Days Out: Rheged Centre, Penrith, Cumbria

Situated just off junction 40 of the M6 you could be forgiven for driving past Rheged thinking it’s merely a petrol station as this fun filled heritage centre is in disguise! With a grass roof it’s modern structure, which is built in a disused quarry, blends beautifully into the surrounding countryside.

Rheged boasts a huge range of things to keep the whole family entertained. The centre hosts numerous exhibitions in it’s purpose-built area regularly changing throughout the year. We have visited quite a few exhibitions in the past which have included Lego, Minecraft and the Natural History Museum Dinosaur. The Dinosaur exhibition ran during Summer 2017 and saw some of the National History Museum’s animatronic dinosaur displays transported from London to Cumbria- we visited on the opening day and it is amazing- probably our favourite to date! Every exhibition we have been to at Rheged has always had plenty of ‘hands on’ displays that the children really enjoyed, as well as having plenty to engage the adults too!

The centre also holds a large 3D cinema showing newly released movies as well as a range of documentary films. There is an indoor soft play and a large outdoor wooden castle play area ideal for active kids, as well as a pottery centre for the more creative. The toy shop is a real highlight, it’s enormous stocking everything kids could dream of including a huge range of Lego – we do love a bit of Lego here at Fraser’s Fun House!

Year round they operate a wide range of workshops suitable for all ages which change regularly and are often themed to coincide with the exhibition they are hosting- I would advise pre-booking though especially in school holiday’s as they are extremely popular.

Fear not Mum’s, Dad’s and Grandparents haven’t been forgotten the centre boasts a large selection of specialist shops to browse offering items including clothing, beauty products, food, essential outdoor wear and equipment. Plus, a large range of locally made gifts, crafts and art are available from the Made in Cumbria shop. Once you have worn the kids out and shopped till you dropped why not visit one of the cafes on-site and have a cuppa and something to eat – I recommend the cake bar which is bursting at the seams with delicious goodies!

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With something for everyone young and old Rheged really is a fabulous place to visit in Cumbria, especially on one of our famous Cumbrian rainy days!

To find out more about whats on at Rheged visit their website.

Check out Days Out Now if you need inspiration for your next day out!