York Attractions and Days Out

Adventure And Active

Teamwork Karting

A perfect race track surface guarantees you an excellent race experience. Adults can take control of our unbelievably fast indoor karts, while specific cadet and bambino karts make dreams come true for your junior karting hero.

Agility York

Indoor assault course, over 120 metres with 30 obstacles suitable for age 4 and over plus Ninja tots soft play area for younger children.

The Hilt York

Embark on a journey of skill with indoor axe throwing at The Hilt. Test your mettle and show your skill in a competitive arena

Quad Biking With yorkshire Activity Centre

Whether you are an experienced Quad Biker or an absolute beginner, we have the terrain and expertise to satisfy all levels of competency. You can test your skill and nerve up and down steep hills and through some very boggy and muddy sections of our mini-mountain range.

Animal Attractions

York Bird of Prey Centre

York
The Centre is home to over 100 birds, comprising of 45 different species and there are two flying displays every day. In addition there are opportunities to meet and handle the birds throughout the day.

Piglets Adventure Farm

York, North Yorkshire
Piglets Adventure Farm is a fun filled family day out! With hands-on animal fun, lots of action packed adventure play and home to Truffles the pig.

Beetle Bank Open Farm

York, North Yorkshire
From pygmy hedgehogs to rheas, turkeys to goats, we have lots of wonderful animals for you to get to know. Let off steam in the fields, go wild in the adventure playground, have fun in the sand pit or ride on the tractors and play with the inflatables.

Three Hagges Woodmeadow

Come and enjoy a woodmeadow! The WoodMeadow Trust flagship site at Escrick, near York, is open to the public from dawn to dusk 365 days per year. Entry is free.

St Nicks York

explore 24 acres of unique green space on the site of a former rubbish tip. St Nicks became a Local Nature Reserve in February 2004 in order to conserve and maintain a diverse range of habitats sustaining wildlife surrounded by urbanisation. It lies a mere mile from the city centre of York in between an industrial zone and a housing estate.

Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park

York, North Yorkshire
The park is home to over 100 species of mammal, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates - many of which are threatened. Open weekends and school holidays.

Art & Galleries

York Art Gallery

York Art Gallery’s collection of paintings spans more than 600 years and works range from 14th century Italian panels and 17th century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a painting? To become completely immersed in the work before you, making reality around you fade into the new world created by the artist? This is where you can! At St Mary's in York.

Art Galleries in Yorkshire

Art is diverse in Yorkshire and so are the places you can see it, from the outdoor art gallery of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, to the purpose built Hepworth Gallery to the repurposed Salts Mill.

Entertainment Venues

City Screen Picturehouse

City Screen Picturehouse sits alongside the River Ouse, the arthouse cinema shows a range of independent and mainstream movies.

Grand Opera House York

Originally not intended as a theatre, the Grand Opera House York has undergone many changes since and is now the county’s biggest fully operational theatre and the home of live entertainment in the region.

York Theatre Royal

York Theatre Royal in York, England, dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offer productions in-the-round.

York Barbican

York Barbican is the largest music and arts venue in York, hosting some of the biggest touring acts in the country. The venue offers a diverse programme of world-class events, including comedy, a range of live bands, sports, family shows and community events.

Joseph Rowntree Theatre

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre is a venue that is operated by the community for the community. With 365 seats it accommodates a wide range of productions throughout the year.

Theatres across Yorkshire

Theatres and entertainment venues in Yorkshire, from amateur dramatic groups to world class actors you can see it all in Yorkshire.

Food and Drink Attractions

York Brewery

Gather in the brewery taproom bar, possibly taking in a pre tour drink, before you join one of our excellent tour guides as they take you on a tour of our premises and explain the whole brewing process to you, from grain, to glass!

Sloemotion Distillery

Founded in 2002, Sloemotion is an artisan spirits distillery based at Green Farm, in the village of Barton-le-Willows, just north of York and nearby to the market town of Malton. Sloemotion produces gins, vodkas, rums and liqueurs.

Cooper King Distiller

Cooper King Distillery is a self-built, crowd-funded distillery in Sutton-on-the-Forest, York, producing sustainable spirits distilled with craftsmanship, honesty and adventure. It’s the first in England to produce carbon-negative gin.

York Gin

Six world class gins, York Gin is a sustainable company: all our products and packaging are plastic free, we are powered by 100% green energy and we buy local wherever possible.

Free Thing To Do

National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum in York is home to 300 years of rail history and offers a fabulous day out for all ages.

York Lucky Cat Trail

Statues of cats have been placed on buildings in York for around two Centuries, although statues since removed or rotted are thought to date from medieval times.

The Shambles

The Shambles is a narrow medieval street in York, now full of wonderful independent retailers.

York Snickelways

The Snickelways of York are a collection of small streets and footpaths in the city of York, England. The snickelways themselves are usually small paths or lanes between buildings, not wide enough for a vehicle to pass down, and usually public rights of way.

