The Atkinson Southport with Kids: Is It Worth Visiting?

If you’re looking for free things to do in Southport with kids – particularly when the weather isn’t playing ball – The Atkinson is definitely one to have on your radar.

Sitting right on Lord Street, The Atkinson is home to a museum, art galleries, library and theatre all under one roof, with regularly changing exhibitions and plenty of family events happening throughout the year. Better still, the museum and galleries are completely FREE to visit.

We recently popped in with our seven-year-old to see exactly how much there is for kids to do – and whether it’s actually worth adding to your Southport plans.

Let’s get into it…

What is The Atkinson Southport?

If you’ve walked down Lord Street before, you could quite easily have passed The Atkinson without realising just how much is actually hiding inside.

It’s essentially Southport’s cultural hub, with a museum, art galleries, library and theatre all under one roof – but don’t let the word cultural convince you this is somewhere you’ll spend the entire visit whispering at your kids not to touch anything. (Cough, cough, Speke Hall…)

There’s plenty for families to explore, much of it completely free, and because the exhibitions, shows and activities change throughout the year, what you find inside can be different every time you visit.

So, what is there for kids to actually do?

The Atkinson Museum with kids

I’ll admit, the museum was the bit that surprised me most about The Atkinson. It isn’t really marketed as a big standalone museum in the way some of the museums in nearby Liverpool are, so I wasn’t expecting there to be quite as much to explore as there was.

There’s plenty of local history covering Southport and the surrounding area, but the real winner with our seven-year-old was the Ancient Egypt gallery – complete with a REAL Egyptian mummy. Which, unsurprisingly, immediately made everything approximately 400% more exciting.

It’s not all standing around looking at things behind glass either. There are interactive screens dotted around for kids to explore, displays looking at clothing throughout different periods of history and dress-up areas where children can actually get involved. It’s those little interactive bits that make a massive difference when you’re trying to convince a child that spending an afternoon learning about history is, in fact, a fun day out.

You could easily spend an hour in the museum section alone, particularly if your kids like stopping to investigate everything. And one of the biggest bonuses compared with some of the larger museums we’ve visited is that The Atkinson tends to be surprisingly quiet. No fighting through school-trip-sized crowds to see an exhibit, no queuing for every interactive screen – you can actually take your time and let the kids explore.

💡 Mum tip: Don’t rush through the museum assuming the rest of The Atkinson is the main event. Give yourself a good hour here – there’s far more to see than you might expect.

The galleries & changing exhibitions

Unlike the museum, which stays largely the same, The Atkinson’s gallery exhibitions change regularly, so this is one part of your visit that’s worth checking before you go – and means there’s often something completely different to see if you’ve visited before.

The exhibitions change around every month, covering everything from art and photography to local history and more contemporary displays, so have a quick look at what’s currently showing before your visit rather than assuming it’ll be the same as last time.

And if you’re wondering how long you can realistically convince kids to wander around an art gallery, they’ve thought about that too. There’s a little children’s creative area with tables, colouring pens and activities, where kids can create their own masterpieces and even add them to the walls. It’s a really simple touch, but one that makes the gallery feel much more welcoming to families rather than somewhere you’re constantly worrying about whether your child is being quiet enough.

Don’t miss the teddy bears…

Just outside the gallery you’ll find possibly one of the quirkiest little corners of The Atkinson: a collection of vintage teddy bears available to ‘adopt’.

For £25, you can choose one of the bears to sponsor, with the money supporting The Atkinson. You don’t actually take your new child home – think adopting a donkey rather than buying a teddy – but you’ll have your name added as their adopter and receive updates about them.

Even if you’re not planning to adopt one, don’t rush past this bit. There are so many different bears packed into the display that it’s almost like a real-life Where’s Wally for kids – and, frankly, adults. You’ll spot something different every time you look.

The children’s library

Once you’ve finished exploring the museum and galleries, don’t automatically head for the exit – The Atkinson also has a full library inside, including a dedicated children’s section.

It’s a lovely little space to slow things down after exploring the rest of the building, with plenty of children’s books and somewhere to sit and read together. And because this is a functioning library rather than another paid attraction, it’s yet another part of The Atkinson you can enjoy without spending anything.

The library also runs regular activities and events for children, so it’s definitely worth checking what’s happening on the day you’re planning to visit. Depending on the programme, you could potentially time your museum visit with a children’s activity and get even more out of your day.

💡 Mum tip: Even if there isn’t an event happening, I’d still pop into the children’s library before you leave. It’s a nice way to get another half an hour out of your visit – particularly if the weather outside is still doing its best to ruin your plans.

Family shows & events at The Atkinson

The museum and galleries might be what gets you through the doors during the day, but The Atkinson is also a working theatre, with a packed programme of shows and events throughout the year – including plenty aimed specifically at families.

You’ll regularly find children’s theatre, family shows, workshops and seasonal events, with the annual pantomime being a particularly big fixture in the calendar. So if you’re planning a trip to Southport, it’s worth having a quick look at what’s on before you visit – you might be able to combine exploring the museum and galleries with a show later in the day.

Obviously, unlike the museum and galleries, shows and ticketed events aren’t free, and prices vary depending on what’s on. But I actually think this is another thing that makes The Atkinson particularly good for families: you can pop in for a completely free afternoon, or turn it into much more of an occasion if there’s something happening that your kids would love.

💡 Local tip: Keep an eye on the programme during school holidays and around Christmas in particular – that’s when you’re most likely to find extra family activities and children’s shows popping up.

How long do you need at The Atkinson?

While there’s definitely more inside The Atkinson than you might expect, it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s still relatively small. You could easily spend an hour exploring the museum alone if your kids are interested in the exhibits, and adding the galleries and children’s library could stretch your visit to a couple of hours.

If there’s a family event, workshop or show happening while you’re there, you could obviously make much more of a day of it – but for a standard visit, I’d probably plan to spend around 1–2 hours here.

For that reason, I wouldn’t necessarily make a special trip to Southport just to visit The Atkinson. Instead, I’d add it to a bigger day out in the town. Its location right on Lord Street makes that really easy, and because the museum and galleries are free, you don’t need to worry about getting your money’s worth or staying longer than the kids are interested.

Visiting in summer? The fountains outside The Atkinson are almost an attraction in themselves. Kids can run straight through them on warmer days and, depending on your child, this may well occupy them for as long as everything you’ve just done indoors. Bring a spare pair of shorts and a T-shirt unless you’re particularly fond of travelling home with a small, soggy passenger.

And for once, there’s something in this arrangement for the adults too: there’s a café right beside the fountains, so you can grab a hot drink and sit outside while they run themselves into the ground. Everybody wins.

Planning the rest of your day? We’ve put together a complete guide to Southport with kids, including our favourite things to do, rainy day ideas, where to eat, parking and all the useful local bits we’d tell a friend before visiting.