A large town that sits just about on the border between North East England and North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough is definitely underrated as a tourist destination, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do here.
Over the last few years the town has changed a lot and there are lots of exciting things planned for the future that will hopefully bring in new visitors.
But don’t take my word for it, check out this article from London-based writer Paul Breen who came to watch the Charlton match and stayed to explore the town.
Whether you’re heading to Middlesbrough as a student at Teesside University or you fancy a day out somewhere different, there are plenty of great places to visit both in the town and in the surrounding area.
Things to do and places to go
Bedford Street and Baker Street
These two town centre streets have been at the heart of Middlesbrough’s regeneration strategy over the last few years and they’re now lined with creative and quirky businesses and eateries. Plus there is some fantastic new literary street art in the area, which I’m a huge fan of.
Bars and restaurants include:
- The Chairman
- The Curing House
- Barbarossa
- The Nuthatch
- Twisted Lip
- Mohujos Burrito Bar
- Songbird Bakery
There’s more on some of my favourite Baker and Bedford Street residents in the food and drink section below.
Orange Pip Market
One of the big success stories of the last year or so has been the Orange Pip Market, which is run by Middlesbrough Council and takes place on the last Saturday of each month between midday and 7pm. The market is packed with delicious artisan food and drink stalls, fun stuff for kids and live music. It takes place in the Baker Street and Bedford Street area of the town, which has become a centre for funky independent businesses over the last few years and is a great place to enjoy a drink or something to eat. Thanks to the market’s location you can grab a drink from one of the nearby pubs and still enjoy the atmosphere. This is always a busy and bustling event.
Find out more on the Orange Pip Market Facebook page.
Acklam Hall
A Grade I listed mansion in the suburb of Acklam, the hall recently underwent extensive renovations and is now home to The Brierley restaurant. This beautiful venue also hosts weddings and events, as well as being a great place to go for afternoon tea, or a walk in the grounds.
Hall Drive, Acklam, Middlesbrough TS5 7DY
Visit the website
Twisterella
This one day music festival takes place in October at several venues across the town centre. Each place features a packed line-up of great bands and your ticket lets you wander from venue to venue throughout the day, depending on which act takes your fancy.
Line-ups have included the likes of Neon Waltz, Clean Cut Kid and Frankie and the Heartstrings.
Tickets £15
Middlesbrough Mela
This popular multi-cultural event is held every summer and attracts 50,000 people over the weekend. At Mela you’ll find music, entertainment, fairground rides and stalls for the whole family to enjoy.
Find out more on the Middlesbrough Mela Facebook page.
Discover Middlesbrough
This is an annual festival that celebrates Middlesbrough’s heritage and is all about taking pride in where you live. Their Facebook page is a great source of information for some of the heritage based events happening in the area.
Transporter Bridge
One of Middlesbrough’s most famous landmarks, the Transporter Bridge traverses the River Tees, carrying cars and people across the river in a gondola suspended beneath the bridge, which takes 90 seconds to make the crossing. It’s the longest transporter bridge in the world.
It’s a Grade II listed building having opened in 1911 and survived WW2, not to mention an incident in the 1970s when actor Terry Scott managed to drive his car off the bridge and into the safety netting underneath that stopped it from plunging into the river.
The Transporter Bridge is also the only bridge in the UK that you can bungee jump from, if you fancy taking the 160ft plunge over the waters of the River Tees. Not a bad view mind.
Ferry Rd, Middlesbrough TS2 1PL
Visit the website
Nights out
Empire Theatre
The Middlesbrough Empire is a nightclub housed in a Victorian music hall and is one of the town’s longer running entertainment venues. The club hosts regular gigs and bands such as The Scissor Sisters, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian have played there, plus there are a range of club nights to suit various musical tastes.
2 Corporation Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 2RT
Visit the website
Westgarth Social Club
This social club is an important part of the local music scene and plays host to regular gigs from bands around the world and closer to home.
Special mention goes to local promoters The Kids are Solid Gold who arrange a lot of fantastic events here every year.
99 Southfield Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 3EZ
Visit the Westgarth Social Club’s Facebook page
House of Blah Blah
This Victorian building has recently reopened as a space for events and creatives. They host gigs and exhibitions, as well as offering space for artists and musicians to create.