York Museum Gardens

York Museum Gardens are a registered botanical garden, with a range of special plants and trees, unique Scheduled Monuments and Listed buildings within them.

St Nicks York

Rowntree Park

A park close to the centre of York. Playgrounds, a library-cafe, skatepark, tennis courts, basketball court, ponds, woodland walks and more!

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Fun

Hole In The Wand

Visit the World’s Most Magical Golf Course in York’s Coppergate Shopping Centre in York, and take on 9 magical golf holes. Along the way there will be bubbling cauldrons, magical portals, a giant picture frame where you become part of the painting.

Crazy Golf at York Golf Range

The course has 12 tricky holes for you to meander amongst ending with the trickiest hole on the course.

Can You Escape

York, North Yorkshire
has two top rated missions called Operation Lone Eagle and our brand new mission, Operation H.E.R.O. There are 2 copies of the Lone Eagle room up and running which means we can take groups of up to 16 agents at a time and start you all together in a race to the finish.

Gr8 escape York

York, North Yorkshire
One hour is all you have to solve the various codes and puzzles to escape from York's first live escape room. Work as a team to find the clues and swap ideas. Use your logic and take nothing for granted and remember: the clock is ticking.

Mindlock York

York North Yorkshire
A fast paced, fun experience for 2-30 players based right in the City Centre opposite Clifford’s Tower. In our series of unique games, each group is placed in a room and given a set amount of time to escape by solving puzzles, using strategy, creativity and logic.

Creepy Crawlies at the Web Adventure Park

Creepy Crawlies is the indoor play area within the park. Filled with separate Play Zones incorporating baby and toddler areas, sports arena, disco area, ball canons and a huge play frame for over fives.

Web Adventure Park

The Web Adventure Park is somewhere for kids and families to play together - huge indoor and outdoor adventure parks, a water play area, a baby sensory area, an animal petting zone, and loads more.

York Maze

Dates for 2024 TBC
With over 20 attractions Europe's largest Maize Maze the York Maze offers a fantastic maze, play and puzzle day out. 2023 theme to be announced soon.

Historic Buildings

Merchant Adventurers Hall

The Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, a unique building in the heart of historic York. This stunning timber framed building is one of the finest medievals examples of a guildhall left in Europe and is a Grade 1 listed building.

Holgate Windmill

Holgate Windmill, York’s last surviving windmill and the oldest 5-sailed windmill in the country is now fully restored and producing traditional stone-ground flour.

York Cold War Bunker

The most modern and spine-chilling of English Heritage’s properties, the York Cold War Bunker uncovers the secret history of Britain’s Cold War. Enter the blast-proof doors and investigate the more unusual side of York’s heritage. In active service from the 1960s–1990s the bunker was designed as a nerve-centre to monitor fallout in the event of a nuclear attack.

Clifford's Tower

Immerse yourself in centuries of history at one of York's most iconic sites and experience stunning views over the ancient city. A new roof deck gives unrivalled views over York's historic skyline, with its medieval buildings and famous Minster. Inside, new walkways and staircases have opened up parts of the tower that have been off-limits for centuries, and immersive soundscapes and stories are bringing the tower’s turbulent history to life like never before.

York Minster

York Minster is one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals. Visit the undercroft museum, do a tower tour and marvel at the stained glass windows.

Nunnington Hall

Nunnington Hall is a fascinating combination of renovation and re-purpose. The nunnington gardens offer a relaxing place to stroll, with the resident peacocks and lush bright borders.

Beningbrough Hall

Historic Beningbrough Hall is home to the National portrait gallery in Yorkshire, it is surrounded by 8 acres of formal and walled gardens, with lots of family activities.

The Shambles

The Shambles is a narrow medieval street in York, now full of wonderful independent retailers.

York Snickelways

Fairfax House

Fairfax House is a Georgian townhouse located at No. 27, Castlegate, York, England, near Clifford's Tower and York Castle Museum.

York Mansion House

Since 1732, York Mansion House has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of York, a tradition that continues to this day.

Barley Hall

Barley Hall is a medieval townhouse that has been restored to its former glory after being rediscovered in the 1980’s.

Historic Buildings

Yorkshire is packed full of history - our landscape is shaped with history from castles to stately homes, viking forts to industrial revolution mills.

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Museums

Jorvik Viking Centre

The Jorvik Centre is a must-see attraction in York created on the actual site of an archaeological dig revealed York's past history.

York Chocolate Story

Discover York's fascinating history with chocolate, learn why we love chocolate so much, have a go at making your own and watch the experts.

Jorvik DIG

orvik DIG is a hands-on archaeology-themed visitor attraction created by the people behind JORVIK Viking Centre. Giving visitors the chance to become trainee ‘diggers’ and discover the most exciting artefacts from 2000 years of York’s history!

