Tiny Toon

Visit Tiny Toon, Old Eldon Square

If your wild child has ever announced, apropos of nothing, that they'd like to drive a train or run a bakery, Tiny Toon is where that particular dream gets to come true. Every summer, Old Eldon Square is transformed into a miniature Newcastle — a scaled-down Metro train and platform, a little Tyne Bridge, tiny versions of local favourites like Pink Lane Bakery and the Tyneside Cinema: all built at exactly the right height for small, ambitious people to take charge of. It's the sort of thing you have to see to quite believe, and it only exists for a few short weeks each year, so it's worth building a morning around.

The lowdown:

• Where: Old Eldon Square, right in the heart of the city

• When: 20th July – 31st August 2026. Monday, Wednesday–Saturday 10am–5pm; Tuesday from 9.30am (with a Toddler Takeover half hour earlier); Sunday 9am–4.30pm, with a gentler, quieter session between 9 and 10am for children who prefer things a little calmer. Last entry is always 30 minutes before closing.

• Cost: Entirely free

• Parking: No dedicated car park, but you're in the city centre — any of the nearby NCP or council car parks will do, or Haymarket and Monument Metro stations are both a short walk away

  
  

Why your wild child will love it: nothing here is precious. It's all designed to be picked up, climbed into and role-played within an inch of its life, with a one-family-in, one-family-out system to keep it from ever feeling too crowded. Pair it with Screen on the Green and the Stay & Play zone nearby, and you've a full, free morning sorted without spending a penny.

Contact: Current dates and daily updates are at getintonewcastle.co.uk.