Home Farm - Fun Days Out

Murton Park is set in 14 acres of countryside east of York and is home to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming. Inside you can explore the history of farm machinery, rural life and the Women's Land Army. Outdoors there are animals to meet, play areas, and a short ride on the Derwent Valley Light Railway at weekends.

The living history sites bring the past to life, with a one-third scale Roman fort and a Viking village that are open to all visitors most weekends and school holidays. The Yorkshire Barn Café is on site for a break. Visitors praise the friendly staff, the play areas and the space for small children to run about, so it suits families best, and anyone who likes a bit of history.

Tip: The living history sites may have limited or no access during school term time, so visit at a weekend or in the school holidays to see the Roman fort and Viking village.

York Minster is an Anglican cathedral in the city of York and the seat of the Archbishop of York. Most of the building dates from between 1220 and 1472. It keeps most of its medieval stained glass, including the huge east window, the largest expanse of medieval glass in the world, and the Five Sisters window in the north transept.

A visit can include free guided tours led by volunteer guides, a stained glass tour, and the Undercroft Museum, which covers 2,000 years of history. You can also see the Crypt, and visitors aged 8 and over can climb the Central Tower. Families get interactive trails and Little Explorer Backpacks, and history lovers have plenty to explore.

Tip: Pre-book your tickets, and note that a Minster ticket is valid for 12 months. The Central Tower needs a combined ticket and a minimum age of 8.

The National Railway Museum in York tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. Around 100 locomotives and pieces of rolling stock are usually on show at York, alongside thousands of other objects. Highlights include the streamlined Mallard, Flying Scotsman, Duchess of Hamilton, the Royal Train saloons of "Palaces on Wheels" and a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train.

It works well for families, with Wonderlab, an interactive gallery where nothing is off limits, and a Flying Scotsman virtual reality experience. A miniature railway ride runs at times, and you can have afternoon tea in a restored rail carriage on Fridays to Sundays. Rail fans and anyone curious about engineering and history will happily fill a day here. It is a good choice for a wet day, as much of it is indoors.

Tip: Check the official website before you go for current opening days and times, and book ahead for Wonderlab and the afternoon tea.

Clifford's Tower is the largest surviving part of York Castle, northern England's greatest medieval fortress. Inside the tower you can explore key periods of its history, with fictional historic characters telling its tales, from the Harrying of the North and the tragic anti-Jewish pogrom of 1190 to the explosion of 1684 that destroyed the interior.

At the foot of the mound, a welcome area includes a tactile map of the castle and city. The steps up the mound are steep, but there are three resting places along the way. At the top, a timber roof platform gives 360-degree panoramas over York and beyond. The tower's Henry III stone keep has a distinctive quatrefoil design, and it's an easy one to fit around a wider day in the city.

Tip: Booking early can save money, and arriving by bus, train or bike gets you a discount on entry bought at the site on the day.

Flamingo Land is a theme park, zoo and resort at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. It has been running since 1959 and was the first site in Europe to combine rides and a zoo. The theme park has eight themed areas, with thrill coasters such as Sik, Hero, Kumali and Velocity, plus gentler family and kids' rides.

The zoo is home to around 140 species, including giraffes, tigers, hippos, rhinos, meerkats, penguins and lemurs. Keeper talks and feeds run through the day, and there are daily shows and character meet and greets, including Peter Rabbit. Thrill seekers will head for the big coasters, while families with younger children can mix animals, shows and smaller rides. There are plenty of places to eat on site.

Tip: Check the day's keeper talk and show times on the website before you go, and plan your route around them.

Jorvik Viking Centre sits in the heart of York, in the Coppergate Shopping Centre. Its ride takes you in a capsule through a reconstructed Viking city, with 360-degree views of life in the 10th century, including animated figures, sounds and smells.

Afterwards, a museum gallery displays artefacts unearthed on this very site, including a replica of the Coppergate Helmet. Staff dress in Viking costume and are happy to chat about daily life at the time. Reviews describe the visit as informative for both adults and children, and say the ride brings the history to life rather than leaving it in display cases.

Tip: Pre-booking is essential, so reserve a time slot ahead and arrive 10 minutes early for security checks.

Castle Howard is a Baroque country house in North Yorkshire, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and home to the Howard family for over 300 years. Inside, you can explore grand galleries, bedrooms and a world-class art and sculpture collection. The house is also well known as a filming location, including for Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton.

Outside, the gardens and grounds have lakes, temples, follies, woodland and statues to wander around. Across the road, the Arboretum has over 7,000 trees from around the globe and is known for its autumn colour. Children can burn off energy at Skelf Island Adventure Playground, which has rope bridges, slides and a zip wire. There are shops and cafes on site.

Tip: Buying tickets online costs less than buying at the Ticket Office, so book online. House and Gardens tickets include the playground.

Tropical World is a licensed zoo in Roundhay Park, Leeds, made up of climate-controlled glass houses that each recreate a tropical environment. You start in the butterfly house, where butterflies fly freely around a swampy setting with terrapins, koi and Morelet's crocodiles. From there you move into an Aztec-themed aquarium with stingrays, octopus, seahorses, piranhas and poison dart frogs.

Further on are a rainforest house with a tumbling waterfall and reptile displays, a canopy house with free-flying parrots and cotton-top tamarins, and a desert house with a mob of meerkats and tortoises. The last house is a nocturnal one, home to bats, armadillos and pygmy slow loris. There is a café overlooking the Canal Gardens and a gift shop at the entrance, and the surrounding Roundhay Park is there to explore afterwards.

Tip: Free parking is close by, a short walk away, and buses 2 and 12 stop right outside. Dogs, including assistance dogs, are not allowed inside.