Museums & heritage in Leeds

Abbey House Museum

Leeds

A free museum by Kirkstall Abbey with reconstructed Victorian streets to wander round.

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Aldborough Roman Site

York

Wander a Roman town's remains with a chance to catch archaeologists mid-dig if your timing's right.

Allerton Castle

Knaresborough

A guided tour round a genuine North Yorkshire castle that only opens its doors one day a week.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookingsFood on site+2 more

Bedern Hall

York

A free medieval hall near York Minster with a squirrel-themed activity trail and a courtyard café for afterwards.

CaféGroup bookingsIndoor seatingWheelchair accessible

Best of Britain – Yorkshire Day Tours

York · ages 5+

A small-group minicoach day out on the North York Moors, with a steam train ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway thrown in.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Bradford · ages 0-5

Free hands-on look at old mill life, with blacksmiths, weavers and spinners working the machinery in front of you.

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Cannon Hall - Museum

Cawthorne

Free entry to a hall packed with sensory toys, plus woodland trails, tepees and a proper adventure playground outside.

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Cartwright Hall

Bradford

Free art galleries in a grand Victorian hall, with a park, boating lake and playground right outside for afterwards.

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Castle Hill

Huddersfield

Climb Victoria Tower on top of Castle Hill for the view over Huddersfield, and change for coins at the door.

Public transport nearbySchool visits

Clifford's Tower, York

York

A steep climb up a Norman mound to a rooftop that opens up the whole of York in one go.

Cusworth Hall Museum

Doncaster

Free entry to a Georgian hall with walking trails, play areas and a peek at the Great Kitchen and chapel paintings.

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Elsecar Heritage Centre

Elsecar

A free wander round shops, cafés and a heritage site, with a beer tap and two tea rooms to fall back on.

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Experience Barnsley Museum & Discovery Centre

Barnsley

Free museum with an Egyptian LEGO trail, a Cleopatra exhibition and a Friday session just for under-5s.

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Harewood Castle

Leeds

A medieval castle ruin in the grounds with three adventure play areas outside and hands-on activities inside the house.

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Hazlewood Castle

Tadcaster

A pre booked history tour round an 11th century castle, plus woodland trails and trail bike hire outdoors.

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Hebden Bridge Cruises

Hebden Bridge · up to age 12

A 50 minute narrowboat cruise along the canal with commentary on history and wildlife, capped at 12 people a trip.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredDog friendlyFood on site+3 more

Houdini's Escape Room Experience - Leeds

Leeds · ages 2-18

Sixty minutes locked in a themed room working through puzzles and riddles as a team, with the game master watching the clock.

Booking requiredCard onlyGroup bookings

Huddersfield Observatory

Huddersfield · ages 0+

Solar telescopes, star talks and beginner astronomy courses run by a members' society meeting twice a month.

ParkingPicnics allowedToilets

Ilkley Manor House

Ilkley

Free self-guided wander round an old manor house with a Roman fort panel to spot, open weekend afternoons.

Group bookings

Kirkstall Abbey

Leeds

A ruined medieval abbey to wander round, with a café for tea and cake once the legs give out.

Baby changeCaféParkingToilets

Leeds Discovery Centre

Leeds

Get behind the scenes of the actual museum store, where the objects normally kept out of sight are stacked and shelved for real.

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Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills

Leeds

A former woollen mill where under-5s get seasonal crafts and drop-in play among the old machinery.

Baby changeParkingToilets

Leeds Minster

Leeds

A free look round a Victorian neo-gothic church, with organ recitals and a family service that doesn't need you to sit still and behave.

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Leeds Playhouse

Leeds · ages 0+

A proper theatre programme for kids, from babe-in-arms shows to youth drama sessions for teens.

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Lotherton

Leeds

Feed the Humboldt penguins, spot capybaras in Wildlife World, then poke round a historic house before cake in the café.

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Marmion Tower

Ripon

A small riverside gatehouse tower in West Tanfield you can climb and wander round for free, near Ripon.

Food on site

Medieval Walls

York

Climb a medieval tower's spiral staircase, work a model portcullis and sow wildflower seeds up on the ramparts.

Mount Sion Steam Crane

Manchester

Free crafts and guided nature or wildlife walks around a historic steam crane site on a Canal Fun Day.

Mountain Goat -York

York · ages 5+

Full-day minibus tours from York out into the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors or Whitby, with a guide doing the driving and the talking.

Booking requiredFood on siteToilets

Multangular Tower

York

Free Roman ruins to wander round in York Museum Gardens, with squirrels, birds and a picnic spot thrown in.

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Museum Gardens

York

Free gardens by the river where kids can hunt squirrels and hedgehogs on a trail quiz between the ruins and the museum.

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National Coal Mining Museum for England

Wakefield · ages 0+

Free entry to a 42 acre former colliery, with the real draw being a guided trip 140 metres underground.

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National Railway Museum

York

Free York train museum - Flying Scotsman vibes, Station Hall and optional Wonderlab.

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National Science and Media Museum

Bradford

Free galleries on photography, film and gaming, plus an interactive light and sound lab and the UK's largest cinema screen.

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Nostell

Wakefield

NT house and parkland near Wakefield - gardens, woodland play and tea-room for a full day.

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Old Queen's Head

Sheffield

A Grade II listed Tudor building in Sheffield with a courtyard to explore and pub food to fill you up after.

Food on siteRestaurant

Opera North, Howard Opera Centre

Leeds

Full opera and youth choruses for kids, with subtitles above the stage and seats from £16.

