Museums...

North Tyneside, NewcastleGateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland have a very rich heritage and this is brought to life in the area's excellent and diverse range of museums and galleries. Some examples are highlighted below but to search all the options use the box on the right.

Childhood Memories Toy Museum in Tynemouth celebrates childhood memorabilia featuring over 6,000 exhibits including toys, games and dolls. The toys are guaranteed to rekindle memories of days gone by.

Discovery Museum in Newcastle is the region's biggest free museum and houses some fun and fascinating collections from Romans and knights to ship-builders and pitmen. The gem of the collection is Turbinia, the world's first boat to be powered by a steam turbine engine.

Part of the Frontiers of The Roman Empire World Heritage Site, Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum in Wallsend features a reconstructed Roman bath house, a Roman and industry gallery as well as a viewing tower offering panoramic views of the excavated fort site and surrounding area.

Bede's World in Jarrow, represents the extraordinary life of the Venerable Bede who lived and worked there 1300 years ago. Find out what life was like for Bede and his fellow monks and how much of Bede's work is of continuing importance to us today.

Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum in South Shields was built circa 160AD and controlled the main port of entry to the Roman Empire in Britain. Today visitors can explore the Commanding Officer's House and Barrack Block, discover the reconstructed West Gate and see finds that have been excavated at Arbeia, including weapons, armour, jewellery and coins.

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens tells the city's story from its early foundations to the present day and one of the galleries boasts an extensive collection of paintings by LS Lowry, who considered Sunderland his 'second home'. Rebuilt on the site of the original Victorian glass houses is a tropical rainforest housed in a stainless steel and glass rotunda. Overhead, a treetop walkway gives a birds-eye view of the lush canopy of foliage, complete with a 30ft water feature and individual micro climates.

Galleries...

Globe Gallery is an independent contemporary art gallery in North Shields showing the work of emerging and established artists.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, a former 1950s grain warehouse on Gateshead Quays is the biggest contemporary art gallery outside London. Here you can enjoy the best modern art from around the world.

You will discover a fantastic range of arts and crafts on show at the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead which is home to the broadest range of contemporary craft outside London.

The Hatton Gallery is a small but superb gallery within Newcastle University housing the internationally renowned Kurt Schwitters' Merzbarn, which was described by art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon (in History of British Art, Channel 4) as 'the seminal piece of 20th century British art'.

The superb Laing Art Gallery has an impressive collection of fine and decorative art including paintings by members of the Pre-Raphealite Brotherhood group of painters. It also has an inspiring temporary exhibition programme showing everything from historic to contemporary pieces.

South Shields Museum and Art Gallery celebrates the strong natural and social history of the area. Find out more about the life of Britain's best selling author Catherine Cookson, who was born in South Tyneside and used the area as an inspiration for her many novels. Take a fresh look at painting in Art Adventure, an art gallery with a difference.

Located on the top floor of the City Library and Arts Centre in the heart of Sunderland, the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art has received great critical acclaim for its changing exhibitions programme, featuring the current work of local, national and international artists.

The Biscuit Factory is a beautiful Victorian building and former biscuit factory in the Ouseburn district of Newcastle, containing the biggest single commercial art space in the UK and selling paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, ceramics and glass from world-renowned artists.

The National Glass Centre offers the opportunity to explore the full history of glass making in the UK and see cutting-edge examples of contemporary glass maker's art. Housed in an innovative glass-roofed building on the north bank of the Wear in Sunderland, the National Glass Centre is a fascinating experience for visitors of all ages.