by M.A. Dal Cero

Created on: June 18, 2010

The West Yorkshire city of Leeds is famous for its world-class shopping, thriving arts and culture scene, and lively nightlife, but it isn't typically considered one of the region's most kid-friendly destinations. However, if you're planning on taking a trip to Yorkshire with your kids, you might be surprised to discover that there's more to Leeds than meets the eye, especially in terms of educational and enjoyable kid-friendly attractions.

The following are 3 of the top kid-friendly attractions in Leeds:

-Tropical World

Roundhay Park, Leeds

www.roundhaypark.org.uk

Tropical World at Roundhay Park, as noted on its website, is not only one of the United Kingdom's most popular garden attractions, but it also boasts the largest collection of tropical plants outside the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In addition to the endless array of plants and flowers, your children are sure to be fascinated by Tropical World's wide variety of exotic animals, such as the Morelets crocodiles, the meerkats, and the Owl monkeys. What's more, they'll be delighted by the 30 to 40 species of butterflies in the Butterfly House, the reptiles and rodents in Creature Corner, and the assortment of fish in the Amazon Tank, including Tropical World's largest fish, the Niger Catfish.

Tropical World is open year-round, except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

-Huntfun Treasure Hunts Leeds

Starts at the Tourist Information Center, Leeds City Railway Station, Leeds

www.huntfun.co.uk

If you're in search of a unique way to keep your children not only entertained and engaged while visiting Leeds, but also out and about in the fresh air, then a Huntfun Treasure Hunt is an ideal kid-friendly choice. Simply purchase one of Huntfun's pre-written hunts and then set off to explore the city by following the map and directions, solving the clues, and checking your answers at the end. As mentioned on Huntfun's website, you can either purchase a downloadable hunt to print yourself, have a printed hunt mailed to you, or download a hunt to your web browsing mobile phone.  Hunts can also be purchased at retail locations around Leeds.

Huntfun hunts are available for purchase 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the Huntfun Treasure Hunts website.

-Thackray Museum

Beckett Street, Leeds

www.thackraymuseum.org

The Thackray Museum, as stated on its website, is one of the UK's leading medical museums. Focused on telling the story of medicine and medical advances, the museum's displays are designed for visitors of all ages, which makes it a fun, educational experience for children in particular. Your kids will enjoy discovering how it feels to be pregnant at the “Having a Baby” exhibition, finding out what life was like in Victorian times at “Leeds in 1842”, and learning about the wonders of the human body at “Life Zone!”. Several other regular exhibitions are on display, and the museum features temporary exhibitions at various times throughout the year.

The Thackray Museum is open daily, except on December 24th-26th, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

Sources:

Tropical World

Huntfun Treasure Hunts Leeds

Thackray Museum  

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