Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens – Free museum, gallery and winter gardens in Sunderland

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens is a free to visit museum covering centuries of history alongside a tropical winter garden, with a rolling programme of exhibitions and events for adults and families. It’s currently undergoing redevelopment, but continues running exhibitions, children’s activities and community projects like the Mowbray Park Community Garden Volunteers.

The draw: it’s completely free entry, with a genuinely varied programme spanning history exhibitions, wildlife themed craft projects, and youth engagement work through its Celebrate Different Collective. Sea Change Café on the ground floor also supports a neurodiverse workforce and serves food with gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan options.

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 5pm

Wednesday 9.30am to 7pm

Saturday 10am to 4pm

Closed Sunday

Vibe check: a genuinely worthwhile free day out, especially for families, with the winter gardens adding a nice change of pace from a standard museum visit. Worth checking the What’s On page ahead of a visit given the ongoing redevelopment.