With the summer holidays upon us, you may be looking for days out to treat your children and grandchildren around Yorkshire.

And, with Yorkshire Day falling on 1 August, it’s a great opportunity to visit and celebrate the fantastic activities and sights of interest that call our county home.

So, discover five Yorkshire days out to keep your children and grandchildren entertained this summer.

1. Visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster

If your child or grandchild is an animal lover, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster could be an ideal day out for them.

With 500 animals of 100 species, the park is a wildlife conservation and rehabilitation centre. You’re free to wander around the different areas of the park and see as many animals as you can.

Or, you can check the timetable to see when keepers are presenting talks on or doing live feeds with various critters and creatures throughout the day.

You can also book experience packages, allowing your child or grandchild to get up close and personal with their favourite animals, including:

 

  • Polar bears
  • Carnivores such as lions, tigers, and leopards
  • Giraffes
  • Otters

 

There are some delicious food and drink options on offer too, including the Safari Café, Monkey Burger Bar, and Tsavo Bakehouse.

You can purchase tickets on the Yorkshire Wildlife Park website, including the opportunity to buy annual membership that allows unlimited access for 12 months.

2. Take them on a historic steam train journey

York may be home to the National Railway Museum, but why not explore the history of rail travel in a more practical way by taking your child or grandchild on a historic steam train journey?

There are a number of possible routes you can take them on in Yorkshire, but some of the most popular include:

 

  1. North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering – There’s a range of journeys to explore, including unlimited travel for 12 months from the date of your first visit.
  2. Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, Cleethorpes – Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, the railway offers scenic views along the Humberside Coast during a two-mile journey.
  3. Scarborough North Bay Railway, Scarborough – This 90-year-old attraction runs from Peasholm Station to Scalby Mills. Trains run every 40 minutes and there are also lakeside attractions open during school holidays, meaning there’s plenty to do for your little ones.
  4. Middleton Railway, Leeds – As the world’s oldest continuously working railway, this is one of the most impressive steam train journeys in the entire UK. Trains run regularly throughout the summer holidays on Wednesdays and weekends, and there’s also a Children’s Day on Saturday 5 August.

 

A day trip to one of those incredible feats of engineering will surely keep your children and grandchildren entertained.

3. Explore the nature in the Yorkshire Dales

The thousands of square miles that make up the Yorkshire Dales national park contain plenty of incredible sights that will amaze your children and grandchildren – all while letting them burn off some energy among the trails and hills to explore.

Marvel at the incredible beauty of the waterfalls, such as the particularly ferocious Aysgarth Falls. Or, venture into one of the 2,500 subterranean treasures of the world below, such as Gaping Gill cave or Stump Cross Caverns.

There are also tearooms, cafes, pubs, and restaurants within spitting distance of the park where you can treat your child or grandchild to something sweet after a long walk.

You can visit the Yorkshire Dales website to plan your visit and find out things to do with your children and grandchildren when visiting this picturesque part of the county.

4. Go back in time at York Castle Museum

An award-winning attraction, York Castle Museum is an interesting, informative, and highly entertaining day out for the whole family.

There’s a whole host of different ways for you to learn about the past at this museum, from galleries of historic objects, to exhibitions and displays that really help to bring the York of yore to life.

York Castle Museum is also home to Kirkgate, a world-renowned recreation of a Victorian street. Wander along the cobbled streets and see what life under Queen Victoria might really have been like, with shops and businesses named after real stores that would have operated in Victorian York.

You can book tickets to York Castle Museum online for whichever day of the holidays would suit you best.

5. Have a day out on Scarborough Beach

While there are many coastal locations in Yorkshire that are more than worth visiting, Scarborough Beach is one of the very best the county has to offer.

There are two large sandy beaches in Scarborough, perfect for an afternoon of sunbathing while your children and grandchildren build sandcastles or swim in the sea.

Meanwhile, you could also treat them to a donkey ride along the shore, a boat trip around the bay, or a short walk up to Scarborough Lighthouse, which is still active to this day.

Then, when they’ve had enough of the sand, take your children and grandchildren into town where you’ll find excellent cafes and restaurants, as well as amusement arcades that all British seaside towns must have.

A visit to Scarborough will easily entertain your little ones for a whole day, if not longer.