Leeds is a city which is rich in history and packed full of interesting places to visit. One of the most versatile of these is provided in the gorgeous house and fabulous gardens of Harewood House. If you are looking for somewhere to take the family during the school holidays then a visit to Harewood estate is highly recommended.

Harewood House tour

Harewood House is a stately home only 15 minutes drive from Leeds. It was built in the mid-18th Century and boasts Robert Adam interiors, Chippendale furniture and gardens designed by Capability Brown. Don’t be fooled, however, into thinking that you can only enjoy Harewood if you are a history lover: there is more than enough going on there to provide a great experience for anyone who cares to visit.

Harewood house bird garden

There are, for example, over 100 acres of gardens in which you can picnic, play and feel generally as if you belong in a 1920s world where afternoon tea and boating after lunch were par for the course. Best of all (in my humble opinion) is the bird garden, which includes such exotic delights as parrots, flamingos and even penguins.

Over one third of the 90+ species of bird living at Harewood are threatened or endangered, so as a nice little philanthropic aside you can adopt a bird whilst visiting and help with their vital conservation. You can also get involved with feeding the penguins at certain times throughout the year.

Playground area for children

For children, Harewood is home to one of the best adventure playgrounds in Yorkshire. It includes a 20m zip wire, aerial walkways and climbing nets: kids of all ages will find something here to enjoy. The playground in its entirety, including a picnic area, covers more then 3 acres of ground.

There are numerous trails and walks through the grounds, all of them offering stunning examples of horticultural architecture. The Terrace gardens provide fantastic views over the countryside and also contain the Terrace Tearooms, with both indoor and outdoor seating so you can enjoy a cuppa whatever the weather.

Lakeside walks and picnics

There is also a beautiful lakeside walk, with glades that are especially rewarding in springtime, and woods that I would recommend visiting in the autumn, when the sumptuous reds and gold’s of the leaves are reflected in the lake. Situated within the grounds to the north of the house you can find All Saints Church. This beautiful building dates back to the 15th Century and is home to one of the largest collection of alabaster tombs in any English churchyard outside a cathedral.

One of the great things about Harewood is the amount that has been done to bring the place to life for a modern audience as well as keeping its historic integrity very much intact: ‘Art at Harewood’ is a programme of temporary exhibitions which take place throughout the house and grounds each season, making it possible to find something new despite numerous visits.

Impressive Harewood House

Moving into the house itself, you can see the beautifully decorated rooms complete with Chippendale furniture and a tea service that once belonged to Marie-Antoinette. You can’t fail to be impressed by its, well, impressiveness, but if you are anything like me the knowledge that the house was commissioned by Edwin Lascelles with money made from the sugar (and therefore slave) trade may dim its grandeur somewhat.

Harewood House events

As if all of the above wasn’t enough, you will also find events at Harewood throughout the year such as vintage car rallies, red kite walks, family story telling and open air concerts: check out their website to see what’s coming up. I have been to Harewood House many times since moving to Leeds, and each visit has provided a different experience that I remember with pleasure. I thoroughly recommend that you go and check Harewood House out for yourself.

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Take a family day trip to Harewood House

For those that like to get out and about, the Leeds area offers a number of family friendly attractions ranging from stately homes, stunning gardens, parks and scenery and even a chance to see wildlife from around the globe. Here are some of the best suggestions for a great family day out in Leeds.

Harewood House

Harewood House is one of the most well known attractions in Yorkshire with a huge variety on offer catering for visitors with all tastes and ages. The main house itself is a Grade 1 listed building and one of the nine treasure houses of England. It features wonderful interiors that include paintings, furniture and porcelain. The House also provides superb views over a vast, stunning landscape.

Boasting over 100 acres of gardens with plants from all corners of the world, the Harewood House grounds are perfect for any number of different walks and provide the setting for a huge number of events from concerts, festivals and even car rallies.

There is also the famous Bird Garden, featuring penguins, owls, flamingos and parrots, and for the younger visitors an Adventure Playground and the new Geopods interactive indoor play area that make Harewood House an ideal family day out.

Tropical World

Located in Roundhay Park, which has recently benefited from huge investment thanks to a Heritage Lottery grant, a trip to Tropical World will see you be able to view all manner of creatures from around the globe residing in their natural habitats.

Attractions range from tropical birds, butterflies, ignuanas, snakes, spiders and other insects in the rainforest area as well as fruitbats, monkeys, bush babies and sugar gliders in the nocturnal house and new born meerkats in the desert area. The swamp area is now home to the Moreleta crocodilies, reptiles upto two metres in length that are usually only found in the lakes and swamps of South America.

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

An interesting project which has received widespread acclaim is the Meanwood Valley Urban Farm. This initiative stemmed from the development of the City Farm movement that sprung up in the 1970’s as a reaction to inner city decline and strives to improve derelict land for the benefit of the community.

