Rainy day activities in York

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 Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park

York · ages 3+

Feed meerkats and lemurs, meet giant tortoises and get behind the scenes with otters and their keepers.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookingsSchool visits

Beck Isle Museum

Pickering · ages 6+

Twenty-five gallery spaces of historic shops, blacksmith demos and hands-on exhibits, best tackled with kids aged six and up.

Accessible toiletDog friendlyGift shopGroup bookings+4 more

Bish Bash Pot

York

Paint pottery, throw a bowl on the wheel, or mix up a batch of slime, all under one roof.

Birthday partiesGroup bookings

blue tree gallery

York

A small independent gallery near the Minster with original paintings, prints, ceramics and jewellery to browse.

Gift shop

Brick Party York

York · ages 5-12

Structured LEGO building competitions and games with over 40kg of bricks, run as two-hour sessions for 5 to 12 year olds.

Booking requiredCaféIndoor seating

Can You Escape

York · ages 5+

Lock yourselves in a themed room and solve your way out in an hour, with two scenarios to pick from.

Booking required

Clifton Explore Centre - Library and Reading Cafe

York

A local library with a reading café and garden, open for browsing books, drop-in events and a sit-down with a sandwich.

Bike parkingCaféParking

Clip 'n Climb Leeds & Woodpeckers Diner

Leeds · ages 2+

32 climbing walls, a speed wall and a vertical drop slide, with a 90 minute session that's mostly briefing then an hour of climbing.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBooking requiredCafé+8 more

Clip n' Climb Garforth

Leeds · ages 2-18

Thirty auto-belay climbing lines and a Vertical Drop slide, with a strict hour in the arena once the harness goes on.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBooking requiredCafé+8 more

Corner Gallery

York

A small gallery of local paintings, prints, photography and ceramics, seen by appointment rather than dropping in.

Booking required

David Lloyd York

York

A club with pools, tennis coaching and a crèche, so the kids can swim or hit a few balls while you get a workout in too.

Bike parkingFree parkingFood on sitePublic transport nearby+1 more

Diggerland Yorkshire

Castleford · ages 4-14

Kids get behind the controls of real diggers and dumpers, plus over 20 rides included in one ticket.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+5 more

Dreamery Gardens and Museum

York

Fifty acres of woodland to hunt through for fairy houses, dragon nests and hidden doors, plus a maze and a fairy museum.

Birthday partiesCaféDog friendlyFree parking+2 more

Eden Camp Modern History Museum

Malton · ages 0-16

A wartime museum spread across 22 original POW huts, with two playgrounds and an escape-tunnel exercise compound to keep the kids moving.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+16 more

EH Gaming

York

A board game café where you drop in, pick a game off the shelf and find a table to play it at.

Everyman York

York

Sofa seats, a proper burger menu brought to your seat, and screenings built for babies, toddlers and families who can't sit still.

Accessible toiletFood on siteWheelchair accessible

Ferrybridge Aquatics

Knottingley

A fish shop and aquarium browse with around 500 species on show, good for a quiet wander rather than a big day out.

Flip Out Leeds

Leeds

Wall-to-wall trampolines, nine slides and a laser quest arena under one roof, with sessions timed to the minute.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBooking requiredCard only+8 more

Flip Out York (Previously Point Zero Trampoline Park York)

York · ages 1+

A big trampoline arena with a ninja course, foam pits and an inflatable sports pitch, sold in one or two hour slots.

Birthday partiesCaféFree parkingGroup bookings+3 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

GR8escape York

York · ages 10+

An hour locked in a puzzle room in the middle of York, hunting codes and clues as a team of two to six.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookings

Grass Hoppers Indoor & Outdoor Play (Tingley Garden Centre)

Leeds · ages 0-10

A giant indoor and outdoor play sprawl with zip wires, bouncing pillows and a giant sandpit, booked in timed sessions.

Baby changeBirthday partiesBooking requiredBreastfeeding friendly+8 more

Harewood Castle

Leeds

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

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+13 more

Harrogate Theatre

Harrogate

A proper old theatre in the town centre doing family shows, with doors opening an hour before curtain up.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingBooking required+2 more

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

Helmsley Arts Centre

Helmsley

Panto, youth theatre, cinema screenings and holiday workshops in one Helmsley venue, with a small gallery to wander round beforehand.

Toilets

Hickory's Smokehouse York

York

A smokehouse restaurant with a brunch menu running until 2pm daily, and a booking system that holds a few walk-in tables too.

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

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

Houdini’s Escape Room Experience - York

York · ages 8+

You've got 60 minutes to solve your way out of one of 15 themed rooms, working as a private team with nobody else added in.

Booking requiredFree parkingPublic transport nearby

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

Joseph Rowntree Theatre

York

Pantomime and family theatre shows with old-school perks like ice creams brought to your seat.

Accessible toiletHearing loopToilets

Kanyu Escape - escape games

Wetherby · ages 8+

Themed rooms and an outdoor puzzle hunt in the Poachers' Compound, booked in advance and priced by group size.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredFree parkingGroup bookings+2 more

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

Last Sun Dance Climbing

Leeds · ages 14+

Bouldering, gym and padel for teenagers and adults, with under-14s limited to the café.

