Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Ardwick

"The Imperial War Museum, the huge silver structure across the water from MediaCityUK, will be back open from May 19. The main exhibition space, along with the Big Picture Show - which projects documentary-style footage and stories onto the walls of the gallery - will both return. The exhibition Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire is also open, free to visit and extended until September 24."

"Over the past 125+ years, the Whitworth has seen many transformations but none so much as its recent £15 million development, resulting in accolades such as RIBA National Award and Art Fund’s Museum of the Year 2015. Now home to an internationally important collection numbering 60,000 works - blending high-profile names like Blake, Spencer, Rembrandt and Moore with fresh new talent - the gallery’s principal aim remains the same: ‘the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester’."

"The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 6ER - Visit now. The Whitworth underwent a £15m redevelopment in 2015, which saw it double in size; the gallery now juts out into Whitworth park, seamlessly transitioning from old to new. It’s been met with national and international acclaim – for its new architecture and for its brilliant exhibitions programme."

"Take a walk right down to the end of Oxford Road and you’ll find The Whitworth. An impressive and ornate red-brick structure, this popular Manchester art gallery certainly looks the part from the outside – and once inside visitors will find over 60,000 internationally important artworks to explore. Everything from weaving to sculpture is included within its recently refurbished walls – and best of all, much of it is free to explore."

"Popular permanent attractions of The Victorian Gallery and Lark Hill Place (re-creation of a typical northern street during Victorian times), as well as an ever-changing exhibition programme. The Museum also provides activities for children during the…"

"The municipal museum was founded in 1848 and moved into its purpose-built Neoclassical home in 1857. This is one of the UK’s oldest town museums and the building has kept its original character. As with the best municipal museums, the collection is a big jumble of local industrial artefacts, Egyptology, Roman archaeology, coins, ethnographic displays, items from the Civil War and zoological and botanical specimens."

"Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user JohnShipley89 used under CC BY 4.0. Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is Warrington’s premier art gallery and houses over 200,00 exhibits and objects, covering everything from local history to numismatics, from archaeology to ethnology. Located right in the centre of town, the Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is very easy to find and well worth a visit."

"CFCCA is the UK leader in Chinese visual culture, with a reputation for debut solo exhibitions and a roster of internationally-renowned artists; impressive considering that, three decades ago, it was just a series of events in Manchester’s Chinatown. As Manchester’s Chinese population is second only to London’s, the centre’s heritage is particularly important; now represented in a new archive and library. Best feature: A vibrant events schedule, spanning film screenings to workshops and even Mandarin lessons"

"Centre For Chinese Contemporary Art is a unique art gallery with a year-round programme of socially engaged exhibitions, events, and artist residencies. They have over 30 years experience of working with emerging and established artists to provide a space for conversation, debate, and cross-cultural exchange. They are the go-to place to discover new artists and explore relevant global issues from different international perspectives."

"CFCCA reopens with a duo of exhibitions investigating and unpicking themes of belonging, identity and citizenship in a globalised and hyper-connected society. Housed in CFCCA’s Northern Quarter galleries, the exhibitions are just a few minutes’ walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. Multiplicities in Flux brings together works by contemporary artists Grace Lau and Eelyn Lee in a dialogue around identity and belonging."

"Contemporary Six – The Gallery is a leading independent art gallery located in the heart of the city centre of Manchester opposite the beautiful Town Hall. Established in 2010 by Alex Reuben, the gallery is known for offering a warm and friendly welcome to art enthusiasts, collectors, and new visitors and explorers to the city. Specialising in original paintings, landscapes, portraits, abstracts handmade prints, sculptures, and ceramics."

"From Darrell Evanes’ scrap metal sculpture to Matthew Bourne’s natural abstracts, Contemporary Six’s repertoire is all encompassing. Having outgrown its former location of Royal Exchange Arcade, the gallery - founded by Alex Reuben in 2010 - now occupies an airy space on Princess Street, where it represents around 40 artists. Best feature: Contemporary Six offers the Own Art Scheme, which allows buyers to pay in monthly instalments"

"While the country house at Hare Hill Hall is privately owned, the garden is cared for by the National Trust. The star here is the walled garden, a blaze of colour in early-summer when the rhododendrons and azaleas burst into flower. There are also uncommon varieties of poppy, iris, lupin, phlox and echinacea."

"Home to a Tudor Old Hall, Neo-Classical Mansion, 50 acres of landscaped gardens, a rare-breeds farm, 1,000 acres of deer park, speciality shops, restaurant, tea room and adventure playground."

"You know what they say, when in Rome… You can also visit the beautiful Tatton Park with its magnificent mansion. A stroll through this place will surely build up an appetite."

"Fletcher Moss Park is located in Didsbury and is a great place to go if you really appreciate nature. The pathways take you through some lovely scenery, making it an ideal place to take a long, relaxing walk. There’s also a café on-site for when you’re feeling a bit peckish, and you could get a little picnic going with your household/bubble."

"Village Warrington is located off Junction 9 from the M62 and situated midway between Liverpool, Manchester and Chester. A 25 minute drive from both Liverpool and Manchester Airports. Surrounded by the beautiful Cheshire countryside, the hotel is perfectly placed for visits to Arley Hall and Gardens, Tatton Park, Delamere Forest and the children will love Gulliver’s World."

"Unit 3c Wing Yip Business Centre, Cassidy Close, Manchester M4 5HU. The massages at the Youth Sanctuary include hot stone, Swedish and Thai. The staff are fully trained in techniques and they can offer both classic and contemporary treatments for men and women."

"Another one that you'll have to exercise patience for is the RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music), which is - understandably - prioritising the return of students and tutors. You can see the latest updates at www.rncm.ac.uk."

"The Royal Northern College of Music is an internationally acclaimed conservatoire, as well as an eclectic performance venue delivering a diverse programme of music and opera performances."

"Contact Theatre will be heading out across Manchester this summer for a series of outdoor performances. Contact is an Oxford Road theatre and performing arts venue creating and producing its own shows, as well as hosting tours from the world’s best theatre companies. Contact will be heading out across the city this summer, delivering a series of outdoor performances before its building reopens to the public in September 2021."