Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

The Planetarium had a real wow factor.

I loved the big machine; especially the way all children, strangers to each, were completely cooperating. We could hardly tear our 3 and 8 year old away!

The experiments were really good – the lab coat and goggles were a nice touch.

The experiments for older children were fantastic – by far the best experience we’ve ever had at a science museum.

The live show regarding colour and light was definitely the best part of the visit as it engaged the children. The member of staff was enthusiastic.

The fact that there is such a variety for all ages is brilliant. It can be difficult finding things to do with my children’s age gap but this was a perfect day out.

Felt included and supported as a neurodiverse family. The staff were helpful and friendly.

Even as an adult I enjoyed learning new things. The Brain zone was fascinating. I enjoyed watching my grandsons getting a lot from their visit.

Me and my teacher assistant both commented it’s one of the best organised trips we’ve ever been on. It ran seamlessly from the minute we got there to the minute we got home. The staff were lovely and super helpful. 

They absolutely loved the planetarium. That was magic. When we came out they wanted to go back round and straight back in and do it again. They absolutely loved it. Yeah, that was really special for them. None of them had been in one before so it was really special for them.  

So, I’ve been previously before, and I thought it was great so I thought it would be really good for the children to go there. Also, it’s somewhere very different for them. Not many of our children actually get out of Shildon so taking them to Newcastle was something new and different, especially after COVID, they didn’t have many experiences, so we had a look on there and found some workshops that really went with our topics we were doing at school, so we thought we’ll give it a go, we haven’t done these workshops before, and we’ll see how it goes.

The Autism friendly session gave us a chance to take our son where he would feel comfortable and free to be himself.  Very inclusive and accessible, especially the changing facilities. We were super impressed!

Honestly it couldn’t have been any better. I probably wouldn’t have gone at full price as just couldn’t afford it but the uc tickets make it more accessible as well as the dedicated SEN morning

Being a single parent who is lucky enough to get all the holidays off from work, I struggle to entertain the children everyday. Knowing we could attend on a much cheaper rate (universal credit) made it so much better as I struggle to afford to pay regular prices for myself and 2 children. This is a fantastic offer which helps parents like myself give our children a great experience and day out here.

All staff were happy and friendly. If it wasn’t for the UC discount I wouldn’t have been able to afford to bring my family. We spent the whole day there and everyone had a great time.

Everything was fantastic, the children had so much fun, everything seemed to be set up to spark their imagination and teach them so many cool things! The science show was especially amazing! The lad who did it was engaging, fun and the kids loved voting on the experiments and getting involved  they were amazed by the bubble that goes on fire and the spinning sparkler. I’d bring them every week if I could. It’s a wonderful facility and I’m thankful I was able to take my children there. Thank you