Nik N.

I adore the castle museum and would have loved to stay longer but the Victorian street and the prison areas were too scary for my daughter so we rushed through the Victorian area and had to turn back rather than walk through the prison area. The 60s exhibit was my new favorite. How candy in a toy gun that you point into your mouth got through to production is beyond me.

Casey M.

The castle museum is situated near Clifford's tower and I was first in the queue and I kind of raced round the other exhibits to get to the Victorian street before everyone else piled in but I wish I had taken my time to really enjoy the whole experience because there was so much interesting things to see but of course the highlight of this museum is the replica of a Victorian street with cute little shops, I especially loved Barton's confectionery where I bought a load of traditional sweets and chocolates served by a lady in traditional Victorian style clothes. I loved the cobbled streets and old lampposts, and the the horse and cart, it was such a beautiful authentic setting, very festive and I loved it. I think this is one place in York that should be high up on your to do list.

Keith A.

Pretty interesting museum. Really enjoyed the recreated Victorian street. The debtors prison was cool. Some of the video re-enactments reminded me of US college students whining about paying their college loans. Really long walk through, well worth the money. 60s love section was boring to me, but I wasn't really a Beatles enthusiast. The war and prison parts were great. Some nanny trigger warning signs about for those who would rather erase history. Highly recommend.

Service is amazing and so much fun! They have things for children to make it fun but educational, they have live shows running throughout the day that involves the crowd and endless entertainment throughout, kids get handed a map to full in while looking through providing a wide selection and value is great. Only negatives was prices which is inevitable no matter where you go. General place is amazing

Beth C.

York sure has great museums! This one, in part of the old women's prison, is on grounds that have been used for military and justice purposes since the Norman conquest. The exhibits covered a diverse spectrum, from the history of the prison and the creepy old cells to insights into the human body and culture across decades and centuries, to a fascinating perspective on the Great War from Yorkshire experiences. Oh, and there was the charming Victorian street scene, which is perfect for selfie age. I can see why this place is packed with school kids, but us two American tourists enjoyed our visit, too.

Callum T.

Firstly I would say you pretty much need to spend the day here in order to visit all the exhibitions that are on offer. There is so much to see, read, do and learn about and they have an amazing array of artefacts across the three exhibitions we saw. The olden street is incredibly recreated and the WW1 stuff is mind blowing, well worth a visit for the whole family with plenty of interactive elements for the kids. The cafe is well priced with a wonderful array of food and drink and the shop isn't half bad either. Worth a visit for a rainy day or just in general.

Penny L.

To me this place really isn't a museum...most of it was like walking in my nans bedroom...or sometimes even mine...I mean a cabinet full of psones, sega megadrives and dslites..I might as well turn my house into a museum :p The only redeeming feature is the ''Victorian street''..This is literally a stretch of cobblestones with little quaint shops displaying Vicotrian apparel...I only wish that some of it was for sale!.. But personally I would not come back here in a hurry..luckily I did not have to pay to get in ;p

Qype User (Templa…)

For some reason the map will not recognise York. This is a truly excellent and huge museum. Great for kids too. York Castle sood on this site. The museum's past as two prison buildings is explored with a look at conditions in 18th century gaols and every child wants to know about its most famous former prisoner - highwayman Dick Turpin, who was hanged in 1739 for horse stealing. Turpin spent his last six months in the Debtors' Prison, which was built in 1701-5, and today houses half of the museum's displays. The other half of the museum was originally the Female Prison, built in 1780-83. It is best known for its recreated Victorian street, Kirkgate, which combines real shop fittings and stock with modern sound and light effects, to evoke an atmosphere of Victorian Britain. There is a sweet shop, a candlemakers, a fire station, a butchers and often these are manned plus many more shops and a handsome cab and horse. The street was named after the museum's founder, Dr John L. Kirk, a North Yorkshire country doctor who collected everyday objects and wanted to keep them safe for future generations. The museum's room settings include a Victorian parlour, an 1850s Moorland cottage, Jacobean and Georgian dining rooms, a 1940s kitchen and a 1950s front room. It has one of the largest collections of costumes anywhere plus a room full of 1950s items and recently a 60's display was added. Outside is a watermill where you can buy flour. Adult - £7.50 Child - £4 Under 5s - Free Concessions - £6.50 They also do family tickets and joint tickets with the Yorkshire museum. Best is if you buy a ticket it is valid for a YEAR. Go back at any time. An excellent few hours.

I was very surprised to see that the museum of broken relationships exhibit here. I saw it in Los Angeles two years ago. You can get lost in this museum. Be careful. There are no visible signs.