Yorkshire Air Museum

Experience more than a century of aviation, all in one historic location. Yorkshire’s leading aviation history destination. Indoor and Outoor Exhibitions.

Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton Park

The Yorkshire Museum of Farming is dedicated to the preservation of the history of farming in Yorkshire and further afield. Murton Park is also home to the Danelaw Centre for Living History and The Derwent Valley Light Railway.

Yorkshire Museum

The Yorkshire Museum houses galleries showcasing some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures from the city’s Roman, Viking and medieval past as well as a nationally significant natural science collection, some of which is on show in Yorkshire’s Jurassic World.

City Walls Experience

Housed in the gatehouse of Micklegate Bar, visit the City Walls Experience to discover how York came to be a walled city and how they have evolved and changed since the first being built by the Romans.

York Castle Museum

Come and see hundreds of years of York’s history in one place – from recreated Jacobean dining rooms to infamous Victorian criminals and all the way to the Space Age and the swinging Sixties.

York Dungeon

2000 years of history are brought to horrible life at the York Dungeon; an essential part of the complete York experience. Immersive sets, incredible actors and unique stories allow you to see, hear, smell and feel York's darkest history.

York Army Museum

York Army Museum is home to the collections of the Royal Dragoon Guards and the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire. Through these we tell the story of the British Army and its importance for Yorkshire in the last 300 years.

National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum in York is home to 300 years of rail history and offers a fabulous day out for all ages.

Royal Dragoon Guards Museum

The Museum features more than thirty display cases, arranged chronologically and thematically to tell the story of the Regiment and its antecedents, from their inception in 1685 to the present day.

Kohima Museum

Situated on a military camp, this one room museum is packed with items related to the battle of Kohima in general and a little on the Burma Campaign.

More Museums in Yorkshire

Yorkshire is home to some fantastic museums. There are six National museums in Yorkshire and host of other highly rated, informative and fun museums to visit.

Outdoor Spaces

York Museum Gardens

York Museum Gardens are a registered botanical garden, with a range of special plants and trees, unique Scheduled Monuments and Listed buildings within them.

Three Hagges Woodmeadow

Come and enjoy a woodmeadow! The WoodMeadow Trust flagship site at Escrick, near York, is open to the public from dawn to dusk 365 days per year. Entry is free.

St Nicks York

Parks and Gardens

Museum Gardens

Yorkshire Museum is is situated in York Museum Gardens, an idyllic haven with an array of plant species, wildlife, and historical features to explore.

Breezy Knees Gardens

Breezy Knees features award winning gardens, a specialist perennial nursery and cafe.

Goddards Garden

Take time exploring the garden ‘rooms’ of the former home of the Terry family (think Chocolate Orange). Discover fragrant borders, wildlife areas, vegetable garden and the glasshouse.

Rowntree Park

A park close to the centre of York. Playgrounds, a library-cafe, skatepark, tennis courts, basketball court, ponds, woodland walks and more!

Rail and Transport Attractions

National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum in York is home to 300 years of rail history and offers a fabulous day out for all ages.

Derwent Valley Light Railway

Derwent Valley Light Railway is located at Murton Park with the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, offering train rides and driver experiences.

Yorkshire Air Museum

Experience more than a century of aviation, all in one historic location. Yorkshire’s leading aviation history destination. Indoor and Outoor Exhibitions.

City Cruises York

City Cruises throughout the historic centre of York on the big red boat, or join for evenlit moonlit cruise. Alternatively why not hire one of the self drive boats and give yourself a tour.

City SightSeeing York

Yorks's hop on hop of bus tour allowing you to experience the city on your terms. Enjoy the sights and sounds from the open topped double decker with audio guide.

Sightseeing and Tours

York Walls Trail

York’s medieval City Walls (or “Bar Walls”), a scheduled ancient monument encircling the historic City of York, comprise 3.4km (2 miles) of surviving masonry. They are the longest town walls in England.

York Cat Trail

Statues of cats have been placed on buildings in York for around two Centuries, although statues since removed or rotted are thought to date from medieval times.

Wizard Walk of York

Help The Wizard of York find magical creatures as you wander the snickelways of this enchanting city, in a walking tour you’ll go Potty for. No spooky ghosts, no scary stories…just whimsical wizarding fun for all the family!

Sports and Leisure

York Solar System Cycle Route

This scale model of the Solar System is spread out along 6.4 miles of the old East Coast main-line railway. Along it you can find scale models of all the planets in our solar system as well as models of the Cassini and Voyager spacecraft.

York Footgolf

Based on the outskirts of York city, just three miles from the city centre. Situated on an old golf course, York foot golf has a full course with water hazards and everything you'd expect from golf.

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What's On York

Major Events and Festivals in York

York Residents Festival

25th and 26th January 2025
York Residents Festival is a ‘thank you’ for the warm welcome York's residents. This year there is a chance to explore behind the scenes at a number of venues not usually open to the public, as well as some great dining and retail offers.