York Mansion House
BEST FOR
Ages 0+
ENTRY
from £3.50
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
York
What it’s like
A working Georgian townhouse with puzzle trails and daily cooking demos, best tackled as a short indoor stop rather than a full morning.
This is the Lord Mayor's official house, not a roped-off museum, and the puzzle trails they run for kids are built around that idea, hunting through real rooms rather than glass cases. There's a cooking demonstration every day at 11.30am, which is a good one to time your visit around if you've got a child who likes watching things happen more than reading labels on the wall.
It suits younger kids better than a big stately home would, mostly because there's less ground to cover and less chance of a meltdown halfway round. That said, at £3.50 a child on top of £7 for an adult, a family of four is looking at a proper day-out price for what's a fairly compact visit, though the £18 family ticket for two adults and up to three kids softens that a bit. Last entry is 4pm and they're open Wednesday to Sunday, so it's not a Monday fallback.
Seasonal trails change through the year, so what's on for the puzzle hunt in summer won't be what's there at Christmas, which is worth knowing if you're a repeat visitor rather than a one-off tourist. There's no parking on site, which in the middle of York is exactly what you'd expect, but it does mean factoring that into how long the whole outing takes rather than just the time inside.
If you live in York itself, the resident perks change the maths a fair bit: half price entry and an annual pass for a tenner rather than twenty quid, which makes it worth treating as a regular rainy afternoon stop rather than a one-off.
Need to know
- Best for
- Under 10s, with puzzle trails that suit younger children especially
- Last entry
- 4.00pm
- Parking
- No parking on site
- Worth knowing
- 50% off for York residents
- York residents get 50% off entry and a £10 annual pass instead of £20
- The cooking demo runs daily at 11.30am, so aim to arrive before then if you want to catch it
- Last entry is 4pm even though the house stays open until 5pm
- It sometimes closes for private functions, so a normal opening day isn't a certainty
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£7 for an adult and £3.50 for a child aged 5 or over, or £18 for a family ticket covering 2 adults and up to 3 kids.
Do we need to book ahead?
No, there's no booking required, you can just turn up during opening hours.
What's there for kids to actually do?
There are puzzle trails with prizes, seasonal trails that change through the year, and a cooking demonstration every day at 11.30am.
What are the opening hours?
Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.
Is it suitable for a baby or toddler?
There's no minimum age listed, so it's open to babies and toddlers, though it suits younger children better than a big rambling estate would since it's a compact indoor visit.
Is there parking?
There's no parking on site, so you'll need to sort that out separately if you're driving in.
Can the house be closed on the day we plan to visit?
Occasionally, yes, it closes for private functions, so it's not guaranteed to be open every single day within its normal hours.
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