Exhibition Park is a park and green space managed by the charity Urban Green Newcastle . It is FREE to visit and in the heart of Newcastle City Centre. It is super easy to get to by both car and public transport.
Expect lots of flowers and green space, a brand new cafe (opening 25 May), a brewery, playgrounds, sports courts, lake, skate park and more...... It really is a lush spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
Expect lots of flowers and green space, a brand new cafe (opening 25 May), a brewery, playgrounds, sports courts, lake, skate park and more...... It really is a lush spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
Exhibition Park : Location & Parking
Exhibition Park is easy to reach by public transport and perfect to combine with a trip to the Great North Museum which is close by. You can catch the Metro or Bus to Haymarket and the park entrance is a short walk away. Click on any of the maps to zoom in.
We usually park in Claremont Road Car Park which has 219 spaces and is just next to the park entrance. Click here for the postcode and up-to-date pricing. Alternative parking can be found in the city centre or near St James Park.
Exhibition Park | Boating Lake
Exhibition Park is home to a small boating lake where you can sail model boats. There are often geese and swans here too.
Exhibition Park Newcastle | Free Miniature Railway
There is a free miniature railway (donations welcome) which runs on Sundays in the summer months just next to the Wylam Brewery building. It's fab and kids love it. Sadly, all runnings are cancelled at the moment due to Coronavirus but keep an eye on their website here and Facebook page for future date announcements.
In the past, we have always just turned up between 11am - 3pm, donated a couple of £ and enjoyed a ride but obviously, when they are back up and running things may be slightly different.
Fingers crossed they are back soon!
The train is organised by volunteers and free to ride - just turn up. Donations are welcome though so please dig deep. We all loved it and the trains are enjoyed by everyone from babies up to grandparents.
Exhibition Park Newcastle | Play Parks
There are a few different play parks to try out in Exhibition Park and they are all next to each other so it's ideal if you have children of different ages. We tried out the younger kids park, the older children's adventure playground and the hidden assault course and outdoor gym equipment too.
Please note, these photos are a couple of years old - some equipment may have changed.
The parks are big enough for your children to spend an hour or two and there is a new cafe (opening 25 May) with public toilets overlooking the parks too. Keep reading for more info on that......
As well as traditional play parks you'll also find a skate park (popular with children and their scooters), tennis courts, outdoor gym and a multi-sports court plus of course lots of grass and places to play hide and seek / ball games / enjoy a picnic.
Exhibition Park Newcastle | New Urban Green Cafe
The new Urban Green Cafe opens its doors on 25 May. From then, they will be open daily from 9am-5pm (Sunday-Wednesday) and 9am-7pm (Thursday-Saturday).
The cafe has partnered with local brands and businesses including:
The cafe will also feature a wood-fired pizza oven, serves alcohol and boasts a large outdoor seating area for customers to enjoy the sights and sounds of Exhibition Park.
The cafe will include toilets which will be available for customers and the public to use during opening hours.
All profits raised from the cafe will be reinvested into the green spaces Urban Green manages.
Let's take a look at the menu, click on the images to zoom in:
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| Artist's impression from 2020 |
The cafe has partnered with local brands and businesses including:
- Tea and Coffee from Ringtons
- Fresh Baked Goods from Social Enterprise, Big River Bakery
- Local Organic Milk & Cream
The cafe will also feature a wood-fired pizza oven, serves alcohol and boasts a large outdoor seating area for customers to enjoy the sights and sounds of Exhibition Park.
The cafe will include toilets which will be available for customers and the public to use during opening hours.
All profits raised from the cafe will be reinvested into the green spaces Urban Green manages.
Let's take a look at the menu, click on the images to zoom in:
Exhibition Park Newcastle | Wylam Brewery Sunday Lunch with Kids
This review is from a few years ago, please check the Wylam Brewery website for up to date information.
Spending your time playing in the park can be exhausting so we headed over to Wylam Brewery where we had a 1pm reservation. You can't miss the building overlooking the lake. There is a dog-friendly bar area serving food and also a larger dining room where our table had been booked. Our seats had a perfect lakeside view and the space was filled with families enjoying Sunday lunch. High chairs are available.
