The Dead Dog Gallery at Durham Sixth Form Centre

The name alone stops you in your tracks - The Dead Dog Gallery sounds like something you'd find in a David Lynch film, but it's actually a proper contemporary art space tucked inside Durham Sixth Form Centre. It's a working gallery that takes itself seriously, with rotating exhibitions that punch above the weight you'd expect from a sixth-form venue. Young artists and emerging talent get shown here alongside more established names, and the standard is genuinely decent.

What you're doing is wandering through white-walled exhibition space, seeing whatever's on at the moment - could be paintings, installations, photography, mixed media. There's no permanent collection to speak of; it's all about what's being shown. The atmosphere's refreshingly unpretentious. You won't feel like you need a degree to understand what you're looking at, though some pieces will definitely make you think.

Historically it's become a real fixture in Durham's arts scene, punching well above what you might assume a school-based gallery could manage. If you're into contemporary work and you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Durham Grange is just two miles away, or Finchale Abbey if you want something slightly more rural - it's worth the short drive into the city itself.

Call ahead though. Opening times vary, and whether there's actually an exhibition on changes regularly. It's free to get in, which helps, but you don't want a wasted trip. Best for art types and people who actually engage with what they're looking at rather than just ticking off attractions.