Catalyst Museum, everything you need to know
Have you visited the Catalyst museum in Widnes yet? If not read on to find out everything you need to know about visiting this museum with kids. Find more great Family days out in the North West here.
Ad – We have visited Catalyst twice. We paid the first time and were invited back the second time. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
Where is Catalyst Science and Discovery Centre and Museum?
Catalyst is located in Widnes in the North of Cheshire. The address is:
Mersey Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0DF
There is a good size free car park.
How much does it cost to visit Catalyst?
Adult – £10.95, Child or Concession – £8.95
Children 3 and under are admitted free
Workshops and science shows are £2.50 per ticket.
These prices are correct as of January 2025. All tickets are annual passes.
What age is Catalyst suitable for?
Catalyst is designed for key stage 1, 2 and 3. There are bits that children of all ages will explore. we have visited when our kids were between the ages of 6 and 11 and they have always loved it. We saw plenty of younger children too. There is definitely something to appeal to all ages.
How Long do families typically spend at Catalyst?
We were here for approximately 2 hours (without workshops and shows. I can see us going back later in the year with our annual pass and spending 1-2 hours here.
The bath bomb workshop and Super cool science show lasts about 40 minutes each.
Facilities at Catalyst
As well as the museum and play area, there is a cafe, toilets and a small science shop. Catalyst has been designed with all visitors in mind, with ramped access to the front door, a lift to all floors, an accessible cafe, shop and a ‘Changing Places’ facility.
Interactive gallery
This area is by far the best part of this museum. We spent the majority of our visit in this area. We did visit other areas but they aren’t anywhere near as good as this one. This is the ground floor gallery and the first space you come to.
When you first step into the gallery you notice how much cool stuff there is for kids. It’s not a huge space and I didn’t think we’d end up spending as long as we did in it but there is loads packed in. All the activities kept our children engaged for ages.
There are experiments that use thermal cameras, solar power, a green screen where children can appear in their own weather forecast and this table with 6 different circuit experiments for kids to learn about electricity.
The experiment above was very popular which includesscarfs that can be put into these tubes and the suction sends them all through the maze of tubes.
Another set of stations my girls loved was creating stop motion videos. There is a space one, a farm one and letters. The camera and software that creates the little videos is easy to use and my kids loved watching the videos they created.
We also really love the large tables with interactive screens on them. Here you can have a go at making glass, creating a carbon neutral world and making elements. It’s really fun with cute illustrations and a fun computer game with of learning about creating electricity, glass and more.
Other learning includes time lapse videos of potatoes sprouting, a wind machine, lots of small puzzles and a smelling station.
Birth of an industry exhibition
This is the gallery on the first floor. It is packed with information on the chemical industry. There are a few interactive parts and a small dressing-up area but in all honesty our kids pretty much marched straight threw this area.
Observatory Gallery
On the top floor, there is a glass observatory with views over Widnes and the river Mersey.
There are quite a few interactive exhibits up here too. However, in comparison to the interactive gallery on the ground floor, they are a little dated, well used or broken.
We did spend a bit of time up here looking at the bridges over the river, building a model of the layers of a rubbish dump and putting together a jigsaw of the area.
Workshops and shows at Catalyst
During school holidays and many weekends, there are optional science workshops and shows. These cost an extra £2.50 per person.
We attended a bath bomb workshop which is in a real chemistry lab! This is a regular workshop because the building used to be a soap factory. The workshop starts with a bit about the history of the building, the importance of soap and a fun little experiment with test tubes.
Next you are told how to create your own bath bomb with scent and colouring. The workshop lasts about 40 minutes and my 8 and 11 year old really enjoyed it. There were also younger children at the workshop too.
We also watched the Super Cool Science show which lasts 40 minutes and is in a small theatre. The show covers lots of fun facts about temperature and is really interactive with lots of opportunities for kids to get involved.
There is a thermal camera which was really popular and a really cool bit at the end with colour changing flames.
Playground at Catalyst
There is a small playground right outside Catalyst. There is a large slide built into a slope, smaller slide and climbing frame for young children and a couple of bigger climbing structures for older kids.
Catalyst is right on the edge of Spike island where you can take a walk and there is a larger wooden play frame for older kids including a zip wire.
Cafe at Catalyst
There is a simple little cafe on the ground floor. The food is really reasonably priced and we really enjoyed our paninis.
The future of Catalyst
As I mentioned above, some of the upper floors of Catalyst are in need of attention to make them as amazing at the ground floor interactive gallery, shows and workshops.
I was really excited to see plans for doing this using a £1 million National Lottery Funding to do just this. I look forward to hearing more and seeing the finished galleries.
Our verdict
We enjoyed both of our visit to Catalyst. My children loved all the interactive science activities, bath bomb workshop and super cool science show. If you’re in the area and looking for somewhere to spend a couple of hours then this is a great option.
I also think if you are local then the annual pass is great value. I’m sure you’ll be back to enjoy low cost days out with the different workshops and shows that run in school holidays.
Find out more and book your tickets here – Catalyst Science Discovery Centre
Where to next?
Find loads of fun things to do with toddlers in Liverpool here.
Find our BeWILDerwood Cheshire review here.
Find more indoor attractions in Cheshire here – Things to do in Cheshire in the rain
Always looking for inspiration for family days out across the North West? Join the Family Days Out North West Facebook group to be part of a community sharing the best family days out across the region. Join here.
