Blyth Gallery

Amazon house, Brazil Street, Manchester (tel: 0161 236 1004)

Journeys

A collection inspired by real and imagined journeys by painters Jan Cartain and Ingrid Karlsson-Jones including works reflecting Ingrid's Swedish culture.

Runs until Saturday, open Mon to Fri, 10am-5pm and Saturday 11am-3pm

Bury Art Gallery & Museum

Moss Street, Bury (tel: 0161 253 5878)

Ideas

An exhibition taking a fresh look at the usual seasonal craft show with some of the most innovative and contemporary designers and artists displaying a selection of goods including funky recycled rubber bags, lights made of household objects and a table with saws for legs.

Runs until January 11, 2003, open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, admission free

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery

Terrace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire (tel: 01298 24658)

John Brokenshire and Emma Critchlow-Wigg

Two young artists with contrasting styles come together to explore their passionate belief in the value of contemporary painting.

Runs until Saturday, open Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am-5.30pm, Saturday, 9.30am-5pm, ground floor admission free and 1st floor adults £1 and conc. 50p, family ticket £2

Cadishead Library

Liverpool Road, Cadishead, Salford (tel: 0161 775 2934) Kill or Cure - Medicine Through The Ages. This exhibition features on all manner of medical paraphernalia including artefacts and information on all kinds of medicine, surgery, old wives remedies and electric shock treatment.

Runs until Sunday, December 1, open daily, adm free.

Gallery of Costume

Platt Hall, Rusholme, Manchester (0161 234 1456)

The Needle's Excellency: 17th Century Dress and Embroidery. An exhibition concentrating on needlework and embroidery skills and featuring some of the Gallery's earliest and rarest items including a jewel bright women's cap and matching forehead cloth dating back to 1600.

Runs until 2003

The Art of Elegance: Women's Dress 1740-1860

An exhibition illustrating the extravagance and sophistication of 18th century fashion with large scale silk damasks, delicate women muslins and sumptuous coloured wedding dresses.

Runs until 2003

Cover Up

A lively and interactive display featuring galoshes, sou'westers, firefighters' helmets and boxing gloves.

Runs until 2003

A Suit of Her Own: A History of the Working Women's Wardrobe

A look at the development of the women's tailored suit from the end of the 19th century when women began to strive for equality with men in the work place and covering the period 1895 to 1918,

Runs until 2003

Quant to Westwood: Fashion Since the Sixties. A display featuring designer outfits from 1960 to 1998 with pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Mary Quant, Biba, Ossie Clark and Zandra Rhodes.

Runs until 2003, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm, adm free

Gallery Oldham

Greaves Street, Oldham (tel: 0161 911 4653)

CleanRooms

An exhibition challenging the science of biotechnology and its secretive and sinister image. The exhibition asks the audience to decide how far they would go with the new powers of genetic manipulation.

Runs until Sunday, November 30, open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, admission free

Grosvenor Museum

27 Grosvenor Street, Chester

After the Ball: Fashions 1900-1914

A must for followers of the recent television series The Edwardian Country House, this exhibition displays fashions from above and below the stairs from the early 20th century.

Open Monday to Saturday, 10.30am-5pm, Sunday, 2pm-5pm, admission free

Harris Museum and Art Gallery

Market Square, Preston (tel: 01772 258248).

In Focus

An exhibition of historic photographs of Preston's Caribbean Community marking Black History Month 2002.

Runs until January 4 2003

The Art of the Print

A wide range of material including 16th and 17th century European engravings, 18th century Brtish caricatures, 19th century colour-woodblock prints from Japan and 20th century material.

Runs until April 12 2003

Rites of Passage

A collection of Christening, wedding and mourning dress in the Victorian era showing a large display of 19th century costumes.

Runs until October 18, 2003, open Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, adm free

Liverpool Tate

Albert Dock, Liverpool (tel: 0151 702 7400).

Pin-up - Art and Celebrity Since The Sixties. The changing face of glamour and celebrity from Pop art to the present.

Runs until Sunday, open daily (except Mon) 10am-5.45pm, adm free

Liverpool Biennial: International 2002

30 artists exhibiting work using the city of Liverpool as a specific cultural contest. Runs until Sunday, open daily (except Mon) 10am-5.45pm, admission £4 and £3 conc

Manchester Art Gallery

Mosley Street, Manchester (tel: 0161 235 8888)

Enjoy family fun in the interactive gallery with lively exhibits and multi-media facilities or join in the talks and tours about the exhibitions.

Imagine. An interactive exhibition especially for children and families exploring the relationship between art, stories and the imagination.

Runs until January 12, 2003, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm, adm free

Prints and Drawings from Picasso's Paris

A collection of prints and drawings by the masters who flocked to Paris during the 20th century, including Modigliani from Italy, Ernst from Germany and Picasso from Spain.

Runs until February 9, 2003, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm, adm free

Manchester Museum

University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester (tel: 0161 275 2634)

Uncover the mysteries of Ancient Egypt or marvel at the dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts while discovering the world of neotropical frogs, or learn about cultures from around the world or find out how the human body functions in one of the finest university museums in the country.

Open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays, 11-4pm, adm free

The Beatles Story

Britannia Vaults, Albert Dock, Liverpool (tel: 0151 709 1963)

Experience the most sensational story the pop world has ever known in the City where it all began and relive the Fab Four's rise to fame walking through Abbey Road, imagining the White Room and seeing real costumes on display.

