Barton Arcade Deansgate, City Center Between Deansgate and St. Ann's Square Free Admission Beautifully restored Victorian glass arcade with shops and offices.

Boddingtons Brewery Tours 32 Great Ducie Street (0161) 819 1161 Mon-Sat 11:30-11:00; Sunday Noon-3:00 Free Admission. Tours available By Appointment Mon-Thur 11, 4, & 7. Fri. 11 & 4. Boddingtons Brewery has been located on the outskirts of Manchester since 1778 and has been brewing the famous "Cream of Manchester" since 1853, when Henry Boddington became sole proprietor. Boddingtons is still brewed today using traditional techniques and the traditional recipe, including its own strain of yeast and a blend of English hops that have made it famous since its early days. The Brewery Tap is the Boddington's merchandise retail center for the UK, where you will find a full range of Boddingtons memorabilia as well as fine food and a pint.

Cathedral Ddaily 7.30am-6pm; Free organ recitals Thurs at 1pm This is the third church on this site since its founding in the ninth century. A fragment of stone by the choir and a 14th century arch by the tower are all that remain of the earlier structures.

The famed widest nave in England (114ft, as opposed to York Minster's 106ft) is a result of wealthy families adding side chapels to the fifteenth-century church, which were later opened out to provide space for Manchester's large 19th population of worshippers.

A 1000lb bomb in 1940 damaged the interior, knocking out most of the stained glass and necessitated the complete restoration of the fine misericords, which depict dragon-slaying as well as more mundane scenes - backgammon players and a calf butcher among them. The 1996 bomb did relatively minor damage, now largely restored

Central Reference Library City Center, overlooking St. Peters Square. Free Admission. Circular neo-classical building with elegant reading room. Books on every subject, including technical subjects, law, local history, foreign languages. Newspaper and magazine archives, commercial library with European information. Frequent exhibitions of local interest and the Library Theatre and cafe in the basement.

Dunham Massey Altrincham WA14 4J (0161) 941 1025 9 and a half miles Southwest of central Manchester. Free Admission to the park. Georgian House set in 101 hectare wooded deer park. Library, stables, moat, working mill, orange grove, garden, shrubs, rare, late-flowering azaleas.

Greater Manchester Police Museum Bewton Street, M1 1ES (0161) 856 3287 Tue 10:30-3:30 Other weekdays by appointment. Free Admission. The museum is set in a Victorian police station and features 150 years of police history and a collection of police uniforms from around the world.

Heaton Park (0161) 773 1085 Four miles North of central Manchester. Accessible via Metrolink. Free Admission. 600 acre park with boating lake, pets corner, golf course, working tram. Neo-classical Heaton Hall is the venue for music events. Concerts and events held in the park during the summer.

Hollingworth Lake Country Park Rakewood Road, Littleborough, Rochdale (01706) 373421 13 miles Northwest of central Manchester. Free Admission. Lake with watersports facilities. Two and a quarter mile walk around the lake. See waterfowl, view of Pennines and M62 motorway.

Jodrell Bank Science Center and Arboretum Macclesfield, Cheshire (01477) 571339 16 miles South of Manchester Displays on astronomy and the universe with activities for children.

The Lowry Pier 8, Salford Quays, M5 2BH (0161) 876 2000 9:30 to Midnight Free Admission for the Lowry Collection.

Manchester Jewish Museum 190 Cheetham Hill Road, M8 8LW (0161) 834 9879 Mon-Thu 10:30-4:00; Sun 10:30-5:00. Friday by prior arrangement for groups. Admission charged. Manchester's Jewish history is recorded and displayed in this museum, housed in the restored Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. Exhibitions show everyday life in the community back to the 1740s. Education program, demonstrations, music and talks. Please apply for a calendar of events.

The Manchester Museum The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL (0161) 275 2634 Mon-Sat 10:00-5:00 Free Admission. Travel through time and discover ancient civilizations. Come and see the 2000-year-old Egyptian mummies and the footprint of a Mancunian dinosaur! Also, live snakes and crocodiles..

Manchester United Museum & Trophy Room Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA (0161) 877 4002 Tue-Sun 9:30-4:00 Admission charged, under fives go free. Tours Not Included In Admission Price. When the Manchester United Museum & Trophy Room opened in 1986, it was Britain's first football museum. It covers the history of United from its inception in 1878 up to the present day, in words, pictures, sound and visual presentations. There are more than 1000 frequently updated exhibits as well as a full program of exhibitions. Guided tours of the stadium are held at regular times each day the museum is open.

Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester Liverpool Road, Castlefield, M3 4FP (0161) 832 1830 Every day (except 24/25/26 Dec) 10:00-5:00 Admission charged An award-winning museum with interactive exhibits, details about Manchester, the world's first industrial city, replicas and exhibits about planes that made flying history and an outstanding program of changing exhibitions.

Museum of Transport Boyle Street, Cheetham M8 8UW Sat, Sun, Wed and Bank Holidays 10:00-5:00 Admission charged. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation of public road transport in Greater Manchester from horse-drawn bus to Metrolink. Small exhibits and archives. Special event days. Gift shop and tea rooms.

Pankhurst Center 60-62 Nelson Street, Chorlton-on-medlock M13 9WP (0161) 273 5673 Mon-Fri 10:00-3:00 Free Admission. Number 62 is one of the two Georgian houses where the Women's Social and Political Union was formed in 1903. The Pankhurst Parlour and the gardens are in Edwardian style. Suffrage Movement exhibition. Resources for women including meeting rooms, exhibition space, craft workshops and childcare area.

The Pump House: People's History Museum Left Bank, Bridge Street M3 3ER (0161) 839 6061 Tue-Sun and Bank Holidays Mon 11:00-4:30 Admission charged. Friday - Free Admission To All. Exhibitions and displays reconstruct the lives of ordinary people of the past 200 years, from Victorian cotton workers to today's footballers. The Pump House also has a unique collection of banners. Guided tours available for groups.

St Ann's Square, located off the eastern side of Deansgate, was severely damaged by the IRA bomb in 1996 but since its restoration has emerged to provide an anchor for the remarkable transformation taking place between it and the cathedral to the north. On the western side of the square, is the entrance to the Barton Arcade, a Victorian shopping gallery which runs through to Deansgate.

St Ann's Church South side of St. Ann's Square Daily 8am-6pm Baptismal church of Thomas De Quincey . Built in 1712, its lovely Renaissance interior was restored under the masterful direction of Alfred Waterhouse at the end of the nineteenth century, contains strikingly beautiful stained glass.

The church is fronted by a statue of nineteenth-century Free Trader Richard Cobden, joint leader with John Bright of the Anti Corn Law League which finally forced the repeal in 1846 of the restrictive Corn Laws.

Royal Exchange Houses the famous Royal Exchange Theatre, the country's largest theater-in-the-round, constructed of steel and glass under the building's immense glass-domed roof. Formerly the Cotton Exchange, this building employed seven thousand people until trading finished on December 31, 1968. The old trading board still shows the last day's prices for American and Egyptian cotton. Also inside are a bookshop and crafts gallery, a café/restaurant and the Royal Exchange Shopping Center: three floors of shops and cafés.

Arts and Entertainment:

Manchester's highly regarded orchestra, The Hallé (under principal conductor, Kent Nagano), is based at the Bridgewater Hall and several other venues, including the city's churches and its cathedral. The orchestra stages classical concerts throughout the year.

The Cornerhouse is the local arts mainstay, while a full range of mainstream and fringe theatres produce a year-round program of events.

The biggest annual fest is autumn's Manchester Festival, an arts and TV extravaganza, with events in the city's clubs, theatres and open spaces.

The Irish Festival each March celebrates the city's Irish links.

Bridgewater Hall Lower Mosley Street, at the junction with Great Bridgewater Street. (0161) 907 9000 Home of the Hallé (founded 1857) and the Manchester Camerata (the acclaimed chamber orchestra); also sponsors a full program of chamber, classical and jazz concerts.

Contact Theatre 15 Oxford Rd (0161) 274 4400 One of the most innovative theatre companies, puts on predominantly modern works.

Cornerhouse 70 Oxford St (0161) 228 2463 Arts center with three cinema screens, changing art exhibitions, recitals, talks, bookshop, café and bar.

Green Room 54-56 Whitworth St West (0161) 950 5900 Rapidly changing program that includes dance, mime and cabaret.

Library Theatre St. Peter's Square (0161) 236 7110 Classic drama and new writing, in a theatre beneath the Central Library.

Royal Exchange Theatre Upper Campfield Market, Deansgate (0161) 833 9833 Also city-center box office in Albert Square . Mon-Sat 10-7:30 The Royal Exchange continues to put on high-quality theatre productions.

