Conversation Piece

The gallery sits in Whitley Bay, a seaside town that's seen better days but still pulls in families wanting somewhere different from the usual coastal routine. Conversation Piece is a contemporary art space that takes itself seriously without the stuffiness you'd find in a city gallery.

What you're getting here is rotating contemporary work - paintings, installations, occasionally sculpture. It's the kind of place where the art actually makes you stop and think rather than just walk past. The scale is intimate, which means you won't spend hours wandering around lost, but equally you won't feel rushed through either.

Families with older kids and art-minded types will get the most from a visit. Younger children might find it a bit slow-paced unless there's something particularly visual on. Allow an hour, ninety minutes maximum if you're actually reading the notes.

It's free entry, which counts for something when you're plotting a rainy-day itinerary. You're bang in the middle of decent caravan territory too - Parkdean Resorts Whitley Bay Holiday Park is under five miles away, and the Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite another mile further. Both are solid bases for a week playing the North East coast.

Combine this with a walk along the seafront at Whitley Bay itself, grab chips from one of the proper old-school places, and you've got a decent half-day sorted. It's not a destination on its own, but it slots nicely into a broader coastal holiday.