Things to See and Do in Stoke-On-Trent

There’s so much to discover and experience in Stoke-on-Trent! Explore its rich history, ride a roller coaster or interact with monkeys – there’s something here for every family.

Discover the city’s rich ceramics heritage at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery or explore a former Victorian factory at Gladstone Pottery Museum. Shop from independent stores as well as big name brands or enjoy an enjoyable night of Tenpin bowling!

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery gives visitors a window into the city’s past and present. Notably, this facility houses one of the world’s largest collections of Staffordshire ceramics (over 667 cow creamer jugs and 300+ frog mugs!), as well as rooms dedicated to local history, natural science, archaeology and fine arts.

As an attraction for visitors of all ages, this attraction is sure to excite. Children will especially love getting their hands dirty with pottery-related activities! Plus, take an Emma Bridgewater Factory Tour and witness how their unique pieces are handcrafted – fans may want to bring home a piece for their collections!

For visitors seeking an in-depth view of local life, there’s the Local History gallery – featuring room settings evoking working and domestic lives from years past, such as pubs, chip shops and schoolrooms – plus there’s the Staffordshire Hoard – an Anglo-Saxon artefact cache discovered during excavation at Stoke burial site.

As the World Capital of Ceramics, this city offers numerous museums and attractions that commemorate its vibrant industrial past. These range from an authentic Victorian factory with working coal fire to stunning garden estates featuring monkeys and forests; there’s plenty to discover here!

Outside the city center you will discover numerous parks and gardens. A must-visit for collectors is Burslem’s World of Wedgwood with its beautifully-landscaped grounds and historical buildings that contain works of art and decorative objects from every period in its history.

Stoke-on-Trent provides many opportunities for shopping. The Intu Potteries Shopping Center in Hanley boasts high street favorites like Primark and H&M; Trentham Shopping Village provides outdoor gear and homewares; for shopping closer to town Hanley Market offers over 100 stalls – its the region’s largest indoor marketplace!

For concerts or comedy shows, there are multiple theaters throughout the city. For an exciting night on the town, head to Hanley’s Cultural Quarter’s Sugarmill with its dance floor or live music performance.

Gladstone Pottery Museum

The Gladstone Pottery Museum provides visitors with a glimpse into Stoke-on-Trent, known globally as “The Potteries.” As one of only fully preserved Victorian pottery factories from its day, its coal-burning ovens once produced some of the world’s finest bone china. Visitors can witness demonstrations, explore original workshops and even craft their own piece of pottery, whether throwing pots, crafting bone china flowers or painting pottery as souvenirs!

Gladstone Pottery won Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2020 and it’s easy to see why. This family-friendly museum provides visitors with a fascinating glimpse into history – they can enter its former factory’s cobbled yard where raw materials arrived for distribution to different workshops; or walk through its tunnel where finished pots would then be sent on their journey worldwide.

In addition to offering hands-on activities, this museum features exhibits that shed light on Staffordshire’s ceramics industry and boast a permanent collection of porcelain, ceramics and enamel from Staffordshire as well as Anglo-Saxon treasure discovered nearby.

Emma Bridgewater pottery enthusiasts who wish to learn how the cream-coloured earthenware is cast, fettled, sponged and decorated can book a tour of Emma Bridgewater’s factory. On this tour you’ll witness each step from casting through firing as well as seeing how their trademark water lilies are hand painted onto each piece of pottery.

The museum also houses a gallery dedicated to the development of toilets and bathroom suites over time, from humble Victorian slum commodes all the way up to avocado bathroom suites of the 1960s and 80s, you’ll be fascinated to witness its journey!

The museum hosts various events throughout the year, such as its Makers’ Market. For an unforgettable experience, why not book a ‘Breakfast with Monkeys’ tour and become part of a VIP team to feed primates breakfast before opening hours begin. Plus you’ll meet various families of monkeys living within their enclosure, plus learn all about their antics.

Intu Potteries Shopping Center

Stoke-on-Trent, situated in historic Staffordshire, is an exciting city boasting an impressive list of attractions. Its parks, gardens and shopping center provide activities for locals and visitors alike – from world-class roller coasters to pottery workshops there is something here for everyone!

Hanley’s Intu Potteries Shopping Center is one of the top places for locals and visitors alike to go shopping, offering plenty of shops and dining options near its train station. Owned by Intu Group – which also owns malls elsewhere – this center provides plenty of entertainment.

Intu Potteries offers shoppers a free gaming room featuring giant chess, musical wall and climbing boat games. To keep kids occupied while shopping this is a fun way to keep them amused.

This Halloween, the Potteries Centre will host several family events to commemorate this holiday. Children can participate in Spellbound Spooktacular Wizarding School of Magical Mayhem by donning a cloak and searching for creatures and monsters; or participate in an under the sea themed maze to help Ollie the Octopus find his treasure! These events are free but advanced booking is required.

Trentham Estate in Stoke is another top attraction, boasting botanical gardens and monkey forests as well as over 90 miles of canals for scenic walks. Additionally, award-winning Trentham Gardens feature breathtaking gardens as well as shopping villages and garden centers for shopping or relaxation purposes.

City life offers plenty of adult entertainment venues such as Regent Theatre and Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club for adults. Additionally, sports clubs and two professional football teams make this city ideal for enjoying a night on the town. Connectivity between London and Newcastle also plays a crucial role.

Trentham Estate

Trentham Estate is a 725 acre site home to award-winning gardens, Monkey Forest and unique shopping village. Additionally there is an outdoor events venue as well as lake onsite – perfect for family fun days out! The gardens provide something for all generations!

This site is an oasis for conservation and biodiversity, featuring gardens filled with diverse plants and animals – the Monkey Forest being home to 140 Barbary Macaques free-roaming in natural woodland conditions; while its wider estate provides grazing for rare breed herds and wild black fallow deer. Furthermore, badgers, hedgehogs, foxes – even an endangered water vole! – make for an array of bird species living here, not forgetting an endangered water vole!

Joining Friends of the Gardens can give you access to wildlife in all its glory! Membership can be purchased either online or at the gardens entrance and will help support work that is being carried out. Open year-round, visitors can experience seasonal changes while discovering large perennial plantings, formal gardens and woodland around a mile-long lake, miniature trains or boats for rides, plus there’s even a “Hide & Speak” maze, fairy trail and adventure playground!

Children will love exploring the woodland adventure playground, complete with sand pits and boats that sail on an ocean of sand. Kids can fly down a zip wire and tackle an assault course; toddler zone toys allow young ones to build castles or practice driving mini cars; the “barefoot walk” offers another exciting activity where kids can walk across mud, grass, pebbles and bark while being showered and dried off with special foot showers and dryers!

Trentham Estate features one of the nation’s most impressive garden centres, boasting an eclectic array of independent and high street leading brands housed within timber lodges.