Family Plans...

North East England has plenty to offer families, with spacious parks, lively museums and attractions for children of all ages. And most of them are free, or inexpensive. Best of all, when you've seen the sights, there's a host of long, uncrowded sandy beaches, many close to Metro stations so don't forget to pack your bucket and spade!

The Metro's the quickest and easiest way to get around; buy a family DaySaver ticket for unlimited travel all day (under-fives go free).

See the sights

Take a hop-on, hop-off Bus Tour (www.city-sightseeing.com) to visit NewcastleGateshead's landmarks, such as St James' Park and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Or see the sights by river; River Escapes (www.riverescapes.co.uk) offer two different routes down the Tyne, starting from the Quayside.

Education, education, education
Head for Ouseburn to visit one of the region's highlights for families, Seven Stories, the Centre for Children's Books. It's a stimulating and colourful collection of children's books that has something for all ages and a bookshop that's second to none.

History
Step back into the city's past and visit the Castle Keep founded in 1168 by Henry II. Discovery Museum, all about life on Tyneside, is free and interactive: children can don waterproofs and splash about with boats and bridges on a model River Tyne. Learn about Roman times and Hadrian's Wall at Segedunum , or 'strong fort', once home to 600 Roman soldiers, and at Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields (free) - you can even excavate real Roman remains in Time Quest, and there's a wet weather trail, just in case!

Eating out
Stop for lunch at As You Like It, Jesmond's newest child-friendly eaterie, with an organic children's menu and play area. Other choices include Scalini's on Osborne Road, Italian Pani's on High Bridge Street and Café Peel at Dance City for healthy, good-value food.

Out and about
The kids can let off steam in Gateshead's award-winning Saltwell Park, a beautifully renovated Victorian gem. Its 55 acres incorporate excellent playgrounds, a boating lake, café and maze, and a band plays on summer Sundays. Jesmond Dene, an extensive wooded valley just minutes from the heart of Newcastle, has a popular pet's corner, while Leazes Park is bang in the centre of town with great playgrounds. Head for the Gateshead countryside to see red kites soaring over Derwenthaugh Park - you might even spot foxes, badgers and roe deer in Derwent Walk Country Park. Sunderland's Mowbray Park, one of the oldest parks in the region, is, like Saltwell, now restored to its former Victorian splendour. Roker Park next to the seafront, opened to the public in 1880, making use of a deep natural ravine. Facilities include bowling greens, 5-a-side, tennis, basketball, equipped play areas (tots to teens), model boat lake and free steam train rides are provided by the Model Engineering Society on the miniature railway.

Beach trips
Hop on the Metro and in less than half an hour you'll be on the golden sands of Tynemouth, where there's a child-friendly café, plus the Blue Reef Aquarium, complete with its new Seal Cove. It's also worth heading further along the coast to Whitley Bay: St Mary's Lighthouse, reached by a causeway (check tide times) is straight out of a Famous Five book, with over 100 steps to the top. It's a great spot for rockpooling. All four of North Tyneside's beaches, including Tynemouth Longsands and Whitley Bay, have just received a national beach award for being clean and safe. Sunderland boasts miles of unspoilt coastline - your best bets are Roker and Seaburn, both Blue Flag beaches. The ferry from North Shields is a fun way to reach South Tyneside's sandy beaches and parks, with everything from mini golf to miniature railway rides on hand. Budding pirates will have their imaginations fired at Souter Lighthouse: climb to the top of the tower and enjoy the stunning views of the coastline. Grown-ups may be glad to hear the tearoom's good, too.

Action stations
Sunderland Sk8 City at Silksworth Sports Complex, is a new sports park for wheels of all kinds - boarders, bladers and skaters - and all levels. Or test your skills at the Sunderland Wall, a supervised indoor climbing centre for all ages and levels. South Shields' Ocean Beach Pleasure Park has bowling and boating as well as arcades and amusements on offer.

Culture vultures
Newcastle's stylish new Northern Stage theatre regularly hosts children's shows, while the Theatre Royal in Newcastle and Sunderland Empire also have family friendly productions. (Search box on the right for programme details).

Further afield
Other favourites include: several National Trust properties, especially Wallington near Morpeth, which has a fantastic woodland adventure playground and hidden-away animal hide, where you can spot red squirrels, woodpeckers and a myriad of birds. Alnwick Garden is great fun for kids, with its maze, treehouse with wobbly wooden bridges and interactive water features - ideal for cooling down on a hot day (take a change of clothes!). Don't forget the Castle, the dramatic setting for the Harry Potter films. Beamish shows how life was up north in the early 1800s and 1900s; young visitors will love riding on the old trams and in carriages behind the replica of Tynesider George Stephenson's Locomotion No.1. Trainspotters will also love Locomotion, the free entry rail museum at Shildon, and North Shields' Stephenson Railway Museum, where you can ride on a real steam train.