Exchange House, Middlesbrough TS1 1DB
Visit the Facebook page
Arts and museums
mima
The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art is a contemporary art gallery in the centre of Middlesbrough. Celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2017, the gallery is now run in partnership with Teesside University.
mima aims to be a useful museum, promoting art in the context of social change and it carries out a range of work with local community groups. The gallery is also home to The Smeltery, a café run by the team behind Eaglescliffe’s vegetarian restaurant, The Waiting Room. My favourite part of the café is a table that has bonsai trees actually growing in the wood.
Centre Square, Middlesbrough TS1 2AZ
Visit the website
Dorman Museum
The Dorman Museum was opened in 1904 as a natural sciences museum, but its exhibitions have expanded to include all kinds of things such as archaeology, ceramics and history. You’ll also find plenty of information about local history.
Entry to the museum is free, although there may be a charge to access certain events.
Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough TS5 6LA
Visit the website
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
Captain Cook is an important historical figure in Middlesbrough and the surrounding areas, having been born and brought up here.
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is located in Stewart Park and follows his early life and subsequent journeys.
Stewart Park, Marton-in-Cleveland, Middlesbrough TS7 8AT
Visit the website
Parks and gardens
Stewart Park
This is one of my favourite places in Middlesbrough. The park covers about 120 acres of land in the suburb of Marton and is made up of woodland and open park land, which is full of surprising details such as sculptures and follies. There’s also a small zoo on-site where children can get up close to a range of creatures, play areas, plus the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is within the park.
There are regular events held within the park, from farmers’ markets to the Cleveland Show, which happens every July.
Albert Park
This park on the edge of the town centre contains a boating lake, tennis courts, roller skating rink and bowling greens. It was donated to the town in the 1860s by Henry Bolckow, who was an important figure in the iron and steel industry.
Teesaurus Park
This little park is located on an industrial estate down by the River Tees and is full of giant metal dinosaur sculptures.
The park was built on an old industrial site around the original triceratops sculpture, which was designed by Genevieve Glatt in 1979 and built by local workers who were part of a youth training scheme. Other sculptures were later added and the park now includes a stegosaurus, brontosaurus, T-Rex, brachiosaurus and a mammoth, plus a couple of baby dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs have previously been under threat thanks to council cutbacks, but they’re still to be found in their riverside home.
Football and sport
Middlesbrough FC
The Riverside Stadium is the home of Middlesbrough FC, our (currently) Championship team. If you’re an away fan visiting for a match, this post should give you plenty of ideas for other things to do in the town.
Football is an important part of life in Middlesbrough and players like Juninho are part of our consciousness. We do also love a good moan about the team whenever things aren’t going well, so get used to the phrase ‘Typical Boro.’
Snow centre
A brand-new snow centre is scheduled to be built in Middlesbrough in the next couple of years, with a £30million development. It will be located between Middlesbrough College and Temenos and hopefully will bring people from around northern England to Middlesbrough.
Food and drink
The Curing House
One of the new independent restaurants in the Bedford Street area of Middlesbrough, The Curing House is a charcuterie bar and restaurant serving all manner of delicious meat dishes.
21-23 Bedford St, Middlesbrough TS1 2LL
Visit the website
Fork in the Road
This restaurant brings life back to what was a derelict building in Middlesbrough town centre and as well as serving delicious food and drink, it also serves as a social enterprise, offering job opportunities to recovering addicts, ex-offenders and long-term unemployed. It’s also home to Bar Zero, which doesn’t serve alcohol and so is a great place for those in recovery to socialise.
131-133 Linthorpe Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 5DE
Visit the website
Great
This Greek restaurant is owned by Middlesbrough FC goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos and serves authentic Greek cuisine.
248 Linthorpe Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 3QP
Visit the website
Barbarossa
This pizza restaurant cooks its tasty gourmet pizzas in a wood-fired stove, made with authentic sourdough. Yum!
13-15 Bedford St, Middlesbrough TS1 2LL
Visit the website
The Nuthatch
This concept cocktail bar on Bedford Street offers a range of spirits and craft cocktails, as well as table service. It’s a great place to start a night out.
9 – 11 Bedford St, Middlesbrough TS1 2LL
Visit the website
The Olde Young Tea House
This quirky independent tea room serves delicious cakes in a quirky, chintz filled setting and was voted the nation’s Independent Shop of the Year in 2014. They also host intimate gigs and events and you can purchase tickets for some of the other gigs happening around the town.
