So I'm a bit of a cultural kick. Oh yes, it had to happen. Knowledge is power folks, so feed me…read moresome information. What better place than somewhere called the Discovery Centre? It's a modern day high tech storage facility with a host of things to gawp and gaze at. You'll see masses of stuff stacked up and you can even have a look more closely in the special observation area. What I really like is how helpful and super knowledgeable the staff are. It really does put me to shame. In fact, maybe I'll go back to school and pay attention in science classes this time. Throw in a learning zone, special events and loads of regular talks and it's a different day out and a welcome option to have on our door steps.

The Discovery Centre is a specialised facility as well as a museum. It has been designed to enable…read morespecimens and collectables to be stored and displayed in conditions optimum for their preservation. Bugs, animals, clothes and sculptures are stored here. You can wander around or pre-arrange a guided tour to get the most from your experience. There is a diverse range of collectables that so most people can find something that intrigues them be it natural history, human history or culture.

Clarke Hall is a real treasure and if you live near Wakefield, I advise you to visit! It is an old…read moreTudor hall, which is still run as a working Tudor house and hosts school groups throughout the week, allowing children to learn about the past by spending the day in character as Tudors. On certain weekends and some weeknights, it is open to the public for open days and special events. Activities include learning Tudor music and dance, making pomanders or marzipan sweets, having your fortune read or tasting things in the Tudor kitchen. The Mistress of the house also has many true stories to tella bout Clarke Hall's past It's a really unique experience - it'd be worth going just to look round the gardens and see the house, but it's also a great way to get kids into history.

i remember going to clarke hall when i lived in wakefield in the 1980s i went with manygates middle…read moreschool it was very educational and we got to dress as they did and we had food like they did

A really beautiful setting awaits you if you have the time and inclination to get to Thwaite Mills…read more Semi-wild walkways follow along the canal routes and River Aire attracting buzzing wildlife. People can experience the water force once used to drive industry of oil making/refining and putty creating in the functioning mill as well as learning about how the workers lived by touring around the managers house now a Grade II listed building. Thwaite Mills are sometimes involved with wider Leeds events where boat rides to the city centre have been used along side music and dance workshops. It is a lovely place to pass warm summer days...when they arrive.

Lovely hidden gem in Leeds…read more Gorgeous old Watermill setting offering the old buildings & machinery, gardens and canal-side walks to suit all the family (and pooch) Ample parking and gift shop/tuck shop for those little niceties to take away as a momento of the visit.

While we were visiting a couple of friends in Yorkshire, this was one of the highlights of our…read morevisit! I have a not entirely normal love of rocks, but I'm not a huge fan of heavy machinery, and I really enjoyed the museum. The underground tour is a must, with the colorful guide (typically a former miner) regaling us with the interesting stories and background of the workings of this mine. (Yes, as an American, it was nearly impossible to comprehend anything through the accent! :-) ) Be sure to wear flat, closed toe shoes and bring a light jumper, as it's dark and somewhat cold deep in the mine. Everyone gets a torch (weighing about 2 kg) to wear. The exhibit about the lives of the miners (in and out of the mine) was fascinating with first-hand stories and artifacts on display. The exhibit about the women and children who used to work the mine was eye-opening. The coal interface exhibit (discussing how the coal is mined) was also worthwhile, but, as a wannabe geologist, I wished for more information about the geological science behind the discovery and mining of the coal. The children would like the pit ponies (which we didn't get a chance to see). There's a nature trail surrounding the mine which we didn't have time to walk. Big rocks, big machinery - what else do you need?

A well organized operation and museum experience. Ian was a knowledgeable miner and excellent tour…read moreguide. Great history displayed in a former mine. Sad to learn some of the awful working conditions and exploitation of family labor and animals through the years.

This is my local park, loads for kids to do from parks and trails. Park run have a route here on…read moreSaturdays from 9am & I love the Oakwell Music Festival that's on in July.

