ONE of the region’s top visitor attractions will be open on two evenings next month.

Beamish Museum, near Stanley in County Durham, is taking part in the national Museums at Night Festival, which is organised by Culture24 to encourage more people to visit museums and galleries.

The award-winning open air museum, which is dedicated to the North-East’s industrial heritage, will slash its admission price from £17.50 for an adult to £5 .

On Friday and Saturday May 18 and 19 between 6 and 9pm visitors will be able to visit the museum’s Pit Village - the other exhibits will be closed - and see what mining communities did in their free time.

A museum spokeswoman said: "We are trying to demonstrate how miners and their families spent their leisure time.

"Because it’s the evening, we’ll have a miner working in his garden on his leek trench and we’ll have a brass band playing.

"The fish and chip shop will be open and we are having a beer tent where there will be things like Shove Ha’penny tp have a go at. "

Visitors will also be able to have a go at making proggy mats and see the village’s Methodist Church.

Visitors can also go underground at the drift mine.

The spokeswoman said: "Because it is the first time we have done a Museums at Nught event, we thought we would try it with just Pit Village.

"It is an area that is often under-rated but it is a great area. It is about the region "Museums at Night is a national event but we thought we would give it a go.’’ Tickets are £5 per person (under 5s are free) and should be booked in advance at the Beamish website, www.beamish.org.uk or by calling 0191-370 4000.