Situated in 14 acres in Meanwood Beck, it was officially opened in 1980 and has grown to become an important centre for community and environmental work. It has a working farm in addition to an organic market garden selling fresh produce and nature and picnic areas as well as the EpiCentre that provides exhibition space, classrooms, meeting facilities and was established to promote the aims.

Hollies Botanical Gardens

The Hollies Botanical gardens consists of twenty-two hectares of land and is home to four National Council collections for the conservation of plants and gardens. The site also benefits from flowering rhododendrons and azaleas, herbaceous borders, mature plants and large woodland walks, making it an ideal destination for those with a long afternoon on their hands.

Temple Newsam

Set within over 1500 acres of parkland, woodland and farmland the focal point of Temple Newsam is the stunning mansion that houses a number of works of art and home to a spectacular collection of paintings, furniture and pottery. The original ‘Home Farm’ is still in existence and there are over 400 animals in Europe’s largest working Rare Breeds Farm allowing visitors to wander freely around the yards.

The gardens cater for all tastes with the park being known for its rhododendron walk and houses several national plant collections. Temple Newsam also hosts many events each year including festivals and there are regular family activities, demonstrations, guided walks or tours that take place throughout the year.

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Ideas for family days out with kids in Leeds

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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Leeds attractions for money conscious families

Leeds isn’t just about shopping and nightlife, there’s loads of family stuff too. So if you feel like taking your little ones for a weekend in Leeds you will find that there are plenty of things that you can all enjoy. If your kids like drawing and messing about with paint, then Leeds Art Gallery offers some exciting free art sessions with activities such as drawing buildings, creating artwork from a wide range of materials, and also games. Not only that, but they can put their completed works on display too in a dedicated children’s space. Children must be accompanied by an adult, so prepare to roll up your sleeves and join in the fun.

Culture activities for kids

Your children might also enjoy a look around the main gallery itself, which has a great selection of paintings and sculpture to fascinate even the youngest art critic. Don’t forget the shop afterwards either, they have a great selection of souvenirs, toys, games, puzzles and knick-knacks that children love. The cakes on offer in the adjacent café will no doubt be appreciated too.

Don’t forget to take your kids to Thornton’s Arcade, where you will find at its northern end the most wonderful clock that is a delight to young eyes. It was made by Leeds company Potts and Sons, and has four life-size figures of characters from Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, which were made by Leeds sculptor John Wormald Appleyard. Richard Coeur-de-Lion and Friar Tuck strike the hours, and Robin Hood and Gurth the Swineherd strike the quarters.

Shops that will entertain the children

There’s nothing like a good walk for burning off excess energy, and Leeds is not short of them. Try the lovely River Aire Walk from Leeds Railway Station up to the Royal Armouries. From the station go under Dark Arches to the Granary Wharf, which is itself an interesting marketplace of shops, bars and restaurants.

Then head for the Waterfront, and take the pleasant walk along the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, seeing for yourself how the whole waterfront area of Leeds has been redeveloped, with old mills completely transformed into contemporary offices and apartments. Keep an eye out for the ducks and wild birds that have made their home there. In the summer you can take a barge from Granary Wharf up to the Royal Armouries.

Education for the kids

At the Royal Armouries you can see Henry VIII’s suits of armour, starting with the slender one of his youth, with subsequent ones graduating outwards to accommodate the ever expanding girth for which he is well-known. One of the most impressive displays is a great collection of swords, bayonettes and guns gracing the stairwell.

There is loads of stuff here that will interest children including falconry displays, and horse shows that include demonstations of medieval jousting with knights on horseback in full armour. There is a complete menagerie of animals too, as well as a gunmaker, armourer and wardrobe mistress giving demonstrations of their old crafts. Entry to the museum is free, but there may be an entrance fee to some events.

Fun for all of the family

Heading back to Leeds city centre, the Leeds City Museum, located right on Millenium Square, organise family fun events, such as art and craft activities that relate to the museum displays. There are interactive displays such as the Africa exhibition where you can try on costumes and play drums, a Life on Earth Exhibition that allows you to feel the sights and sounds of the rainforest, feel the skin of a python, and dig for fossils.

You can make your own Roman mosaic or step into the shoes of an archaeologist by attempting to reconstruct pottery. As well as looking at artefacts of worldwide significance, the museum allows you to explore Leeds past and present.

Take a trip with the kids

If you happen to be in Leeds on a weekend or public holiday then just a two mile bus ride south from Leeds City Centre you will find the Middleton Railway which is due to re-open on Saturday 4th April. Run by rail enthusiasts since the sixties, steam and diesel hauled trains leave Moor Road Station for the one mile journey to Middleton Park. Also organised are guided walks, children’s galas, model railway exhibitions and even ghost and Santa trains. With family tickets at £12 this one won’t break the bank.

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This guide was syndicated from My Life in Leeds where you will find more Leeds Travel Guides like this.

Family attractions in Leeds