in the city itself. Might be slightly young for the 12yo though. I also love Tynemouth Castle (EH) and Riley's Fish Shack on King Edwards Bay (wrap up warm). Or Souter Lighthouse (NT). Or you could go out to Vindolanda to see the Roman tablets on Hadrians Wall.

walk along the quayside, walk over millennium bridge and go up in the lift to the viewing gallery at the Baltic art centre, they usually have some interesting exhibitions on there too, sometimes activities for kids and the cafe is nice