The Top Kids Attractions in Yorkshire
09 January 2017
THE TOP KIDS ATTRACTIONS IN YORKSHIRE
Yorkshire may be more famed for producing some great tea and its cricket, but the county is also home to some of the country’s best kid’s attractions.
These Yorkshire attractions are places where kids are certain to have a great time, and if you are thinking of booking your next holiday to Yorkshire, then make sure to add these destinations to your visit list. The kids will thank you later.
WEB ADVENTURE PARK
Looking for something to amuse the kids come rain, hail or shine? Well, you can’t do much better than a huge adventure centre and the Web Adventure Park is very good at this indeed.
With its massive indoor play centre, outdoor adventure park, water play area and animal zone, Web Adventure Park really is the place to be for a children’s fun day out.
Whether you are rocketing down one of the biggest four lane Astra slides in the country, playing in the baby and toddler areas, ball canons or dressing up in the role play village — fun times will be had by all.
And this is just the play zones, there are also high wire ropes for the kids to amuse themselves with. Adding all this to the award winning café with its homemade food and locally sourced produce, everyone will have enough energy to go on as long as their hearts desire.
The Web Adventure Park can be found off the A1237 (York Outer Ring Road) near the Clifton Moor Retail Park, North of York.
SCARBOROUGH SEA LIFE SANCTUARY
Established in May 1991 the Scarborough SEA LIFE Sanctuary is one of the top attractions to see whilst visiting Yorkshire.
The Sanctuary has the perfect mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits, with the centre boasting Europe’s first fully immersive penguin walkthrough experience and Yorkshire’s only seal hospital.
The £300,000 penguin walkthrough, which was completed in 2015, allows guests to get closer than ever before to the SEA LIFE Sanctuary’s colony of 20 Humboldt penguins.
Alongside this, the centre concentrates on the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured seal pups found on local coastal waters and visitors to the centre are able to see the patients in the seal hospital.
In total there are over 1,000 different marine creatures and 50 indoor and outdoor exhibit displays, meaning that the sanctuary is the perfect destination whatever the weather.
The fact that the attraction is close to some Scarborough-based hotels means that it is easily accessible for families staying in the nearby area too.
ENERGI TRAMPOLINE PARK
When thinking of how to amuse your kids on holiday, beyond taking them to the beach or finding out the Wi-Fi password, not much will sound much better than a series of 100 interconnected trampolines.
The Energi Leisure Park, with its humongous indoor area, really is the place to be in Yorkshire when it comes to having good, physical, tumbling fun.
With the parks giant air bags, obstacle course, foam pits, dodgeball, basketball hoops and of course the trampolines, if you are looking for somewhere to tire out the youngsters during your next vacation then look no further than Energi.
It’s a great time for all the family, with areas for adults to have just as much fun as the little ones in their own dedicated kid’s zone. The whole area is kitted out for full safety with trampolines of the very highest standard – all made in Yorkshire.
And after all that thirsty work of bouncing the day away, you can stop in for some refreshment at their refuel café.
You can find Energi Leisure Park at Rose Avenue in York Business Park.
NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM
The York-based National Railway Museum is a dream come true for anyone interested in trains as the museum has the largest collection of locomotive related objects in the world, and that’s not even mentioning the fact that the museum has approximately 300 rail vehicles in its collection.
You may have seen our blog post about the top rail attractions in Yorkshire which features the National Rail Museum and its collection.
The museum really does offer people of all ages a wide range of attractions and activities to enjoy. Your children can learn about some of the most iconic trains throughout history, including the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard. Kids are also able to learn about the railways with an explosive science show, live storytelling sessions and a brand-new miniature railway ride.
YORK’S CHOCOLATE STORY
Located in the heart of York is the area’s Chocolate Story and visitors can guarantee they will be entertained during a guided tour through the history of York’s most famous chocolate-making families and their finest creations.
Visitors can discover the origin of chocolate, how to make it, how to taste it like an expert and even the sustainable future of chocolate. York is the UK’s home of chocolate. While other northern centres made their wealth from wool, cotton and steel, York went its own sweet way and built a city from chocolate.
At York’s Chocolate Story a host of surprising secrets and fascinating facts behind its greatest chocolate products come to life – from the Chocolate Orange to the globally famous Kit Kat.
Visitors can see live chocolate-making demonstrations from skilled chocolatiers and see a host of fascinating chocolate artefacts as well as being able to get stuck in and make your own chocolates.
The factory is open daily from 10am – 6pm. To find out more about ticket prices visit the York’s Chocolate Story website.
RAINBOW FACTORY
Having good, honest, playful fun is all well and good, but nothing gets kids going more or helps their development than encouraging them to be creative. Enter the Rainbow Factory.
At Rainbow Factory, near Leeds city centre, there is a bona fide wonderland meant to bring out all the creative juices from your child’s imagination, while giving them a fun day out at the same time.
Their storytelling utopia brings classic tales to life via various mediums such as music, theatre and crafts. All with the intention to inspire children under ten years old.
Previous events and activities have included Harry Potter, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rumpelstiltskin, and pirates and princesses day.
On weekends they are mostly closed to the public in order to hold special birthday events – something to consider in case your little one is approaching their name day.
The factory is all run by a talented and passionate team of staff that includes artists, performers and authors. Storytelling and imagination is really an incredible tool when constructing a kid’s perfect day out, and Rainbow factory certainly have you covered there.
ROBIN HOOD’S BAY
Home to sandy beaches, Robin Hood’s Bay is a great place to visit if you are staying in accommodation near Robin Hood’s Bay.
The beach is a fossil hunter’s paradise as millions of years ago the land upon which Robin Hood’s Bay is situated was once a deep sea. The sea animals from that time became buried in mud, becoming fossilised. These fossils can still be picked up today and is a great activity for the kids.
As well as the stunning beach, the area has a number of family-friendly attractions that are nearby, such as the Old Coastguard Station and the Robin Hood’s Bay Museum. The museum and coastguard station are well worth a visit as information about the area’s famed smuggling and fishing industry are detailed.
Image Credits: Scarborough SEA LIFE Sanctuary, National Railway Museum, York’s Chocolate Story, laterjay Peggy_Marco Senior Master Sgt. David Lipp epSos.de Thomas Tolkien