None Go Bye Farm
If you like to see and feed animals, None-Go-Bye is a great place to take your children. Not only do you not need to pre-book, but it’s nice and cheap too (£1 per adult and 50p per child including a bag of feed)! A clear one-way system is in place to walk around the animal enclosures, where you can expect to see goats, pigs, alpaca, donkeys and geese! Browse the Farm shop to enjoy their own produced meats and other local produce. Read more here
Make a Day of it: Head just a short drive away to Yeadon Tarn, for a walk around the Lake, a play at the playground and Feeding the ducks.
Follow a Little Friends Trail at Roundhay Park
There are two children’s trails to follow at Roundhay park; The Magical Fountains of Roundhay for 2-5 yr olds and The Secret of Roundhay Castle for 6yrs+. Print off trail instructions and get exploring! I completed the first two quests of the Magical Fountains Trail earlier this year with my young children, it was fantastic to rediscover the parts of Roundhay Park that are so often forgotten, visiting Canal Gardens and the Specialist Gardens.
Make a Day of it: You’re at Roundhay Park! Walk round the Lake, Feed the Ducks, Visit the Playgrounds and enjoy lunch at Lakeside, the Mansion, the White House… or a proper picnic!
Leeds City Museum
With FREE entry, six galleries, and a programme of family friendly exhibitions, Leeds City Museum is a great place to visit with children. Just be warned it’s not the easiest to navigate with a buggy! This October Half term there’s a scavenger hunt to spot the joy in the teeny, tiny and tiddly things in the museum. Read more here.
Make a Day of it: Yipeeeeee! You’re in the City Centre!! There’s lots of shopping and eating to enjoy. For something a little different, have you ever done the Owl Trail to find the 25 owls around Leeds? Download the map here and learn about Leeds’ rich heritage as you search!
Abbey House Museum
Explore Victorian life in Leeds with a trip to Abbey House Museum and transport yourself back to the 19th century! Inside this wonderful museum are realistic Victorian Streets, including the ‘High Street’, a poorer residential district and even a Victorian Drinking House! Upstairs, the childhood galleries hosts a range of 19th century toys, games and dolls! Please note: During October Half Term, tickets to Abbey House WILL need to be pre-booked.
Make a Day of it: Just across from the museum is the glorious Kirkstall Abbey, where you can wander around the historic ruins of one of the most complete Cistercian monasteries in Britain! Take a football to kick around in The Abbey Park, and enjoy a bite to eat in the cafe. There’s a play area there too!
Wakefield’s Story Trail Walks
There are four story trails now around Wakefield, which involve bit of activity to encourage children to do the walks! My absolute favourite is the Gnome Roam, which is a 1.8 mile walk through the beautiful forest at Newmillerdam to find the Gnomes. At each gnome you have to do a little activity! Another popular choice is the Room on the Broom Trail at Anglers, where sculptures and models are based on the popular story. To learn about the other story trail walks, head over to Wakefield Mumbler’s post on this.
Make a Day of it: If you head to Angler’s there is much more to see than the Room on the Broom Trail…. with a great play area and cafe. Also head to Haw Park Wood which is just magical!
Oakwell Hall & Country Park
Just outside Leeds in Kirklees, Oakwell Hall offers families an insight into a post English Civil War household. Entry to Oakwell Hall is currently free, and open between 12pm and 4pm and weekends.
Make a Day of it: The real fun for children comes in the extensive grounds! There’s a great Nature trail (not buggy friendly), playgrounds for younger and older children, a scrummy cafe, and download the Love Exploring App to do a Dinosaur Safari!!
Leeds Industrial Museum
A great choice for a rainy day, this place is HUUUUUUUUUUUGE! There’s loads of interesting spaces and displays including a media gallery and an old 1920s cinema (which is my personal favourite)! Sadly you can’t sit in the cinema at the moment but you can still pop inside to take a look and they should be showing film reels from the archives. They often screen family favourites in there and it’s only £9 for a family ticket. Hopefully that will start up again next year. There’s also the Leeds to Innovation exhibition and pop around the side to check out the Colour Garden whilst you’re there!
Make a Day of it: Pop just across the little footbridge to get to Cardigan Fields, which is jammed pack with entertainment including restaurants, a trampoline park, IMAX Cinema and Fast Food.
If you’re still looking for days out.. have a look at our Days Out Pages!
