I can remember spending many happy days at Wood end museum as a child. Looking at the snakes and…read morebugs and the bee hives. Wandering round looking at all the old photos of Scarborough. Going to Wood End museum was a must do for schools and we went most years and the museum had activities set up to bring the history of the area alive for us. Sadly they have now redeveloped the museum and whilst that means they have restored it to it's former glory on the outside, the museum itself seems to have changed and is no longer somewhere to take children.

Take no notice of the mini-map - it is wrong. The museum is located on Grand Parade. The address is…read morecorrect. We visited on a drizzly June Sunday in 2010 and were pleasantly surprised. Admission was cheap and it passed an hour or so. The exhibits remind you of a bedroom quickly tidied with the arrival of visitors. There is no logic to the displays, they simply are. Famous names sit next to anonymous teddy bears. Virtually every type of toy is represented. Modern toys and games sit alongside favourites of days gone by. We were able to show our 11 and 8 year olds toys which we had as children. The museum is well worth a visit.

So much fun! We had to drag the kids away…read more All indoors and the staff were funny, friendly and full of knowledge.

The buildings,two cottages ,were going to be pulled down which would have been a great shame. They…read moreare picturesque and old and a good piece of Filey history would have been lost.Looking at the outside I never dreamed how much history would be inside.There is quite a few rooms and lots of info with audio commentries. My Dad was from an old Filey family so I was able to see how it was when he grew up. I also read a local newspaper from the year I was born.There is a lot about how Filey developed. There is a nice garden at the back and they let dogs in it if they are well behaved.The whole place is beautifully kept and a credit it to its volunteers.The out side is painted white and I have never seen it look other than clean and bright.If you go look out for the old plaque which says the fear of god be in you and a date. Check the times if you as it doesnt open in Winter.

This is a great day out regardless of age be you 5 or 105 there should be something to interest…read moreyou. Located on a former wartime Air-base this museum is run by many volunteers, including an ex-rear Gunner and wireless operator who was shot up during a raid over Germany. George Martin can be found in the Air Gunners Exhibition and I can assure you a more interesting bloke with his experiences and memories of this period I have yet to meet. The Museum is spread within several restored wartime sheds which house the various themes on display, along with many restored aircraft outside and in hangers. It also still has the air traffic control tower which displays how things would have been. One of the hangers displays other restored Aircraft including, the Halifax bomber of which nearly 80 were lost during raids over Germany from this base alone. Other more modern planes are also on display including the Buccaneer, Vulcan Bomber, and Harrier to name a few. The museum continues to restore aircraft and long may it continue we had an excellent day out and at an entrance cost of only £5.00 per adult including parking it wasn't going to break the bank.

We went on a slightly miserable but warm morning. When we arrived we were very impressed with the…read moresetup of the museum. It is very well kept with lots if different executions and lots of planes to see. I was particularly impressed with the Halifax bomber! You could also try out a couple of actual cockpits and they had 2 simulators, one to practice landings and the other as a rear gunner! The sun came out and it was a glorious day, we sat outside the NAAFI with a drink and a cake from the canteen. We would highly recommend you take a trip out, the kids would love it at well!!!

Interesting museum with a displays about various aspects of the criminal justice system locally…read more Quite expensive for a small museum but worth the money. There is a rather good audio commentary but unfortunately it does not work as intended because there is a very poor mobile signal and the free Wi-Fi does not work in the main exhibition areas, it only works close to reception. Doubtless this is due to the thick walls of the former jail, but if the investment in Wi-Fi that covered the whole place could be made, it would enable visitors to make full use of some good material (which I listened to later when connected elsewhere). Anyway, that aside, it is an interesting place with plenty of exhibits and explanations about the misery of being a prisoner in that building, and memorabilia relating to the police.

Another Castle, another day, set between the North and South Bay on the Headland. Do walk around…read morethe headland for terrific views of the bays and the castle from a distance. There is not much to the ruins but yo do get a good idea of a good fortress. It's a short steep climb from the Church down below.

