Leeds Discovery Centre

What it’s like

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

This isn't a museum with roped-off cases and a gift shop at the end. It's the actual store, the bit where thousands of objects live when they're not on display somewhere grander, and you get to walk round in it. Kids can get close to objects rather than squinting at them through glass, and there are family sessions and workshops built around that idea of poking about where you're not usually allowed.

If your kids are the sort who like poking about in cupboards or asking what's behind the door marked private, this scratches that itch properly. It's less about a polished trail with big buttons to press and more about the genuine clutter of a working store, which is its own kind of fascinating if that's what your family's into.

Everything here needs booking ahead, whether it's a tour, a workshop or one of the family sessions. That's a bit of a faff if you're the sort of family who decides on a Tuesday morning that today's a museum day, but it does mean you're not turning up to find a session's full. The practical side is covered too, there's parking, toilets, baby change and it's wheelchair accessible, so a buggy or a wheelchair won't be fighting the building.

Facilities

Plan your visit

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