We stayed nearby on a work trip, and I brought the kids here. It was a nice, little museum with a…read moresizeable gift shop. The things on display were fun and interactive. The place smelled old, so that was cool. This place is a little gem, especially for tourists! The staff was nice and accomodating.

Keeping on with the iconic buildings of Leeds theme that I've got going on, I suddenly realised I'd…read morenot penned (or typed) my thoughts for this fabulous building. Certainly, it's not necessarily a cutting edge piece of architecture, but its structure is actually one of my favourites in Leeds. The huge steps out the front are a great spot to eat you sandwiches, and guaranteed much freer and more picturesque to pause at than the Parkinson steps, and with so many places near by to grab refreshment the location is certainly a handy one. Whilst I've only been around the inner workings a few times it's always been a fun browse. They have a few rotating/changing displays - one of which I remember featuring this 'crazy scientist' type character and all in all it offers a good deal of info-tainment for the kids, as it were. Their other staples, as mentioned in previous reviews, also offer a good afternoon's browsing and is certainly worthwhile whether you're a resident or a visitor. They're not adverse to other events being held in the space either, indeed an opening night to an Irish festival, celebrating the Irish cultural heritage in Leeds, was held in the main room which was fantastic too. If you've not been, you've overlooked another gem of the city!

So I'm a bit of a cultural kick. Oh yes, it had to happen. Knowledge is power folks, so feed me…read moresome information. What better place than somewhere called the Discovery Centre? It's a modern day high tech storage facility with a host of things to gawp and gaze at. You'll see masses of stuff stacked up and you can even have a look more closely in the special observation area. What I really like is how helpful and super knowledgeable the staff are. It really does put me to shame. In fact, maybe I'll go back to school and pay attention in science classes this time. Throw in a learning zone, special events and loads of regular talks and it's a different day out and a welcome option to have on our door steps.

The Discovery Centre is a specialised facility as well as a museum. It has been designed to enable…read morespecimens and collectables to be stored and displayed in conditions optimum for their preservation. Bugs, animals, clothes and sculptures are stored here. You can wander around or pre-arrange a guided tour to get the most from your experience. There is a diverse range of collectables that so most people can find something that intrigues them be it natural history, human history or culture.

I visited this place when I was 20 (nearly two years ago) and it scared the hell out of me! I'm…read morereally interested in history and medicines but there's something extremely creepy about this old building and the terrors of early medicine and procedures. When I visited, the first section was set out in a walk through street full of disease, smells, loud noises and pretend people who make you jump so much you'd think they were actually real. There's also a theatre where you witness the amputation of a limb without anaesthetic. My friend and I were the only ones in the theatre to watch this and as it's all mechanical, it's pretty damn creepy. There's a fun childrens section explaining the process of how food travels around the body and absolutely cabinets full of medical equipment and written work. I'd definitely advise people to go who like being education whilst having fun and exploring a whole museum full of surprises....

Educational and fun, what's all that about eh? Set in the grand and absolutely gorgeous former…read moreLeeds workhouse union building, it is the perfect location to house the gory and informative Thackray Medical Museum, partly because of that whole intimidating size and partly because of the possible unknown shenanigans vibe this building gives off. I have no idea why but Clockwork Orange comes to mind. Moving swiftly on, I was a bit naïve on believing that all museums are free these days, so was a bit shocked to find out there's an admission fee of £5. But for entertainment value and value for money factor, it's a price, on reflection to happily pay. The medical museum is fascinating, and once you get beyond the gore, it's truly addictive, especially where children are concerned, well, providing they're not the squeamish whiny types, or yanno, under five. The Having a Baby section seems to be a firm favourite with parents who semi-forcibly push their children, male and female into empathy belly suits to deter them from making them grandparents before their time. There's so much more than empathy bellies, whether it be an interesting step back into Victorian Leeds to sample working life and conditions and how you'd treat a mill workplace injury back in the day, or the gorily named Pain, Pus and Blood exhibition, there's tonnes to look at, and you really do need a good couple of hours to properly explore the museum. Plenty to do and look at, with tactile displays and interactive exhibits, it's educational and honest without being too much for children who are old enough to understand what it all means. Plus as a self confessed big kid, it's educational and fun for everyone who's willing to learn.

Huge big English pile from another Era set in magnificent grounds that are well maintained…read more Still I'm at an age where these places hold very little interest for me unless there's something real special or unique such as Highclere Castle and its Egyptian heritage display. As best as I understand it this place is now used for arts, culture, music, food and other activities and accessible to the great unwashed whose ancestors likely paid with their labour so the gentry could live comfortably from the toil of others.

The first thing I recommend anyone does before they think of visiting Harewood House, is to plan…read moreplan plan your visit. For starters pick your season, there are many; early season, main season and low season. Prices vary for each, in fact they vary massively. In low season adult tickets are £5 but in the high season they inflate to £13, I believe they've just lowered them from the previous rate, but still an eight pound difference depending on your time of year is a hefty one. Also in the early season with the low prices, certain things are not open on the full ticket, like the stately homes, which quite frankly sucks. I see this as a cheat in to forcing people to visit in high season with high prices. But all that unpleasantness aside, Harewood House is the beautiful combination of the spectacular, the picturesque, the decadent and the historical. The many many state rooms are steeped in history and should you care to find out, there is all the information you could require to know. Depending on your season and your ticket you can visit the below the stairs area with servants quarters and kitchen type areas. If it's a beautiful day then the Harewood grounds are well worthy of exploration. 100 Acres of beauty and garden art easily take a chunk of the day away, and it's difficult to fit everything in all on one day. The sculpture garden changes depending on the featured artist, but the works range from the small to the imposing and all are excellent to gawp at in awe and jealousy. The Himalayan Garden is sheer spectacle and beauty with Asian influences visible everywhere. The Terrace is what many have described as breathtaking, and with so many colours and historical restorations it really is. Children seem to go wacky over the penguins and flamingos in the Bird Garden, and maybe it's the sheer shock of penguins wandering around in a stately home that is hard to bend the brain around, but it's all charming and lovely. Speaking of kids and big kids, the adventure playground, when it's open is awesome, and I believe it's been voted the best in Yorkshire, so it's almost certain to be worthy of a dip in. It is a fascinating day out should you be willing to fork out the entry fee. Paying for one isn't too bad, but if there are multiples in your collective, then it can work out expensive. Students can go free on Wednesdays which is a score point, and should be taken advantage of.