CaféIndoor playLockersFood on site

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

Leeds Playhouse

Leeds · ages 0+

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

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBooking required+6 more

Milestone Ranch

Doncaster · ages 1-16

Petting barn animals, a soft play barn with slides and a zip line, plus a scan-and-solve trail round the outdoor park.

Birthday partiesCaféIndoor playOutdoor play+2 more

Mindlock Escape Games

York · ages 8+

Locked in a themed room with your team, racing the clock to solve puzzles and find a way out.

Booking required

National Centre for Birds of Prey (NCBP)

Helmsley

Watch birds of prey fly free over 300 acres of parkland, with three flying demos a day and woodland walks between them.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+7 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

Ninja Warrior UK Adventure (Leeds)

Leeds · ages 4+

A course of climbing, balancing and inflatable bouncing built around the actual Warped Wall from the telly show.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredCaféCard only+3 more

None Go Bye Farm

Leeds

A quid gets you into the animal park to feed alpacas, goats and pigs, with an indoor play area for when it rains.

Dog friendlyFree parkingIndoor playFood on site

Northern Ballet

Leeds

Story ballets like Robin Hood and Clara & The Nutcracker, plus workshops and classes for kids who fancy a go themselves.

Café

Opera North, Howard Opera Centre

Leeds

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

Wheelchair accessible

Pet Station

Rotherham

A pet shop where kids can wander past guinea pigs, hamsters, fish tanks and even iguanas for free.

Free parking

Piglets Adventure Farm

York

A farm day of bottle-fed lambs, tractor rides and a bouncing pillow, with a beach and an indoor barn for backup.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+8 more

Ponden Kirk & Fairy Cave

Keighley

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

Rainbows Ceramics Painting Studio. York, UK.

York

Pick a plate, mug or ceramic animal and paint it, no booking needed, just walk in and grab a table.

Baby changeBirthday partiesGroup bookingsPublic transport nearby+1 more

Riley-Smith Hall

Tadcaster

A community hall running baby ballet, drama classes and dance shows, with social dances for the adults too.

Food on siteWheelchair accessible

Roxy Ball Room York The Stonebow

York

An over-18s games bar in York where you book lanes for duck pin bowling, crazy pool, tech darts or shuffleboard and settle in for the night.

Accessible toiletCard onlyRestaurantToilets+1 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

Selby Superbowl

Selby

Tenpin bowling with bumpers and ramps for the smaller ones, plus a non-contact laser game for older kids.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredFree parkingFood on site+1 more

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

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

Spilman's Farm

Thirsk

Pick your own strawberries in summer, pumpkins in autumn, and a play barn to fall back on when you need a break.

Birthday partiesCaféIndoor playFood on site+1 more

Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre

Leeds

A theatre with proper family touches sorted, from pram storage to relaxed performances for anxious first-timers.

Baby changeCaféHigh chairsPram storage+1 more

Swithens Farm

Leeds · ages 0+

Bottle-feed calves and lambs, groom rabbits and bounce on the undercover pillow, open Friday to Monday only.

Baby changeBirthday partiesCaféFree parking+5 more

Teamworks Karting York

York · up to age 99

Indoor go-karting, laser tag and racing simulators under one roof, with a Bambino session for karters as young as four.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredCaféFood on site+2 more

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 Cat's Whiskers

York · ages 10+

A rescue cat café in York where you pay by the hour to sit and let the cats come to you, but under-10s aren't allowed in.

Blue badge parkingCaféFood on siteToilets+1 more

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 Climbing Lab

Leeds · ages 5-18

Bouldering walls with colour-coded kids' routes, a power tunnel to try, and no need to book once you're a member.

Birthday partiesCaféDog friendlyGift shop+7 more

The Deep

Hull

Hull waterfront aquarium - sharks and tunnel for a family indoor day. Soft Play N.

CaféParkingToiletsWheelchair accessible

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.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGroup bookings+2 more

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 Pink Pig Farm

Scunthorpe

A hands-on farm day of pigs, goats and alpacas, plus mini golf, a play barn and outdoor slides to wear the kids out.

Allergy awareBirthday partiesBooking requiredCafé+6 more

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.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBooking requiredDog friendly+6 more

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

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

Tropical World

Leeds · ages 0-15

A warm, indoor rainforest walk with free-flying birds, meerkats and a Creature Cavern, done in under two hours.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBlue badge parkingCafé+7 more

Up A Level York

York · ages 8+

A gaming lounge for over-8s with PS5, Switch and retro booths, plus board games and D&D tables you book by the hour.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGroup bookingsIndoor seating+2 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

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

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.

York Theatre Royal

York

Live pantomime and family theatre in the middle of York, with a foyer play area and a free board game café to fill the time before curtain up.

Bike parkingCaféIndoor playWheelchair accessible+1 more

York's Chocolate Story

York · ages 4-15

A guided tour through 4000 years of chocolate history, ending with truffle rolling and a lolly you get to decorate yourself.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféGift shop+2 more

Yorkshire Museum

York

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

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopToilets+1 more

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Doncaster · ages 0-15

Walk-through reserves, a dinosaur trail and giraffe feeding at a big Doncaster wildlife park with six play areas thrown in.

ParkingToiletsBaby changeCafé+12 more