Wheelchair accessible

Peak Cavern

Castleton

Walk a guided showcave under the gorge with a rope-makers story - chilly low section, from £13.75 online for children.

Booking required

Pictureville Cinema at National Science and Media Museum

Bradford · ages 0-18

A proper cinema screen inside the museum, with IMAX next door if the big kids want the giant screen version.

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Ponden Kirk & Fairy Cave

Keighley

A rocky crevice cave and gritstone outcrop on the moors above Haworth, tied to the Brontë novels.

Pontefract Castle

Pontefract

Ruined castle ruins to scramble round for free, with a playground, dungeon tours and a café that lets dogs in too.

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Red Tower

York

A medieval brick tower on York's old walls that now doubles as a community café and occasional heritage open day spot.

CaféPicnic area

Ripley Castle

Harrogate

A castle tour, a deer park, a walled garden and a lake with rafts, archery and kayaking to try outside.

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Royal Armouries Museum

Leeds

Free armour museum by Leeds Dock - live combats, hands-on kits and a crossbow challenge.

Gift shopFood on siteToiletsWheelchair accessible

Salts Mill

Saltaire

Free art galleries, shops and cafés in a huge Victorian mill, with Hockney's paintings the big draw.

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Shadows of York Ghost Walk

York · ages 8+

A 90 minute guided walk through York's darker history, told with proper storytelling and best kept for kids who can handle a scare.

Booking requiredGroup bookingsParkingWheelchair accessible

Speedwell Cavern

Castleton · ages 5-15

A boat ride into a flooded lead mine to see the Bottomless Pit, down 106 steps in Castleton.

Booking requiredParking

Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre - Canal & River Trust

Huddersfield

Boat trips through Britain's longest canal tunnel, plus a towpath walk and tea and cake afterwards.

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Sunny Bank Mills Gallery

Pudsey

Free gallery of art and textiles with hands-on craft workshops, plus a Saturday mill museum tour if you fancy the history bit too.

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The Bloody Tour of York

York

A 90-minute guided walk through York's snickleways, told through tales of torture, execution and ghostly goings-on.

The Carriageworks Theatre

Leeds · ages 3+

A proper theatre stage in Leeds putting on family shows and film festivals for kids from about age three up.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBlue badge parking

The Cooper Gallery

Barnsley

Free art gallery visits with sensory backpacks to borrow for kids who find busy spaces tricky.

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The Ghost Bus Tours York

York · ages 5+

A 75-minute comedy-horror tour of York's darkest tales aboard a vintage Routemaster bus, with actors playing it up as you go.

Booking required

The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds

Leeds

A proper old theatre in the city centre for a live show, with Secret Seats from £22 if you fancy a gamble on where you sit.

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The Hepworth Wakefield

Wakefield · ages 2-18

Gallery-inspired art making for kids, from the Art Pod to garden building sessions, with under-18s going in free.

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The Middleton Railway

Leeds

A short steam or diesel train ride through Middleton Park, with woodland trails and two engine cabs to climb into.

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The Original Ghost Walk of York

York

A guided night walk round York's haunted spots, starting at 8pm and taking about 75 to 90 minutes on foot.

Card only

The Puzzling World Of Professor Kettlestring

York · ages 5+

Nine trippy, illusion-filled rooms to wander at your own pace, no escape-room clock ticking over your shoulder.

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The Royal Dragoon Guards Museum and Regimental Association

York

A small military history museum in York with tanks, battle honours and regimental artefacts spanning 1685 to now.

Accessible toiletGift shopToiletsWheelchair accessible

The York Dungeon

York · ages 5+

Ten live-actor shows walk you through York's grislier history, dark rooms, jump scares and all, in a 75-minute loop.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredToiletsWheelchair accessible

Tiger Moth Experience

Leeds

A real flight in an open cockpit biplane, with a go at the controls and a pilot's uniform for the photos.

Booking requiredCafé

Treak Cliff Cavern

Castleton · ages 5-17

A 45-minute self-guided walk into a real cavern hung with Blue John stone, but it's steps and slopes, not a pram job.

ParkingToiletsCaféGift shop+1 more

Wakefield Museum

Wakefield

Free museum with craft Saturdays and a weekly Museum Minis session for the under-fives, no ticket needed.

Breastfeeding friendlyCaféDog friendlyHearing loop+2 more

West Yorkshire Astronomical Society

Pontefract

Open nights with planetarium shows and real telescope observing, run in small groups so nobody's just staring at the back of someone's head.

Booking required

Wizard Walk of York

York · ages 3-10

A guided wizard-themed walk round York's streets, about an hour and a quarter of stops, stories and a photo at the end.

Booking requiredPushchair friendly

Wortley Top Forge

Sheffield · ages 0-16

A working water-powered forge with real waterwheels turning, plus a miniature steam railway to ride round the site.

Accessible toiletBaby changePicnic areaPicnics allowed+1 more

York Castle Museum

York · ages 5+

A recreated Victorian street and two real prisons to poke about in, best tackled with kids who can walk the whole thing themselves.

CaféToiletsWheelchair accessibleBaby change+1 more

York Mansion House

York · ages 0+

A working Georgian townhouse with puzzle trails and daily cooking demos, best tackled as a short indoor stop rather than a full morning.

Yorkshire Museum

York

York museum in Museum Gardens - Romans, Vikings and dinosaurs without Soft Play.

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