Best Days out in Yorkshire with kids

I’ll be totally honest, I’ve been a blogger for 5 years now and I’ve only ever written one post about days out in Yorkshire and it really wasn’t that comprehensive. So for that, I apologise. Yeah, I’ve written nice big reviews about one location or another but never actually a big long list about what you can do with your kids in Yorkshire (that I’ve tried) so when I DID and I put it on Instagram, I was really surprised by the response!

The topic came up during a Q&A earlier this week and I’ve had SO MANY DMs about it so I thought I would make a permanent post, ready for the summer hols and people started adding their own, screenshotting and saving the post – it literally has hundreds of saves, which tells me it is about time I pulled my finger about and typed out something more comprehensive and more in depth. So here it is.

I wanted to break it down into categories – places you pay for and places you can go for free. I hope it’s useful! I’ve only added the places I have been or that have been recommended to me by others (I will note when they are recommendations from others though)

Places to pay for.

£ – under £20 for a family

££ – under £50

£££ – Over £50 for a family ticket

• Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley – ££ – we loved it here, we went for a Christmas special and there was loads to do and see. I felt like it was really good value for money, especially as it was a full day out for under £50.
• Forbidden Corner, Leyburn – £££ – Expensive for a non-theme park day out (£57 for a fam of 5) but worth it, totally, 100% WORTH it. We love it here, I will say it can be a littttle bit scary for some kids. Roo doesn’t like some of the bits. Also wellies or a change of clothes aren’t a bad shout.
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster – £££ – another expensive day out BUT the lions are a sight to see as is the polar bear section, they do have some really great play areas too.
• Castle Howard, Nr Malton – ££ – I think the best way to approach Castle Howard would be if you are planning to have a season pass, otherwise it works out more costly. I love this place, and they offer so many things, it really is worth the trip.
• Playdales Farm, Scarborough – ££ – another fave here, one of the best play farms I have been to in a long time and continually developing into something bigger and better.
• Flamingo land, Kirby Misperton – £££ – expensiveeee, but a great theme park and zoo – during winter they offer massive discounts for season passes on their Facebook/website.
• Tropical World, Leeds – ££ – I actually love Tropical world, but it’s more of a short afternoon out with a combined play in Roundhay Park. I wouldn’t class it as something to spend all day doing.
• Mother Shipton’s cave, KnaresBorough – £ – LOVE it here and it’s cheappppp or rather, it was the last time I went! We actually had lunch in the pub across the river (it was really quite nice at the time but this was a few years ago) and then we spent the majority of the day enjoying ourselves both at the caves and walking around Knaresborough. It’s really pretty!
• Piglets Playfarm, York – ££ – I’m not a fan, but my in laws and the kids SWEAR by it. I think it’s expanded quite a bit since I first went, but I’m just not sure it’s worth the price tag.
• Creepy Crawlies/The Web, York – ££ – soft play but pretty awesome. It has a huge outside area and even has the option to book in for other activities like zipwires and the like.
• HoneySuckle Farm, Hornsea – ££ – another fave farm here, I don’t know why are it takes us an age to get to Hornsea from where we are but I just really love it here.
• Inflatanation, Beverley – ££ – Pricey considering you are only getting an hour or so of time, I know a lot of people would prefer to spending similar amounts and go to somewhere they could spend the whole day BUT it is really really fun and the kids like looking around Beverley afterwards so that is a bonus!
• Sealife Center, Scarborough – ££ – Forever a winner, you can feed the sharks sometimes too.
• Monk Park Farm, Thirsk – ££ – Another one I don’t really rate that highly but that friends absolutely adore. I think it’s one of those ones that you love it or hate it. They do have lots of animals though and their food is lovely.
• Stockeld Park, Wetherby – ££ – literally the BEST, I adore it here, honestly it is absolutely the BEST place, it just has so much going on and I love it.
• York Maze, York – £££ – HUGELY overpriced IMO but the kids love it, and we did go to their dinosaur event last year and spent the WHOLE day there so I guess it’s one of those things. I’ve heard their Halloscream events are phenomenal.
• Alpamare, Scarborough – £££ – For four hours this is a pricey one, but as Reuben adores water so much it’s one of the places that we do visit mainly for him. I think the iodine pools outside are great for family members that struggle with joint pain and they have recently opened a spa which seems really lovely. Do be careful of the children’s area – it’s really slippy (not their fault I don’t feel, they have the right flooring, it’s just one of those things.) It’s where Edith split her ear lobe open…
• Go Ape, Dalby Forest – £ – Only for kid’s one meter plus and sadly they don’t go on just height for the advanced area, they go on age too which is HELLA annoying as Reuben is really good at the kid’s one and would like to go on the adult one but needs to be 1.40 (he is) AND 12… which seems daft, but there you go.
• Dalby Forest in general – £ – £9 for a car, go to Adderstone if the main area is too busy. Locals will not be friend’s with me for telling you that but it’s true. Just watch the snakes. No really – Adderstone.
• Dinostar, Hull – ££ – small but Dino lovers will enjoy, not a full day out at all, maybe something to do for an hour, 2 max.
• The Deep, Hull – ££ – I prefer Sealife, but you get an annual pass here and it’s very educational.
• Steam train to Goathland from Pickering – £ – something a little different, Roo loves it and it actually makes for a nice day in Goathland.
• Billy Bob’s Parlour, Bolton Abbey – £££ – This place is fab, but it is a little bit more expensive, purely because you have to have a table and meal – now the food is WELL worth the fee, but you can imagine that it gets a little bit more costly when you are a family of 5. It is one of the nicest places I’ve eaten “diner” style food in so I highly recommended it and once you have eaten you can pay £2 to go across to their big play area and play alllllll day. I love it here and I’m eternally grateful to my friend for introducing me!
• Fountain’s Abbey, Ripon – ££ – National Trust ahoy! I love Fountain’s Abbey, we’ve never actually made it all the way around, but I will be planning a day trip there soon and spending the whole day there. Picnics are perfect for NT places and they are one of my faves.
• Eden Camp, Malton – ££ – An educational and fun day out, however I would say that for some more sensitive little ones, the noises can be a bit much.
• Wolds way lavender, Wintringham – £ – Super cheap and actually a fab day out. I really like Wold’s Way, not sure it’s a “big” day out but it’s certainly a nice trip for a few hours.
• York Dungeon, York – ££ – I’ve been, but I haven’t taken the kids . Toby is asking to go, Roo refuses and to be honest I’m not convinced it won’t scare the living shizzle out of Tobes, but that’s what he wants.
• Gravity Trampoline park, Hull – ££ – We’ve been and to be honest I was underwhelmed, however, the kids really loved it. What I like less about this is the fact that it feels more dangerous than an inflatable place.
• Magna, Sheffield (NOT BEEN) – £££ – Came highly recommended on insta and apparently has a water play area outside now. I’ve been told it’s a little bit dark but one to look into.
• Eureka, Halifax – £££ – Another one that you get a full year’s returns for the price of entry when you gift aid. I really liked it here BUT and it’s a big but, I felt that it became so busy you really couldn’t move and the kids ended up getting frustrated because they wanted to go on things and they just couldn’t.
• Sewerby Hall, Sewerby – ££ – I thought this was lovely to be honest, it’s just a little bit bigger and had more things to do than most of the houses that we’ve visited. I did like the little petting zoo.
• Brimham Rocks, Harrogate – £ – Perfect for a picnic, and you really only pay for your car!
• William’s Den, Brough – ££ – (NOT BEEN) This cropped up repeatedly on my post, and everyone said they loved it. Genuinely not a bad word!
• The Pink Pig Farm, Hull – ££ – (NOT BEEN) Another one that I haven’t been to, but that received endless rave reviews online.
• York Castle Museum, York – £ – Museums are always a win in my opinion.
• Jorvik Centre, York – ££ – Overpriced, cough, cough. I mean, it IS a really good place and it’s incredibly educational, looks cool and the little ride is somewhat fun for kids but actually, it’s just not long enough for the cost and I’d like to see somewhere the kids can play added (it will never be added, this has been here longer than I’ve been alive).
• Newby Hall, Ripon (not been) – ££ – Another one that came up a few times and that I’ve always *meant* to take the kids but never actually made it to. I think Newby Hall website speaks volumes as to how pretty the gardens are – perhaps one for the budding instagramer.
• Balloon Tree Farm PYO, Gate Helmsley – £-£££ – It really depends on how much you want to spend here to be honest. We come away having spent a fortune because we fill up baskets of fruit and that’s just the way it is. If you want to have food in the restaurant then I highly recommend it.
• Filey Bird garden & animal park, Filey – ££ – I actually vaguely remember this as the last time we went Toby was a baby in a baby carrier. What I do remember is that the kids loved it and there was plenty for them to do – however I think I left the pushchair in the car for a reason!
• Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington (not been) – ££ – Sounds like my idea of hell but something that Reuben would love.
• Beetle Bank Farm, Murton (not been) – ££ – This is another one that was highly recommended and close to home.
• Yorkshire Armouries, Leeds (not been ) – ££ – Kids have been and never really asked to go back, but they had a wonderful time according to in laws !
• The tropical butterfly house, Sheffield – ££ – It’s been ages since we’ve been here but I loved this place! It honestly was one of the best places in Yorkshire to visit for kids, and not all that expensive compared to other similar venues.

