Entertainment and culture - Museums and galleries

England is simply packed full of excellent museums and galleries. Whether you want to explore of our free national collections or have a particular interest in one of our many specialist museums, Museums and Galleries Month (MGM) (www.mgm.org.uk), which takes place from 1 to 31 May, is the perfect time to make that visit.

This year’s MGM takes on a distinctly artier feel, with a new arts programme. Every year the events take a particular theme, and in 2008, it's ‘Ideas and Innovation’. Last year, the theme for the month was ‘People – who are we?’, a look at the relationships between museums and people and their history.

Museums at Night is one of MGM’s most popular events, and this year it takes place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 May. All over England, museums and galleries will hold special late-night events

Nuit des Musees, the European-wide version, will be on Saturday 17 May. Another event not to miss is International Museums Day is on Sunday 18 May.
 
The presentation of The Art Fund Prize (formerly the Gulbenkian Prize) will take place in the last week of May.

MGM will also be hosting a series of debates.
 
For more information on Museums and Galleries Month 2008, visit MGM (www.mgm.org.uk)

North East

The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum (www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ccbm/index.htm) in Middlesbrough whisks you back 200 years for a three year sea voyage in the shoes of a quartermaster. At the Discovery Museum in Newcastle you can see Turbinia, the world’s fastest ship when she was launched in 1897. Or discover Roman England, in a letter written almost 2000 years ago from a mother to her soldier son who was serving on Hadrian’s Wall: just one of the astonishing finds now displayed at Vindolanda (www.vindolanda.com/).

Neither a gallery nor a museum, BALTIC (www.balticmill.com/) Centre for Contemporary Art is a new breed of art space. Housed in a 1950s grain warehouse overlooking the river Tyne, it has four huge display areas to showcase the work of leading international contemporary artists in constantly changing exhibitions.

More about the North East (www.visitnortheastengland.com/)

Yorkshire

The Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford is an impressive Baroque-style gallery offering collections by British and European masters, as well as contemporary Indian and Islamic collections. Take a voyage of discovery at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television (www.nmpft.org.uk/). Explore the 10 free interactive galleries where you can ride on a magic carpet, read the news or look back at your TV favourites from yesteryear.

More info about Yorkshire (www.yorkshirevisitor.com/)

East Midlands

The National Space Centre (www.spacecentre.co.uk/) in Leicester is the UK's largest attraction dedicated to space science and astronomy. The only Charles Rennie Mackintosh House outside of Scotland, 78 Derngate (www.78derngate.org.uk/) is a triumphant feat of design from one of the most admired designers of the 20th Century. Cromford Mill (www.cromfordmill.co.uk/) in Derbyshire is the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill and acclaimed throughout the world as being the first complete factory system.

North West

Discover the history of our national pastime with a visit to The National Football Museum (www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/), Preston, and explore its excellent displays of memorabilia and artefacts. The Lowry Galleries (www.thelowry.com/) in Salford showcase changing exhibitions by one of Britain's best loved artists, LS Lowry, as well as paintings, sculpture and photography by artists of local, national and international renown.

More about the North West (www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com/)