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) 124 Oxford Rd (0161) 273 4504 Stages top-quality classical and modern jazz concerts, including performances by Manchester Camerata.

Virgin Multiplex, Salford Quays (0161) 873 7155 Showing the latest mainstream-cinema releases.

Art Galleries:

Blyth Gallery Amazon House, Brazil Street, M1 3PJ (0161) 236 1004 Life, paintings and sketches by Paul Brotherton, depicting city life and wild life.

Castlefield Gallery 5 Campfield Avenue Arcade (Off Deansgate) M3 4FN (0161) 832 8034 Tue-Fri 10:30-5:00, Sat & Sun 12-5:00. Free Admission.. An artist-run contemporary art gallery with a changing program of exhibitions and education events. Works available for sale. Slide index with information about artists in the North West.

City Art Galleries Moseley Street M2 3JL (0161) 236 7369 Mon 11:00-5:30; Tue-Sat 10:00-5:30; and Sun 2:00-5:30 Free Admission. The City Art Galleries are known for their collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics and decorative arts, including an internationally famous collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. An exhibition program, focusing on contemporary art, is featured in the adjoining Princess Street Gallery. Cafe and gift shop.

Colin Jellicoe Gallery Portland Street (0161) 236 2716 Drawings, paintings and graphics by Northwest based artists.

The Cornerhouse 70 Oxford Street M1 5NH (0161) 228 2463 (Cafe) every day 11:00-8:30 (Galleries) Tue-Sat 11:00-6:00 and Sun 2:00-6:00 Free Admission. Manchester's center for international cinema and the visual arts. Its three galleries have changing exhibitions of contemporary art, sculpture and photography. Three cinemas, bookshops, bar, cafe and cappuccino bar.

CUBE - Center for the Understanding of the Built Environment 113-115 Portland Street M1 6FB (0161) 237 5525 Tues-Fri 12:00-5:30, Sat-Sun 12-4:00 Free Admission. Manchester's award winning center for architecture and design. CUBE hosts a variety of exhibitions and events of interest to both specialist and popular audiences.

The Gallery Portland Street; (0161) 237 3551 Specializes in work by Northern artists, mixed and solo exhibitions.

The Lowry Pier 8, Salford Quays, M5 2BH; 0161 876 2000 9:30 to Midnight Admission Free for the Lowry Collection.

MMU Contemporary Art Galleries Faculty of Art & Design, Grosvenor Building Cavendish Street, M15 5BR; (0161) 247 1708 Mon-Fri 10:00- 4:00 Free Admission. There are three galleries at the Manchester Metropolitan University: the John Holden, the Righton, and the Aytoun Gallery, each showing a range of visual art and design reflecting a range of the faculty's academic programs.

Royal Northern College of Music 124 Oxford Road M13 9RB Everyday from 10:00-Midnight Free Admission. Occasional art and sculpture exhibitions, sometimes with a musical connection.

Salford Art Gallery Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford (0161) 736 2649 Frequent buses from the city center stop outside the museum, while trains from Oxford Road station and Metrolink trams from St Peter's Square take just seven minutes to reach Salford Crescent, a couple of minutes' walk from the museum. Mon-Fri 10:00- 4:45; Sat and Sun 1-5 Free Admission. No artist is more closely linked with an English city than Lowry is with Manchester, now home to the most extensive Lowry exhibition in the country.

Salford Museum and Art Gallery In Peel Park next to the university. Mon-Fri 10-4.45; Sun 1-5 Free Admission. Illustrates Lowrey's early views on the desolation and sadness of Manchester's mill workers and his changing outlook in later life when he repeated earlier paintings changing the greys and browns to lively reds and pinks. Lowry also expanded his repertoire as he grew older, capturing mountain scenes and seascapes in broad sweeps of his brush, and painting full-bodied realistic portraits which are far less known than his matchstick crowds. In addition to the Lowry exhibition, the museum has an impressive Victorian art collection, a gallery for temporary exhibitions and, on the ground floor, and an authentic reproduction of a nineteenth-century street.

The Whitworth Art Gallery The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M15 6ER (0161) 275 7450 Mon-Sat 10:00-5:00; Sun 2:00-5:00 Free Admission. Home to internationally famous collections of British watercolors, textiles and wallpapers as well as an impressive range of modern and historic prints, drawings, paintings and sculpture. Temporary exhibitions throughout the year. The recently opened Mezzanine Court provides a new venue for sculpture.