Touchstones Rochdale — Attraction in Rochdale

I've not been here since I was a kid, so I thought I would take my kids while we were in the area. It was a pleasant way to spend an hour. It was really relaxed with lots of things to see and read. The toilets are easy to access and really clean, earning an ooh from my Mom as she opened the door. The 1st floor has a really immersive experience for children. My teen commented that we had all found our places as my son played with the eco friendly toys, she did some craft, my mom looked at the prams and I sat on my bum surveying them all. We were made extremely welcome when we entered, never felt harassed and weren't followed around or watched constantly (though I suspect we were on cctv which I'm more than happy with). For the anxiety people, there are clear directions on what to do and where to go, approachable staff members, easy to find toilets and it was clean and well organised. I felt comfortable from the second I walked through the door to the second I left. Parking is easy in the multistory car park...

This place is great, for a small-ish town like Rochdale it really punches above its weight. I took my little girl who is about 17 months and she loved all the interactive exhibits and the arts and crafts. I came here for work to set up a live stream in the gallery several years ago too I remember the staff being very lovely and welcoming. The football exhibit was great, although some of it was a bit questionable and not sure I'd pay £6 for a zine that in all honestly looks like a bloke got a camera from Argos and took it to a footy match, but some of it was phenomenal. I took some photos of the old-timey artwork because I really liked it. Overall I'd say the people of Rochdale are spoilt to have such a lovely museum on their doorstep (as I am with Portland Basin in Ashton which is also worth a visit if you're into local social history). The art gallery is really cool, a good mix of contemporary and classical and it doesn't feel at all pretentious. We had a really fun visit...

Went to Grayson Perry Tapestries. Astounding amazing impressive work. Well laid out with helpful video explaining back stories and themes. Although it was upstairs there was lift access. Interesting things in gift shop area. Cafe well laid out. Went at 2 pm on last thurs of exhibition which may account for the very poor attendance. There was an almost deserted feel and it was too chilly to sit around. It makes me wonder if it was promoted well enough to afternoon audiences such as pensioners and schools. It could not have been the covid effect alone as Manchester Art Gallery was buzzing with his other exhibition, even though, or perhaps because, you...