I love Scarborough Castle for its position and the general ambiance. Kids seem to love it too…read more Wonderful views of both bays from here. The ruins of the castle are situated at the Eastern extremity of the town, on a lofty promontory, elevated more than 300 feet on the southern, and 330 feet on the northern side, above the level of the sea, and presenting to the north, the east, and the south, a vast range of perpendicular rocks, completely inaccessible. Its western aspect is also bold and majestic, being a high, steep, rocky, slope, commanding the town, harbour and the bay. The whole area, at the top of the hill, is upwards of nineteen acres of excellent soil, gently sloping near 20 feet from the north to the south lines. During the civil wars, in the reign of Charles I. this castle was twice besieged, and taken by the parliamentary army. Scarborough Castle, is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, favourite and companion since childhood of Edward II. Gaveston was captured at the castle in 1312. He surrendered on condition that his life would be spared and that he would have a fair trial. However, on the journey to London he was beheaded at Warwick. He is said to have ever since enjoyed a vendetta against living people by lurking in the deep shadows of the castle walls and luring them to their deaths over the cliff edge to the sea, 300 feet below. Although the top of the keep has disappeared, some remaining walls provide a good indication of how splendid this structure was. Fireplaces at the first and second levels can still be seen in the walls. Nothing exists of the once mighty forebuilding except the foundations, which show clearly its size and estimated height of some 40ft (12m). From this date, Scaborough Castle became practically impregnable, although the outer defences were continually improved and reinforced over the years. Scarborough Castle was the strategically important Northern base of Kings and Queens for almost five centuries, and with each new reign came further additions and improvements to the original building. Perched high on a headland above the North Sea, Scarborough Castle occupies one of the most dramatic castle sites in the country and boasts over 2,500 years of turbulent history. Before the castle was built, this natural fortress was favoured by prehistoric settlers before serving as a Roman signal station and Viking haven. It has endured sieges from medieval kings and Civil War armies, and German naval bombardment during WWII. Now you can climb to the battlement viewing platforms for dramatic coastline views, and take tea in the 18th-century Master Gunner's House. Built in the reign of King Stephen, by William le Gros; Earl of Albemarle and Holderness. Here Piers de Gaveston, the favourite of Edward II. sought refuge against the exasperated barons, but after a short siege, he was obliged to surrender for want of supplies, and lost his head, as already related, (the ghost) in the castle of Dedington. Robert Aske, the leader of the Pilgrims of Grace, made an unsuccessful attempt upon Scarborough Castle, in 1536. In the time of Wyat's rebellion, in 1553, it was surprised and taken by the stratagem of introducing a number of soldiers, disguised as peasants. This achievement was performed by Thomas, second son of Lord Stafford, but his success was of short duration, three days afterwards the place was retaken by the Earl of Westmoreland, and Stafford; and three other of the leaders were conveyed to London, and executed for high treason. A nasty end. Really must be visited when in Scarborough.

Great day out packed full of interesting things to see. I've been coming here since I was a kid,…read moreand always enjoy a visit, learning something new about the local history each time. With free entry, and in town, it's definitely worth including it in your day travels.

Another nice and interesting museum in Newcastle, definitely a city of cultural delights. The…read moreDiscovery Museum mostly focuses on telling the story of the city and of the Northeast in general. It goes through the good times and the bad times in the city, including the coal mining boom, the poverty, the World Wars, the politics, everything is covered. There are real life examples- interviews with real Newcastle people over the years, and plenty of interesting memorabilia as well. It's a very cool place. There are also sections devoted to science and technology, and the discoveries made by people from the area. There is a good café with excellent prices, and a nice little shop too. A big advantage of this museum for families is that the exhibits are quite interactive, and should keep children interested as well. Best of all, it's all free. However, if you can, please do donate to keep important institutions like this one accessible to all.

Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is brought to life in this walk-through attraction - a series of 10 scenes…read moreusing sounds and new electronic special effects, eerie life-size models and live actors. A cape weighing 56 kilos and worn by Christopher Lee in his 2nd 'Dracula' film is on show. They say it is an educational and historical tour, ideal for school partiesI think more of an old fashioned fun house thing. Dracula and Whitby were thrown together in a most dramatic manner, to say the least. A terrifying storm lashed the coastline and the Russian schooner, Demeter, somehow managed to gain the safety of the harbour. The Dailygraph newspaper summed up the strange event thus: The searchlight followed her, and a shudder ran through all who saw her, for lashed to the helm was a corpse, with a drooping head, which swung horribly to and fro at each motion of the ship. No other form could be seen on deck at all. A great awe came on all as they realized that the ship, as if by a miracle, had found the harbour, unsteered save by the hand of a dead man! However, all took place more quickly than it takes to write these words. The schooner paused not, but rushing across the harbour, pitched herself on that accumulation of sand and gravel washed by many tides and many storms into the south-east corner of the pier jutting under the East Cliff, known locally as Tate Hill Pier. But, strangest of all, the very instant the shore was touched, an immense dog sprang up on deck from below, as if shot up by the concussion, and running forward, jumped from the bow on the sand. Making straight for the steep cliff, where the churchyard hangs over the laneway to the East Pier so steeply that some of the flat tombstones - 'thruff-steans' or 'throughstones,' as they call them in the Whitby vernacular - actually project over where the sustaining cliff has fallen away, it disappeared in the darkness, which seemed intensified just beyond the focus of the searchlight. Bram Stoker found some of his inspiration for Dracula after staying in the town. He stayed in a house on the West Cliff (the Crescent). Stoker found a general history book at the Whitby Library (which was near the Quayside originally). He tells us so at the top of a sheet of his notes taken from William Wilkinson's 'An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia' (1820). These notes contain the only reference to Dracula (the historical figure) in all of Stoker's papers. There seems to be little doubt that Whitby is where he discovered the name. Prices Adult £1.95 Child £1.50 Concession £1.50 Family £6.00 (2 adults & 2 children)

The Dracula Experience has been in Whitby for donkey's years, and still seems to be a very popular…read moreattraction! It is situated on Marine Parade, opposite the Lifeboat Mooring. It is open all year round, including Christmas and New Year! I visited the Draculsa Experience a couple of years back with my niece who was 13 at the time. We kind of knew what to expect, and we weren't disappointed! Although there's really not much to the attraction itself it does have it's charm; it's basically just a walk-through telling the story of Dracula, with waxworks and spooky noises to give it that authentic spooky feel! There was a live actor on when we visited (at least i hope it was an actor) and he was following us around touching us with his long rubber hands! We thought this was hilarious as we kept telling him to go away and making the sign of the cross at him! I would recommend the Dracula Experience for adults and older children; it would probably be too scary for most under sevens. It is a daft laugh and you can't knock it for some cheap entertainment!