Stockeld Park, off the A661 Wetherby Road. LS22 4AN. Tel 01937 586333.
We all like getting the most bang for our buck and let’s face it, family days out can be expensive!
Spreading the cost by buying a family annual pass or membership can mean many cheap (or free, even better!) days out for the whole family with more cash left over for ice creams.
Picking the right one for your family can take a lot of research, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourite for near Halifax, and within an hour’s drive.
Pic credit: Jonathan Pow/jp@jonathanpow.com
We’re so lucky to have the National Children’s Museum on our doorstep and it’s a firm favourite of every child I know.
There are hundreds of interactive exhibits so kids can really get hands on, and there’s a great outdoor area too with a large sandpit.
Activities include playing in a supermarket, cracking the code of a bank’s safe, becoming a mechanic, a dentist, chatting to a talking robot, crafting and much more.
Tickets are valid for 12 months, and are free for under 1’s, £5.25 for ages 1-2 and £12.95 for everyone else.
Stockeld Park is a magical adventure park with seasonally themed adventures running most school holidays.
Activities change with the seasons, but year-round you can explore the Maze, The Enchanted Forest with large adventure playgrounds, ride the electric scooter trail and take part in activities with the Stockeld Rangers.
Seasonal activities include an outdoor bouncing pillow, inflatable slide go-karts, roller skating and in the winter months there’s a covered ice skating rink.
If you’re visiting Stockeld, there’s also a 10% discount code for Mumblers. Quote MUMCALDERDALE.
Membership includes access to seasonal adventures, 10% off events, £50% off boats, scooters and Laser Adventure and free admission to the fireworks event.
Stockeld Park, off the A661 Wetherby Road. LS22 4AN. Tel 01937 586333.
One of our favourite places to take the kids is East Riddlesden Hall, near Keighley, so we bought a National Trust Family membership so we could go more often.
With a membership, you can get into 500 places for free (with mostly free parking, too) and pay monthly to spread the cost.
Other attractions include Nostell, Hardcastle Craggs, Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey.
A family with one adult costs £78 (£6.50 per month) and a family of two adults is £126 (10.50 per month). Up to ten children are admitted for free too, while under 5’s are already free.
You can easily spend a full day out at Lotherton Hall. There are birds and animals in the new Wildlife World, the house with dressing up and interactive galleries and eight acres of gardens and playgrounds.
There are seasonal events and always plenty of things to keep you busy.
A family membership allows year round entry to the whole estate, house and grounds and costs £36 for one adult and three children, or £54 for two adults and three children.
Lotherton Hall, off Collier Lane, Aberford, Leeds. LS25 3EB. 0113 378 2959.
Annual memberships gives you access to 400 historical places cared for by English Heritage, including family favourites Brodsworth Hall & Gardens and Conisbrough Castle.
A family pass for one adult is £60 (or £5 monthly) and up to six children get in free! A family of two adults is £105 per year (8.75 per month), with up to 12 children are admitted free.
We recently went to York on the train and visited the National Rail Museum (free!) and Jorvik. We had the most wonderful time, and the kids loved the sights, sounds and smells of the Viking age, brought to life while riding in a moving time capsule.
They really enjoyed listening to some of the ‘Vikings’ telling stories and answering questions, and were very interested in the excavations and galleries. They took home a Viking coin, which was perfect for school show and tell.
Free admission for 12 months is included in the cost of your ticket, and a family of four costs £34, while a family of five costs £38. Single tickets are £12.50 adult, £8.50 for children aged 5-16 and £10 concessions.
Passport tickets cost more but also include entrance to four other attractions.
The whole family can enjoy a day outdoors at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, exploring wildflower meadows, a stream, woodland, an alpine house and more.
Kids will love the Tree House and fun seasonal events. You can fit in a treat at Bettys too!
Join the RHS (£69 for joint membership if paid by direct debit) for two adults, a family guest and up to four children and get unlimited access to four RHS gardens.
A real hands on adventure, with interactive exhibits that explore the wonders of science and technology with four themes: Air, Earth, Fire and Water.
You can see a tornado made of fire, explore a rock face, have lots of fun with water and enjoy an outdoor play area.
Magna offers unlimited entry for 12 months with your entrance ticket (£10.95 adults, £8.95 child aged 4-15 and £4.5o child aged 2-3).
A great option for animal lovers, Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to polar bears, brown bears, lions, tigers, giant otters, baboons, painted dogs and much more.
It takes about an hour to drive to Yorkshire Wildlife Park from Halifax, but you can easily spend the whole day there.
Annual passes are £60 for adults and £55 for children aged 3-15.
This is one for the thrill seekers, with sky high thrill rides and plenty of outdoor and indoor play for the younger ones. There are 35 rides and attractions, including Jurassic Adventure, Splash Falls and a petting farm.
Annual passes cost from £25 to £62.50, depending on your height. They also include free entry to extra events such as Frightwater and Fabulous Fireworks.