Tyneside offers so much for the visitor that you will genuinely be spoilt for choice. The Biscuit Factory, despite its name, is anything but; this is where you'll find more original art on sale than many of the UK's galleries, from fine ceramics to works by well-known artists such as Damian Hirst and others.
Durham is only a short drive away, where the exquisite Cathedral (described by travel writer Bill Bryson as 'the best on planet earth) houses the remains of Lindisfarne's Bishop, St. Cuthbert, and his biographer, Bede.
On Newcastle's Quayside the quaint, 5-storey house of Bessie Surtees offers a superbly preserved example of Jacobean design and living. Tynemouth's Blue Reef Aquarium can show you any aspect of the undersea world - including the aggressive, predatory Lion Fish and several scary sharks. History buffs with a yen for fresh air and walking have the splendours of Hadrian's Wall and Newcastle's City Walls, and at Barrass Bridge the Hancock Museum contains everything from dinosaur exhibits to Egyptian mummies.
Newcastle is any lover of architecture's dream city, and across the river in Gateshead you'll find the stunning Sage Centre, designed by Norman Foster, a complete complex devoted to music with its own 1700 seat hall.
The Made in Gateshead exhibition is just one of the attractions - which includes Dutch and Flemish old masters plus 700 craft items - on show at the Shipley Art Gallery. The 12.25 million Discovery Museum takes the visitor on a breathtaking journey from Roman times to present day Newcastle, and those visitors who want to know where humanity came from will find the answer at the Life Science Centre.
