Free Museums in Youlthorpe

"When I said Jorvik was York’s best-known attraction I should probably have said its equal best-known attraction because the National Railway Museum is also very famous. And, because it’s just a five-minute walk from the train station, it’s an obvious first port of call for many people. Tracing the history of rail travel around the world, this museum holds over a million different exhibits and if your kids are train buffs they will absolutely LOVE it here."

"The National Railway Museum in York is home to some of the country’s greatest feats of engineering, and tells the story of Britain’s railway innovation. The museum was founded in 1975 on the site of the former North York locomotive depot, where it still stands today. In the early days of locomotive transport, York was revered as the heart of the rail networks of the north."

"Good news: the largest railway museum in the world is also open year-round!. This museums offers tons of free activities as well as a railroad-themed play area for the kids, which makes it a slam dunk for the entire family."

"An absolute must for anyone interested in history, the fantastic Jorvik Viking Centre sheds a light on what life was like in the city during Viking times. Located in the city center, the state-of-the-art museum has a reconstruction of a Viking settlement to explore and is built atop archaeological excavations. Opened in 1984, the center is one of York’s most popular attractions as it does succeed in transporting you back over a thousand years into the past."

"Interactive multimedia exhibits aimed at bringing history to life often achieve exactly the opposite, but the much-hyped Jorvik manages to pull it off with aplomb. It's a smells-and-all reconstruction of the..."

"Offering a fascinating look into the everyday life of the English over the ages is the superb York Castle Museum. Built on the same site where the original York Castle once stood, the museum is in the south of the city center and has countless artifacts and exhibits to explore. While the museum was founded in 1938, its colossal collection is housed in various buildings that used to serve as a prison."

"Chocolate making has been a major industry in York for over 300 years. At its peak over 14,000 people worked in the town's chocolate factories. Opened in 212, York's Chocolate Story relates the history of chocolate in the city and UK as a whole."

"This 18th-century townhouse offers a glimpse into the tastes, fashions, and daily life of Georgian-era nobility. It began as the home of Viscount Charles Gregory Fairfax and then enjoyed brief stints as a gentlemen’s club, cinema, and dancehall before being restored to its Georgian-era glory."

"Art And Culture, Historical Site, Architecture , Specialty Museum. When you visit the castles and cathedrals of York, you see places where the rich and famous of old Yorkshire worked and prayed. But where did the nobility of Yorkshire live?"

"This restored medieval townhouse, tucked down an alleyway, includes a permanent exhibition of life in the times of Henry VIII. It was once the home of York’s Lord Mayor. The centrepiece is a double-height banquet..."

"Things to Do, Attractions"

"This pink facade building on St. Helen’s Square (near Betty’s Tea Rooms) is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of York and has only recently opened to the public. The grand, 800 year old house showcases collections of silverware and ceramics, ceremonial items used by the Lord Mayor as well as recreated 18th century bedrooms and dining rooms. The downstairs kitchen has interactive exhibits and equipment to learn about Georgian cooking ."

"The Georgian-style Mansion House in York is the home of the city's Lord Mayors during their term in office. This is the earliest purpose-built house of this sort still in use – it predates the Mansion House in London by at least 20 years. The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1725, and it was completed seven years later, in 1732."

"Set inside a large and elegant building, an £8 million development back in 2015 has seen York Art Gallery rise to one of the best regional galleries in the country. Boasting 7 exhibition spaces across 2 floors and an outdoor Artist’s garden, there’s plenty to see for the art lovers visiting York, including an internationally significant collection of ceramics spreading across 2 galleries and temporary exhibitions that mean there is always something fresh to see. Keep your eyes out for works by hugely famous artists such as Turner and Hockney."

"York Art Gallery boasts the largest collection of British Studio Ceramics in the country in its Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA). The 19th century building (restored 2013-2015) contains works from the 14th century to the present day including altarpieces, drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture. Highlights include works by Pablo Picasso, L S Lowry and David Hockney."

"Things to Do, Attractions"

"York Theatre Royal has been producing great drama in the beautiful city of York for over 270 years and is one of the country’s leading producing theatres. Each year the theatre entertains over 200,000 people with its wide variety of performances, events and activities including the much-loved annual pantomime starring Berwick Kaler, the UK’s longest-running Dame."

"The York Theatre Royal was built in 1744 on the site of the medieval St. Leonard’s Hospital. Parts of the old hospital can still be seen, including archways and walls. Under the stage lies a well, which is believed to be from the Roman era."

"From grain to glass, see how traditional ale is created at York Brewery. Located just inside the city walls on Toft Green, York Brewery has been handcrafting real ales since 1996. The brewery site was built in the late 16th century, and has seen many uses over its history, but now it is home to a 20-barrel brew plant, with six traditional open top fermenters and five conditioning tanks."

"Explore one of the original National Trust properties at York’s Treasurer’s House, an opulent and eclectic 2-story mansion set amid landscaped gardens that has a fascinating history spanning 2,000 years. Highlights include the period rooms replete with historical artifacts, including a Queen Anne bedspread and a blown-glass chandelier, as well as the allegedly haunted cellars."

"You can find this National Trust Property behind York Minster, this fine 17th Century house was once home to the treasurer's of York Minster. Join a guided tour of Treasurer's House and see over four Centuries of the elegant interior. If you go on the ghost walks in York this is one of the key stops on route!"

"This historic home, which once housed York Minster's medieval treasures, is an anomaly: in the 19th century it was bought by Yorkshire industrialist Frank Green as a collection of rundown interconnected..."