The Yorkshire Museum of Farming has been the find of 2020 for us. Located in east York, just off the A64, the location is perfect for a day trip, especially with free parking! Heidi wanted to come back the week after going, which suggests it is a good place to visit!
Animals
As you would expect, the Yorkshire Museum of Farming has a few animals! There aren’t too many animals, but that means there isn’t too much walking!!
Most of the animals are small animals, such as chickens, ducks and the like. These are all kept together near the playground.
The star of the show is the bantam who Heidi has called “Chickpea”. Chickpea loves children to run up and down along its pen and then it will run alongside. Heidi found this amazing and how she knows what she wants for Christmas!
Vikings and Romans
You would never think that the Yorkshire Museum of Farming would have a Viking and Roman village in it, but it does!!
The mock-ups of both villages are expertly done, and made just as they were made back in the day. You can walk around the villages and there are plenty of signs explaining various bits and pieces.
However, the taster sessions that are run during school holidays are amazing and were the highlight of Summer 2020!! You have to book online before the day, and the cost is not included in the admission price. In 2020, it cost £6 + booking fee, per child.
The sessions last an hour and are perfect for kids aged 6 – 11. Oscar (aged 4) came to the Roman one and whilst he enjoyed it, he didn’t quite have the attention span.
Both sessions follow the same theme: The kids get to burn off some energy using spears/shields, in a really safe manner.
Then they will use some clay to make a small model of something like a lamp. Depending on the child, you might need to assist a little.
After that, you spend a little time talking about either the Vikings or Romans, and learning a bit about them.
The sessions are limited to 6 children and so it is a really intimate experience. Heidi loved the Viking session, we came back the following week for the Roman one!
Other Bits and Pieces
As you would imagine, the Yorkshire Museum of Farming has a good number of tractors, ploughs and the like. Unless you have a farming mad child, this won’t be for them. However, it will be popular with adults without children!! In the same building, there is a Women’s Land Army exhibition, but we never got to see that!
Yorkshire Museum of Farming is also the start of the Derwent Valley Light Railway line. However, due to Coronavirus, the trains weren’t running. You could look at the outside of the impressive train, but that was just about it. The trains usually run every Sunday and a bit more often on Bank Holiday weekends.
There is also a wildlife trail linking all these parts together which is accessible for prams, wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Playground
The Yorkshire Museum of Farming has a small, but lovely playground, which is extremely well maintained. It is perfect for children aged up to 6 and maybe a little older.
The playground isn’t the main reason why you would go to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, but it will keep the children happy!!
Facilities
Yorkshire Museum of Farming has a small, yet perfectly adequate set of facilities. There is a small cafe, who are really good with the children. The cafe leads out to the playground, and there are picnic tables outside, so you can sit whilst watching the kids play.
There is one disabled toilet with baby change facility, with plenty of space, which is always useful if you have multiple kids!!
There is a small gift shop as well, which specialises in trains, but they also have a good range of books, aimed at 7 – 11 year olds.
Pricing
One-off events incur an additional charge, but entry to Yorkshire Museum of Farming lasts for a whole year. As such, it can work out as an extremely cheap attraction if you visit a couple of times!
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