Leeds attractions for money conscious families

Entrance to Thackray Medical Museum.

If the little ones are feeling bored there’s nothing like a museum to engage their attention. Forget the idea of museums being stuffy places – modern museums are full of displays and activities for the young ones to enjoy, and Leeds has a good selection of historical, industrial, and art museums.

Leeds Art Gallery

In the very heart of Leeds, on the Headrow, Leeds Art Gallery makes for a terrific budget day out for the family as it is free. Not only do you have the Art Gallery with its fine collection of traditional and contemporary paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints, but also adjacent to it is the Henry Moore Institute, the Craft and Design Centre and Leeds Central Library. Connecting the Art Gallery with the library is the lovely Tiled Hall Café, which has to be one of the most beautiful cafes in Leeds.

The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

If your family really love art galleries, then you could also take a walk up to the University of Leeds where you will find the very new Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery which displays innovative temporary exhibitions along with some lovely works from the University Art Collection. Entry is free, and you can always nip along to The Refectory for a reasonably priced meal.

Leeds Royal Armouries Museum

One of the top family days out in Leeds is the Royal Armouries. Children love the displays of falconry and the knights in full armour actually jousting in the Tiltyard! There are other animals too, in fact a whole menagerie of them. Also there is a Craft Court where you can see ancient crafts in progress such as gunmaking, armouring and costumery.

Thackray Museum

If you think there may be some potential doctors in the family then inspire your children with things medical by taking a visit to the The Thackray Museum next to St. James’s Hospital. Here you can take a look at some of the innovations that have led to the safe operations and medical procedures that we have come to expect in modern medicine. The exhibition gives a history of medicine and surgery from the mid-1800’s onwards. (Maybe not for the fainthearted though).

Abbey House Museum

Abbey House Museum is housed in what was once the gatehouse to Kirkstall Abbey, meaning that a visit to this museum can also be combined with a visit to the ruined abbey too. The ground floor of the museum is laid out as a complex of Victorian streets complete with shops, and upstairs you’ll find a variety of exhibitions, including a history of the abbey. Family tickets are five pounds.

Leeds City Museum

Right in the heart of the city centre, and on Millennium Square is Leeds City Museum. Bring the family here to enjoy the various exhibitions, games, and informative talks. Here you can explore Natural History, Ancient Worlds, Worldwide Culture, and Local History. And all this fun is for free.

Lotherton Hall

If you feel like straying a little further afield then get yourself off to Lotherton Hall, a beautiful country house not far from the Great North Road, and but thirteen miles from Leeds. There are some lovely grounds to enjoy, a Bird Garden, a play park for children, and, come the good weather, some great picnic sites.

Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills

Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills is a great celebration of the industrial past of the area, and there are loads of fantastic working exhibits that children will love. Housed in a former woollen mill, not only is this one of the largest textile museums in the world, but you can also see a working Spinning Mule, a working cinema from of the 1920’s, and old steam engines. Family tickets are just a fiver.

Thwaite Mills

You’ll find more of the area’s great industrial past at Thwaite Mills. Water powered mills used to be all over the place, but now this fully restored working water mill on the River Aire is one of the few remaining ones in Britain. The mill goes back to the 1820’s and is now an industrial museum where children are fascinated to see the working water wheels and machinery. As well as the mill itself there is the manager’s house, which has been restored to its pre-1940’s and pre-electricity state.

So with all these cool things to do and see, there is no need for children in Leeds to ever feel bored.

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