Open all year round, free entrance, its good for a variety of different walks in woodland or more…read morechild/pushchair friendly. There is a great swing park and small cafe (where to be honest the service is slow and the food not amazing) but there are zillions of blackberries to be picked at the right time of year. There is a lovely little visitor centre, and a small gift shop as well.

We went to a Thomas event last weekend. I wouldn't recommend this in the cold as they have a bouncy…read morecastle which our daughter didn't want to get off so myself, hubby and the baby were stood freezing while she had a little bounce lol. The train ride was cold too but we all still enjoyed it, we didn;t get off at the other end though we stayed on to go back to the cafe for hot chocolate. The machine had run out so we ended up with warm milk. The staff were great and sorted the machine and gave us fresh cups. I was surprised they only charged a pound for it too because so many places now charge £3 for the same thing. We didn't try the food but it didn't smell or look very nice. They do have a lovely picnic area with a play park next to it so I would take a picnic if the weather is fine. It cost £8.50 for adults and £7.50 for over 2's. It was worth it because the children got a card each that let them do 6 other activities for free such as ride the miniture railway round the pond, get a free balloon, make badges and ride on Thomas himself (there were other things I just can't remember them off the top of my head right now).

This is a little steam railway near Huddersfield, which takes you on a 40-minute return journey…read morethrough the countryside. i have only been on 'Thomas the Tank Engine' special events, which have always been very well organised. You get a steam ride on one of the famous engines from Sodor, take part in the activities at the other side, then ride back for further activities (e.g. face painting, further train rides, balloons, etc.) The downside is the food in the cafe, which isn't great, but there are Thomas activities in the cafe, to keep the kids entertained.

This area is beautiful. We walked around the area and there's just so much to see. Even the free…read morearea is iconic. The little river that runs behind the temple is so pretty. It's worth going in the actual grounds- such an experience me and my family will never forget. I got postcards and read about each room on the grounds. Very nice staff work there in the gift shop a well.

Had a nice family day out and we decided we would go here…read more We went up to Leeds and then had to catch the Bus 19 which took us up between Temple Newsam house and the golf grounds, we then had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the actual place. Walking up to it you're surrounded by green and then there are a load of tree's that seperate so you can walk through them towards the house and grounds, it was like something out of a postcard. When we actually got to the grounds we were stumped on where to go first! Do we go into Temple Newsam House OR do we head towards their little farm OR do we wonder around their 1500 acres of woodlands, fields etc!? Spoilt for choice We started off with the house itself. Prices for a family tickets (2 adults & up to 3 children) are: Temple Newsam House: £9.50 Home Farm: £8.70 Joint Ticket: £15.50 The house is magnificent! You are asked not to take photo's. This is because of the flash as the light and heat can damage pictures etc, it can cause a chemical reaction. I did take a few pictures, but made sure my flash was OFF as not to damage anything. You have a choice of walking around the house reading bits and bobs, or you can use these handheld blocks where you punch in the number per room and a recording will guide you through the room and explain. There are also children's versions of this. We all got confused by it so we opted out lol. Had a little laugh as there is a picture of a man near the picture gallery and he was a spitting image of my father - didn't take a photo of this. Despite it being so big and perhaps a bit dull for children, our children loved it and were full of questions that we tried to answer. They were excited about going into different rooms and their favourite room was the 'nannys room' where they had modern toys for children to play with. We then headed towards the farm. I will be honest with you, I didn't like the farm as much as I would have normally - perhaps it was because of the weather? I would have liked it to have been a farm where we could feed the animals too because places such as the barns with cows, they only had 1 large bucket of this protien stuff which meant that only the biggest cows had managed to get to it (would YOU try and squeeze inbetween 2 fully grown cows!?) and so the younger smaller ones had no chance - perhaps later in the day they would?? :( . One was even eating the straw on the ground which was covered in 'you know what', so I didn't like that bit. The highlight of the farm was that we saw piglets being born! That was amazing! The grounds are huge! As I've already said, all of this is within 1500 acres of land and they have woodlands you can explore which we didn't have time to get to, so it's deffinately an all day trip or perhaps even 2 days. I would go again, although I wouldn't pay for the farm again.