2 Best Sights in The Northeast, England

Formerly a grain warehouse and now the country's largest national gallery for contemporary art outside London, the BALTIC (as it's often styled) presents thought-provoking exhibitions by top names and emerging talents. There's no permanent collection, and the temporary installations change regularly, so check the website for details. There are also two great dining options here: the riverside café-bar BALTIC Kitchen and the rooftop restaurant Six.

One of the Northeast's finest art museums merits at least an hour's visit for its selection of 19th- and 20th-century British art. The Pre-Raphaelites are on show, too, as are sculptures by Henry Moore. The Northern Spirit gallery on the ground floor showcases some of the great artists from the region, including John Martin (1759–1854), who produced dramatic biblical landscapes, and siblings William and Mary Beilby, whose beautiful enameled-glass creations became highly prized in their 1770s heyday.