86-88 Grange Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 2LS
Visit the Facebook page
Twisted Lip
A micropub that specialises in craft ales and handpicked world beers, the Twisted Lip is small but it has plenty of atmosphere.
11-13 Baker St, Middlesbrough TS1 2LF
Visit the website
Off the Ground
This coffee shop opened earlier in the year and runs as a social enterprise, supporting homeless people in the local area. They also serve a fantastic range of coffee.
63 Grange Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 5AS
Read about my visit | Visit the website
And don’t forget…the parmo
Teesside’s very own local delicacy has become famous outside the area and can be found in pretty much any pub, restaurant or takeaway in the area. Even Great, the Greek restaurant, do their own version.
For the uninitiated, a parmo is a slab of meat – usually chicken – covered in breadcrumbs, cheese and béchamel sauce.
Where to stay
Budget hotels
As with most towns, you’ll find a Travelodge and a Holiday Inn Express in Middlesbrough town centre. Both hotels offer easy access to the local train and bus stations and are close to all the bars and restaurants in town. They’re also within easy walking distance of Teesside University and the Riverside Stadium.
Rockliffe Hall
This 5* hotel and spa isn’t in Middlesbrough, it’s about a 20 minute drive away in the village of Hurworth, just outside Darlington. But the hotel holds a special place in my heart, as it’s where we got married!
With its luxury rooms, golf course and spa, plus a range of restaurants, it’s a lovely place to spend a luxurious weekend or just enjoy afternoon tea. The hotel is also due to open an Alice in Wonderland themed park trail celebrating author Lewis Carroll, who lived nearby.
Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington DL2 2DU
Visit the website
Wynyard Hall
Another luxury hotel, Wynyard Hall is just up the A19 from Middlesbrough and is a very popular wedding venue thanks to its stunning landscaped parkland and grand pillared entrance. The hotel also recently opened Wynyard Gardens, a walled attraction found within the parkland that is a lovely place to explore.
If stargazing is your thing, there is also a Wynyard Planetarium and Observatory close to the hotel.
Wynyard, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham TS22 5NF
Visit the website
Cleveland Tontine
This hotel is located south of Middlesbrough, beside the A19 in North Yorkshire. It offers seven individually decorated rooms full of character and is a great place to go for afternoon tea or an evening meal in the restaurant.
Staddlebridge, Northallerton DL6 3JB
Visit the website
Things to do nearby
One of the best things about Middlesbrough is its location. The town sits in the middle of some stunning countryside, close to the coast and within easy reach of other towns and cities in the area.
I could write for hours on things to do within an hour or so of Middlesbrough, but here are a few of my highlights.
Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF)
This lively festival is a spectacular mix of art, street theatre, dance and performance, from the epic opening event to small-scale performances in Stockton High Street. It takes place every year at the beginning of August and attracts performers from around the world.
Getting there: Stockton is a 10 minute drive, or an easy journey by bus or train
Visit the website
The Forbidden Corner
One of my favourite places in North Yorkshire, The Forbidden Corner is a popular tourist attraction near the town of Middleham.
Originally built as a place for the owner’s children to play, The Forbidden Corner has grown into a unique maze of gardens, tunnels, follies and fields with surprises around every corner. It’s a family favourite, but also perfect for grown-ups too.
Remember, you need to book your tickets in advance as timeslots are allocated to stop the place getting too busy.
Tickets: £10-£12
Getting there: About an hour’s drive, but you’ll need a car to get there
Tupgill Park Estate, Coverham, Leyburn DL8 4TJ
Read about my visit | Visit the website
Whitby
One of North Yorkshire’s most famous seaside resorts, Whitby was the town where Dracula came ashore in Bram Stoker’s novel and is also known for its abbey and Whitby Jet.
Whitby has always been a popular day trip from Middlesbrough, it’s just under an hour away and you can opt to take the coast road through an array of pretty villages like Staithes and Sandsend, or you can drive via Guisborough and up over the North York Moors with sweeping views both inland and out to sea.
If you’re heading to Whitby, you’ll want to stop for fish and chips (obviously). The most popular place to go is the Magpie Café, which sadly suffered a fire earlier in the year, so is currently undergoing repairs. But you can’t move in Whitby without stumbling across a fish and chip shop – just watch out for the seagulls. My personal favourite isn’t actually in Whitby. My family have been going to Eskdale Fisheries in the nearby village of Sleights for over 20 years and I haven’t had a bad meal yet.