🌟FREE🌟

• Wharram Percy – perfect for a day out with a nice picnic. It’s a medieval village so not ideal for a pushchair and you need sensible shoes, but it’s lovely.
• Cayton Bay, Scarborough – much quieter than the main beaches at Scarborough, in fact those main beaches are a nightmare in high season! There is a small shop on the hill, cafe and toilets with a shower unit.
• Hunmanby gap, nr Scarb/Brid – another really nice small beach – you can’t go wrong with this one as it’s pretty hidden and the tourists are few and far between.
• Saltburn beach, Saltburn by the sea – bigger and a little bit more touristy but still a really lovely change to the hustle and bustle of Scarborough. The fish and chip shop is AMAZE. Just saying.
• Day out walking around Whitby – you can go crabbing/beach, walk around the castle, talk about dracula and look in all the quirky and fun shops. It can get more expensive if you do the play parks etc, but mostly it’s lovely.
• Walk the walls in York – Something I have on my list to do with with the kids this summer holiday! Free, enjoyable and easy to do!
• Shambles in York – fun for Harry Potter fans but it might be free to go, I doubt it will be free in the end. Potion shop is cute and for £10 you can buy all three “potions” that prove popular with the kids.
• York Railway Museum – an ABSOLUTE gem. How this is free I will never know but I love this place and so do the kids!
• Roundhay Park, Leeds – A beautiful park and if you do have a touch of budget I think it’s a great way to round off a trip to Tropical World.
• Hutton le Hole, or just a walk across the Yorkshire Moors – child carrier not pushchair for this one, I think if you attempt it, you will have SOLID regret.. The moors visitor centre has loads of things to do and you can really enjoy yourself with a picnic and a few games.
• Filey beach, Filey – quieter than Scarborough and attached to a nice town that you can walk around!

Sorry there isn’t more free, there are lots of cheaper places but very few that don’t charge some kind of fee, be it parking or an entry and I HATE “free” lists that aren’t actually free!

Feel free to add anything!