North East Lincolnshire Archives

The Archives sits in Cleethorpes, a few miles inland from the seafront, housed in a building that doesn't scream 'must visit' from the outside. But if you're even slightly curious about local history - or you've got wet weather to kill during a beach holiday - it's absolutely worth an hour of your time.

Inside, you'll find documents, photographs, and maps charting North East Lincolnshire's past, from medieval times through the industrial boom and right up to the modern day. It's the sort of place where you can trace your family tree if you're into that, or just stumble across old postcards of Cleethorpes as it was fifty years ago. The staff know their stuff and actually enjoy talking about what they've got.

Families with older kids will get more from it than the under-tens crowd - there's no interactive nonsense here, just proper archive material. History buffs will linger longest, especially anyone researching local connections. Even if you're not obsessed with genealogy, the photographs alone tell you something worth knowing about how ordinary people lived around here.

Staying at Haven Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park puts you within easy reach. Weather forcing you off the beach? Pop in for a couple of hours. Don't expect to lose an afternoon here, but don't write it off either. It's the kind of local spot that genuinely adds something to a trip if you're paying attention.