After your fish supper, burn a few calories by climbing the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey and exploring the graveyard of St. Church. You won’t feel so guilty about getting an ice cream on the way back to the car then!
Whitby is also home to one of my favourite independent bookshops, the Whitby Bookshop, which is worth a visit if you’re a book lover. I always buy something there whenever I’m in town.
Getting there: It’s just under an hour to Whitby by car, or you can catch a bus or train
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
This picturesque Victorian seaside town is a 20 minute drive from Middlesbrough and is a great place to enjoy some sea air or a stroll along the pier, which is also famous as the place where local yarn bombers display their work. The Saltburn Cliff Lift is one of the world’s oldest water-powered funiculars and delivers people from the cliff top down to the pier and back.
You can also walk through the stunning Valley Gardens with their miniature train line before wandering along the beach and enjoying a pint at The Ship Inn.
Getting there: About 20 minutes by car, or you can catch a bus or train
Eden Camp
A former World War Two prisoner of war camp, Eden Camp is now a museum located near Malton on the North Yorkshire Moors. The original huts that housed the PoWs have been transformed into an often immersive walk through WW2, with records, letters and memorabilia revealing what life was like for the camp’s occupants.
Getting there: Eden Camp is outside the town of Malton; your best bet is to drive there, which will take around an hour. It is possible to get a train to Malton, via York.
Read about my visit | Visit the website
York, Newcastle and Leeds (and intu Metrocentre)
If you fancy visiting a nearby city, York, Newcastle and Leeds are all within easy reach. It’s about an hour by car or train to York or Newcastle, with Leeds about 90 minutes away. York is a popular Saturday drinking destination with the locals, so the last train back is usually crowded. The Metrocentre is also a great place to visit if you want to hit the shops, as it’s the largest shopping and leisure centre in the UK.
Getting there: All destinations are accessible from Middlesbrough by train.
Visit the Metrocentre website
Roseberry Topping
One of the most popular destinations for Middlesbrough residents who fancy getting some country air, Roseberry Topping is just a stone’s throw from the town and provides a fantastic view across Teesside. There are some beautiful walks around Roseberry Topping and the hill itself makes for a reasonably challenging climb – definitely tiring if you’re a bit out of shape!
But it’s worth it for the views. I once scrambled up the side of Roseberry Topping and through the quarry (not even up the path) in the snow and remember looking out across the fields in amazement as the light hit the snow, making it look like something out of Lord of the Rings.
Chloe from the New Girl in Toon blog also wrote a great post about her recent visit to Roseberry Topping, with associated food and drink recommendations.
Getting there: It’s a 10 minute drive to the town of Great Ayton and Roseberry Topping is just up the road. Parking is available.
Cleveland Way
A 110 mile walking route across the North York Moors, starting at Helmsley and finishing at Filey, this is a hike full of dramatic scenery and moorland.
There a number of stops for hikers along the way, but I particularly love Lord Stones Café at Carlton, which is a gorgeous farmhouse style café and shop on a country park with camping pods available.
Getting there: There are various points where you can join the Cleveland Way, but both ends of the route are best accessed by car.
Tees Barrage
For adventurous types, Tees Barrage is home to the International White Water Centre where you can go white water rafting, canoeing or kayaking.
Getting there: Tees Barrage is a 10 minute drive from Middlesbrough
Navigation Way, Thornaby-on-Tees TS17 6QA
Visit the website
Speak the language
If you’re going to spend any time in Middlesbrough, you’ll want to get to grips with the local lingo. Check out Love Middlesbrough’s Smogtionary slang dictionary.
Useful links
Love Middlesbrough – the place to find out what’s happening in the town
Middlesbrough Railway Station – station info and timetables
Evening Gazette – local news and more
While this post features some great things to see and do in and around Middlesbrough, it’s by no means comprehensive. So if you’ve got a recommendation for something that isn’t featured here, please do stick it in the comments below.
Image credit: all photos mine except for the first two and the photo of mima, which are by the lovely @borolou
Jenny says
Up the Boro! Such a great emerging arts scene there. Great post 🙂 x
Amy Lord says
Thanks Jenny, agree, I’m loving all the creative stuff right now 🙂
Chris Everest says
Amy,
Please may I use your 5 Orange pips photo on my Facebook Page to terrify my wife that I’m going to put the last page of The Great Gatsby on my terraced house.
I will credit you, name and blog link.
Amy Lord says
Of course, Chris!