Museums & Landmarks in Yorkshire

The six split into two camps: indoor science and play museums, and outdoor sites where the cafe is half the point. Eureka! The National Children's Museum in Halifax is the one for the youngest, aimed at children up to 11 and built around role-play scenarios; reviewers say the annual pass costs the same as a single visit and covers the Wirral site too, and that three hours is not enough for a first go. National Science and Media Museum in Bradford is free, and reviewers rate the Wonderlab floor highest for primary-aged children, with a retro gaming floor that older children and adults share. Magna Science Adventure Centre at Templeborough is the priced option, pitched at ages 4 to 16 across four pavilions and an outdoor playground; the recurring warning is that the building is cold whatever the season.

Outdoors, J G Graves Woodland Discovery Centre in Sheffield is free ancient woodland with periodic guided walks and a cafe whose Guinness cake reviewers single out; autumn is the pick for blackberry picking. Discovery Centre in Hull is the coastal one, a stop before or after the walk to Spurn Point lighthouse, with a cafe that closes earlier than the reserve. It is dog-friendly but not listed as pram friendly.

Leeds Discovery Centre is the outlier. Kids Days Out describes it as the storage facility for Leeds Museums & Galleries, holding 1.2 million objects, and lists it as free. Visits are by appointment only, tours run about an hour, and guides open drawers on request, which suits children of 8 and up with a real interest in collections. Dress warmly here too, and eat first: there is no cafe.