Leicester Print Workshop

The Leicester Print Workshop sits in the heart of the city, a proper working studio where you can actually watch printmakers at their craft rather than just gawp at finished pieces behind glass. It's the kind of place that works brilliantly if you've got a genuine interest in how relief printing, screen printing, and letterpress actually happen - watching someone pull a print off the press is genuinely absorbing.

You'll want to allow an hour or so, maybe longer if you're the type to chat with the artists about their process. Admission details aren't entirely clear online, so ring ahead before you go - it's worth checking whether they've got any demonstrations running on the day you visit. Families with older kids who aren't entirely switched off by art will find it far more engaging than a passive gallery experience. Younger children might lose interest after twenty minutes, to be honest.

If you're basing yourself at one of the nearby parks - Bradgate Park is just under five miles away and genuinely excellent for walking - the workshop makes a cracking indoor option on a rainy afternoon. Green Acres Caravan Park and Cossiwild Camping are equally close, both top-rated spots. It ties in nicely with a Leicester city break without feeling like a tourist trap. The workshop gives you actual insight into a dying craft, which beats most museum exhibits.