Free things to do in York with kids

Abbey House Museum

Leeds

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

Accessible toiletBaby changeChanging PlacesGroup bookings+2 more

Acomb Explore Library

York · ages 0-4

Storytimes and stay-and-play sessions for under-fives, free to drop into, with a café for afterwards.

CaféParkingWi-Fi

Askham Bog Nature Reserve

York

A free boardwalk trail through ancient bog woodland where kids can spot birds and hunt for frogs without needing wellies.

Bike parkingPublic transport nearby

Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York

York

A free two-hour walk round historic York, led by a volunteer who actually knows the place.

Booking required

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

Cannon Hall Country Park

Barnsley

Free parkland with an adventure play area, wooden tepees and assault courses, plus a museum to duck into if it rains.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+10 more

Dalby Forest

Pickering

North York Moors forest with play trail and bike tracks - paid barrier.

ToiletsParkingPicnic areaCafé+2 more

FortyFive Vinyl Café

York

A record store, café and bar rolled into one, with a jukebox to play, vinyl to flick through and live music some nights.

Dog friendlyIndoor seatingFood on siteParty rooms

Greenhead Park

Huddersfield

A free park with a double zip wire and a miniature steam railway that only runs on Saturday afternoons.

Changing PlacesOutdoor playToiletsWheelchair accessible

Haxby & Wigginton Library and Reading Cafe

York

Free storytime and Lego sessions in a York library that still has a reading cafe, for now.

Bike parkingParkingToiletsWi-Fi

Homestead Park

York

A free, outdoor park in York with accessible swings, den-building woods and a lawn made for picnics.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+8 more

Hungate Reading Cafe

York

A calm café and library space where you can read, borrow books and let the kids potter over sandwiches and cake.

CaféVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessibleWi-Fi

Huntington Library

York · ages 0-16

Free storytime, Lego building and a family games club at a small local library on Huntington Road.

Free parkingToiletsWi-Fi

Kentmere House Gallery

York

Free entry to a small art gallery with a changing display of original works, open Thursday evenings and one weekend a month.

Kirkstall Abbey

Leeds

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

Baby changeCaféParkingToilets

Ledsham Bank nature reserve

Leeds

A quiet limestone bank where kids can hunt for butterflies, wild orchids and rare pasque flowers on a free walk.

Picnics allowed

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.

Accessible toiletFood on siteStep-free accessToilets+1 more

Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park

Wakefield

Free woodland, heathland and a pond to poke about in, with surfaced tracks that make it an easy one for dogs and buggies too.

Outdoor play

Manor Fields Park

Sheffield

Free park with two playgrounds, a sandpit and a boardwalk, plus Tudor ruins you can touch but not climb.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesKids menu+4 more

Mayfield Park

Manchester

Free outdoor park with a play yard of six slides built around a daylighted stretch of the River Medlock.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playToilets

Multangular Tower

York

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

Accessible toiletBaby changeDog friendlyPicnics allowed+1 more

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.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+2 more

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.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBike parkingBlue badge parking+13 more

National Railway Museum

York

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

Accessible toiletGift shopFood on siteToilets+3 more

New Earswick Library

York

Free library sessions for under-fives, an after-school Lego club and a proper café, all in one small York building.

CaféParkingWi-Fi

North Cave Wetlands

Brough

Five hides and a circular lake path where you can watch avocets, otters and water voles for free.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingFood on siteParking+5 more

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.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+4 more

Royal Armouries Museum

Leeds

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

Gift shopFood on siteToiletsWheelchair accessible

Sandall Park

Doncaster

Free park with a zip-wire play area, woodland adventure play and football pitches, plus a café for when everyone flags.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPicnic area+1 more

Sotano

York

A basement bar for live DJ sets and jazz nights, with a kitchen serving food most of the week.

SPARK York

York

A free-to-enter community space in York with a mud kitchen play corner, food traders and long opening hours.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+9 more

Staveley Nature Reserve

Knaresborough

Free 79-hectare reserve with five bird hides, grazing Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep, and flat paths that suit a buggy.

Bike parkingBlue badge parkingDog friendlyWheelchair accessible

The Centre @ Burnholme

York · ages 0-4

Free storytime sessions for babies and toddlers, three mornings a week, no booking needed.

CaféToiletsWheelchair accessibleWi-Fi

The Foss Fairy Trail

York

A free woodland walk along the River Foss where you hunt out tiny fairy houses tucked among the trees.

Bike parkingDog friendly

The Robert Fuller Gallery Ltd

Malton

Free wildlife art gallery on the Yorkshire Wolds with live nest cam feeds, documentary films and original paintings to browse.

Blue badge parkingFree parkingGift shopIndoor seating+2 more

Toulston Hall Farm

Tadcaster

Free entry to a pumpkin picking farm with a maize maze and classic outdoor games, open every day in late October.

Free parkingIndoor seatingFood on siteOutdoor play+2 more

Wagon Lifting Hoist Mini Museum

Leeds

A free look at the Grade II listed lifting tower rescued from Leeds Central station, a few minutes from the train station.

Waters' Edge Country Park & Visitor Centre

Barton-upon-Humber

Free trails through reed beds and along the Humber foreshore, two play areas and a café overlooking the pond.

Bike parkingCaféFree parkingGift shop+3 more

Wentworth Garden Centre

Rotherham

A free-to-wander garden centre day out with a family farm, an adventure playground and a pets and aquatics centre to nose round.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyFree parking+6 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

White Rose York Tour meeting place

York

A free two-hour walking tour through York's historic streets and city walls, covering everything from Romans to Dick Turpin.

Wykebeck Woods

Leeds

Free ancient woodland by a stream where kids can cycle the paths, spot birds and hunt for crayfish in the shallows.

Outdoor playPicnics allowedPublic transport nearbyPushchair friendly+1 more

Yolk Farm Restaurant/Cafe

Boroughbridge

Free entry to see hens, alpacas, pigs, donkeys and lambs, with a play barn and giant sand pit for the muddy days you didn't plan for.

Birthday partiesCaféDog friendlyFood on site+4 more

York Cat Trail ®

York

A free self-guided hunt around York's streets to spot more than 30 hidden cat statues perched on buildings.

York City and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd

York · ages 0+

Ride a miniature steam railway through five acres of woodland on the society's monthly open days, free to get in.

Free parkingFood on siteWheelchair accessible

Yorkshire Wolds Railway

Driffield

Hop aboard a genuine steam-era carriage for a heritage ride along the old Malton and Driffield line, with a working restoration shed to peer into afterwards.

Dog friendlyFree parkingToiletsWheelchair accessible