A really beautiful setting awaits you if you have the time and inclination to get to Thwaite Mills…read more Semi-wild walkways follow along the canal routes and River Aire attracting buzzing wildlife. People can experience the water force once used to drive industry of oil making/refining and putty creating in the functioning mill as well as learning about how the workers lived by touring around the managers house now a Grade II listed building. Thwaite Mills are sometimes involved with wider Leeds events where boat rides to the city centre have been used along side music and dance workshops. It is a lovely place to pass warm summer days...when they arrive.

Lovely hidden gem in Leeds…read more Gorgeous old Watermill setting offering the old buildings & machinery, gardens and canal-side walks to suit all the family (and pooch) Ample parking and gift shop/tuck shop for those little niceties to take away as a momento of the visit.

Bowling Hall is a large museum in a medieval building, it is set in a leafy garden with a large…read morepark across the road. It was a stronghold in the 'siege of Bradford' and where a ghost requested that we 'pity poor Bradford'! The exhibits are quite 'traditional', but this doesn't detract from the charm of the museum, in fact quite often you can be the only people in the attraction which gives it a certain atmosphere, especially when you are wandering around the haunted rooms! The museum is large enough to while away an hour, but not too big that it would be boring for younger visitors. The promise of a play in the park and an icecream should keep them quiet and on their best behaviour too - the park opposite the museum is large and well kept and has something for everyone.

This is a lovely old house situated in the Bradford 4 area…read more The ground floor where you enter is slighlty darker than the rest and can frighten some younger children. There is many things on show, that can teach young children and older children about how people used is to live. This place is said to be haunted and appeared on most haunted. It has different events happening through out the years and is a good place to vist.

The Henry Moore is a huge square grey marble building right next to the fantastic Light shopping…read morecentre. It is very modern but don't let the cold square exterior put you off. It is very welcoming inside and just like the art gallery right next door it is free. Situated on the headrow, less than 30 seconds from the bus stop and 10 minutes walk from the bus and train stations, this is a very accessible museum of all things sculpture. It does have a great mix of modern and tradtional art in a variety of physical media which is excellent and though no touching is allowed I would still say that this is a good place to bring slightly older and well behaved children with an interest or appreciation for sculpture and design. I enjoyed my visit there and there is a good hour's worth of things to see, so coupled with the art gallery and the little shop there's an afternoon's entertainment for free - which can't be bad. Again the staff here are lovely and very willing to help with any queries you might have. I love this place and I think it's worth anyone's free time- as it's free itself.

The Henry Moore Institute, named after the great man himself who comes from Yorkshire, is a…read moresculpture gallery located on the Headrow in the centre of Leeds right next door to the Leeds City Art gallery. It is an impressive black marble fronted building and like the Art Gallery is absolutely free to enter. It has a great deal of traditional sculptures in bronze, clay and wood, and lots of modern sculptures too in all manner of mediums - the sky seems to be the limit! Set yourself an hour aside to have a look round, it has disabled and buggy access, and a little cafe too. Absolutely worth a look.

I visited the Abbey House Museum with my family in February. It is located right next to Kirkstall…read moreAbbey so was perfect for a cultural day out with the family. We arrived inside the museum and bought our tickets from the gift shop, the guy serving us was really lovely and extremely helpful. He told us a bit about the history of the museum and what we could expect when we got inside, and everything he told us was spot on. When entering into the museum you can either go upstairs, where they hold different exhibitions, or downstairs to the historically constructed Victorian street. We decided to go back in time first, and it was beautifully designed and felt so real! Some of the houses on the street were actually constructed as exact replicas and made from the same materials as real Victorian houses, which made the experience even more impressive. We spent a good hour and a half downstairs, as there is so much to see and so many hands on things for you to do. One of the shops was a Victorian clothes shops, where kids can try on the different Victorian clothing giving you perfect photo opportunities. There were pottery shops and pawn shops, filled with Victorian artefacts - my parents are antique collectors so for them it was perfect. The staff inside the Victorian street were incredibly informative too, more than happy to explain everything to you, from the way the Victorian street was built into the museum to the actual objects that were on show. Kudos to Abbey House - they definitely train there staff well. From what I can gather the museum has put an awful lot of time and money into redeveloping the space to become more educational and entertaining. When we went there was an exhibition upstairs called 'How Do I Look?', a showcase of the different ways people have changed the way that they look through time. It touched on make up, hairstyles, tattoos and body modification through the ages, and was really interesting for the whole family. I think the exhibition is on till the end of this year so I would definitely recommend it. And with just one admission price for both things it was a really cheap and interesting day out.

I'm a big fan of Kirkstall Abbey and all the history it holds. Before my most recent visit to the…read moremuseum (to entertain my young cousins), the last time I had been was when I was only a young 'un myself, and a lot has happened since then. They have put a lot of effort into redeveloping the museum to be more educational and more entertaining so that it can be enjoyed by all members of the family, from the elderly historians of the family to the young, easily bored kids. My cousins were pretty impressed with the interactive nature of it, and I myself was pleased with the way it recreated an authentic image of 19th century Leeds. Good day out.