Open daily, 10am-6pm, adults £7.95, children £4.95, conc. £5.45 and £19 for a family ticket with upto 3 children

Merseyside Maritime Museum and HM Customs & Excise Museum

Albert Dock, Liverpool (tel: 0151 478 4499)

Blue Funnel to China: For over a century after its foundation in 1865, the Blue Funnel Line was the premier Liverpool shipping company trading to China.

This exhibition looks mainly at the museum's extensive collection of material including posters, film, ship models and personal items from the crew including introducing key characters involved in the story such as Alfred Holt, the inventor of the long distance engineer and former seafarers who still remember the company today.

Runs until February 24 2003, open daily 10am-5pm, adm free

Museum of Chemical Industry

Mersey Road, Widnes, Cheshire (tel: 0151 420 1121)

Discover the world of science and technology with over 100 hands-on exhibits for all the family including quizzes, puzzles and touch-screen computers, interactive exhibits and displays bringing chemistry to life.

Open Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm, adults £4.65, children £3.40 and conc. £3.95, family ticket £13.95

Museum of Science and Industry

Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester (tel: 0161 832 1830)

Spirit of the Games. Experience the themes and the theatre of the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games and see the extraordinary costumes and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Baton.

Runs until Sunday, open daily 10am-5pm, adm free

The Baby: See a rebuild of The Baby, the world's first computer developed in Manchester in 1948 and an ancestor of today's PCs and laptops.

Open daily, 10am-5pm, adm to the permanent galleries free

Science Tunnel

Enter the Tunnel for an incredible journey of scientific discover and hidden worlds and discover a fascinating field of scientic research with zoom effects and a chance to inspect the smallest particles of matter and the largest structures in the universe.

Runs until January 26 2003, open daily 10am-5pm, £3 or £2 conc.

Museum of Transport

Boyle Street, Manchester (tel: 0161 205 2122)

Learn all about transport in Greater Manchester from 1800 to the present day.

From the world's first horsedrawn bus service to the multi-million Metrolink system Greater Manchester has always been at the forefront of public transport operating a comprehensive network of bus, train and Metrolink services cover over 1600 route miles.

Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm

Norton Museum and Gardens

Tudor Road, Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire (tel: 01928 569895)

Something for the Collections

An insight into the life throughout the ages at Norton Priory.

Runs until January 14, 2003, open daily, 12 noon-4pm, £3.95 for adults, others £2.75 and children under 5 free

Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery

High Street, Uppermill, Oldham (tel: 01457 874093)

Christmas Carnival

The first carnival day of the year suitable for all the family - with brass bands, carol singers and bell ringers for the grown-ups and face painting, quizzes and family boxes for the children and a chance to visit Santa in his Grotto and receive a free present. And to top it all a one-horse sleigh...with a real horse!

Sunday, 1pm-4pm,

Leach & Gray Exhibition of New Work

Alyson Leach and Jack Gray display a mixture of emotive, powerful and often dark images of the human form and subjects from still life to landscape.

Runs until Sunday, open daily, 1pm-4pm

Tate Liverpool

Albert Dock, Liverpool (tel: 0151 702 7400)

Liverpool Biennial International 2002

Runs until Sunday, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5.50pm

Artists from around the world are brought together in a celebration of the fresh and most innovative elements of visual culture using the city as a specific cultural context for their work.

Runs until Sunday, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5.50pm

The National Football Museum

Deepdale Stadium, Preston (tel: 01772 908 442)

Take a trip to football heaven and begin the journey through football history learning the story of football using the latest technology with an interactive exhibition and viewing the finest display of football memorabilia in the world. In the second half you can play the game and test your skills on the interactive exhibits, then join Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen on Match of the Day and enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday 11am-5pm, adults £6.95 and children, 5 to 15 years old, £4.95 and children free

The Portico Library & Gallery

Mosley Street, Manchester (tel: 0161 236 6785)

The Moving Hand Writes...

An exhibition exploring the development of handwriting from the 19th century to the present day with books, documents and artefacts on show.

Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am-4.30pm and every 3rd Sunday of the month, 1pm-4pm admission free

The World of Glass

Chalon Way East, St Helens, (tel: 08707 444 777)

Experience the miracle of sand and fire and witness the skills involved in a turning a ball of glass into a beautiful object and the art of glassblowing.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm, adults £5, children £3.60 conc. £3.60, Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children £15 or 1 adult and 2 children £10

Turnpike Gallery

Civic Square, Leigh (tel: 01942 404469)

Little Rituals

Suki Chan is exhibiting a series of works including A Midsummer's Daydream and a mixed media installation created as part of her residency at Plastique Kinetic Worms in Singapore.

Runs from Saturday until January 18 2003, open Mon, Thu and Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Tue 10am-5.30pm, Wed 9.30am-5pm and Sat 10am-3pm, admission free

Wigan Pier

Wigan (tel: 01942 323666)

The King of Rock and Roll

An exciting exhibition celebrating the life of Elvis and his music.

Runs until Thursday, open Monday to Thursday, 10am-5pm and Sunday 11am-5pm, adults £7.50 and conc. £5.95Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Peel Park Crescent, Salford (tel: 0161 736 2649)

Life Times

A variety of Life Times projects have been going on around the city over the last 2 years and many memories, photographs and stories about the history of the city have come to light.

Runs until Tuesday, May 6 2003, open Monday to Friday, 10am-4.45pm and Saturday and Sunday 1pm-5pm, adm free