Due to the space being very open, we did find it to be quite noisy and I'm not sure I would recommend a visit if you are hard of hearing, would like a peaceful lunch or want to sit down and have a large group conversation. We could hear each other around our table but at times I struggled to hear our server at the end of our table and vice versa. If you are looking for a lively space where no one will raise an eyebrow if your kids start banging their cutlery on the table, this is the place for you.
We ordered our drinks and Steve was chuffed to bits to find a smoked beer on the menu. Steve loves a smoked beer but not many places serve it. Now that we know Wylam do, I know we'll be back time and time again. He actually looked like he was in heaven as he took his first sip.
I had a taste and I agree with Steve's description that it tastes like a platter of meat - it's not exactly to my taste but he loves it. If you're after something a little different, give it a try. I stuck with a classic Fentimans lemonade which I always think tastes so much better in the sunshine. There is cordial/fresh juice, water or pop available for children too.
Wylam Brewery is an example of a place that does one thing on a Sunday, but makes sure that they do it very well. There are just four main courses to choose from and no children's menu to speak of but if you're after a roast dinner, this is the place to come. Children can order a half portion.
To start we went with two plates of cured meats to share between the five of us (£7 per plate). The kids enjoyed the sourdough bread and Steve and I devoured the cured meats and cheese. Looking back, I think we should have ordered three plates between the 5 of us as I didn't get a look in with the bread. Other starters include a roasted squash salad or wild mushroom and lentil soup.
The choice of four mains are as follows:
- Topside of Galloway Beef
- Pot Roasted Shoulder of Lamb
- Roast Belly of Old Spot Pork
- Lentil & Pistachio Terrine
- Children can order half portions (at half price). They are pretty big portions and will definitely fill them up. Roasts are served with bashed roots, roasties, glazed parsnip, buttered greens a yorkshire and gravy.
We ordered the pork, lamb and beef between us so tried a little of everything and were very impressed. Everything was pretty perfect - the meat was of high quality and all nice and tender, I had severe crackling envy at Steve's dish and will definitely be ordering the pork next time.
The yorkshire was homemade and huge, the bashed vegetables were lovely and creamy, the parsnip was beautifully caramalised on the outside yet nice and soft on the inside, the gravy was full of flavour (tasted like a few glasses of red wine had been added to it too) and not too thin.
We were also given an extra jug for our table and finally, the roasties were homemade and perfectly crisp yet fluffy too. As Steve and I tucked in we commented that we think Wylam Brewery's Sunday lunch is the best we've had this year. It was delicious.
We enjoyed our main courses so much that there were clean plates all round and we were far too full up to contemplate dessert. I was tempted by apple crumble and custard but ordering it would have just been greedy so I declined. Next time I'll be skipping a starter and try to save room for pud.
We'd eaten so much food that we decided on another walk around the park to try and feel a little less full and it worked. I loved looking at all of the spring flowers and if you're looking for a place with lots of daffodils, I recommend a trip.
We ended our day with a quick trip to the Great North Museum which is only a 5 minute walk from the park and entry is free so it seemed like a waste to miss out on the opportunity. Please check the Great North Museum website for up-to-date booking and exhibition information.
Would I recommend a trip to Exhibition Park and Wylam Brewery to families? Absolutely! It did help that we were blessed with good weather. The park was filled with families having fun together in the sunshine and our lunch was a nice and relaxed affair.
Read next:
Read next:
- Check out this post featuring 25 of the Best Playgrounds across North East England.
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Please follow social distancing rules & Government guidelines , respect the local area, leave no trace, take litter home, park responsibly and if somewhere is busy on arrival, please consider leaving and returning at a later date.
Remember face coverings are required for indoor attractions / shops for those aged 11+ (usual exemptions apply)
Check for local lockdowns / travel restrictions before visiting anywhere.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed after this post was published.
Remember face coverings are required for indoor attractions / shops for those aged 11+ (usual exemptions apply)
Check for local lockdowns / travel restrictions before visiting anywhere.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed after this post was published.
Oh wow the food looks good! We had a stroll through the park last Summer and really wanted to visit the Brewery but it was closed - we weee looking through all the windows and it looked so lovely inside. We have a friend visiting next month so may take her here for some Sunday lunch!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had perfect weather for your day out and the food looks absolutely fantastic! I love that we have so many natural areas so close to the city centre! X
ReplyDelete