There's nothing like a day out full of adventure, fun, and education. The good news is in Leeds there is lots of things to enjoy for the whole family.
One of the most popular places to visit for a family day out in the city is the UK's National Museum of Arms and Armour, the Royal Armouries. The museum, at Leeds Dock, was originally built in 1996 in to house armour and weapons from the Tower of London.
It later expanded in a project costing £43.5m to cover 3,000 years of combat and self-defence, becoming home to the national collections and opened to the public. The spot has been rated as five stars by visitors on Tripadvisor and is currently ranked as the best thing to do in the city on the site. It has been hailed as a "brilliant" family day out and continues to be busy both mid-week and at the weekends.
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There are around 190 staff members at the grand museum and over two million people visit it every year. The good news is that the museum is free to go to, and there are a range range of indoor and outdoor events throughout the year as well as temporary exhibitions, guided tours and activities every day.
Schools often visited the spot to take in the history and exhibits covering subjects such as jousting, fencing and Indian elephant armour. I remember going to the Royal Armouries as kid - both with my mum and school.
I think I was about nine when I last visited the museum and I can't say I remember much of it - but I was a tap dancing Disney-loving kid who wasn't overly into armour then. Now as an adult, and having recently moved to Leeds and learnt that it is such a well-respected attraction, I decided to see what it is like.
What's great about it is the location - you can pop for a coffee or some food by the docks and the museum is so close. You can walk east along the river from Centenary Footbridge (approx 10 minutes), or take the free boat from Granary Wharf outside Leeds train station's southern entrance.
So I would definitely recommend making a day of it. The museum will only take you a couple of hours to walk around and when you walk up to the Armouries you can see how grand it is.
I was greeted by some very friendly staff with big smiles on their faces, who were a huge help. They directed me to where to start the exhibit as I must say it was hard to figure out which way to go.
There was the odd arrow on the floor but it wasn't very well sign posted. The exhibits were grand and eye-catching, and considering it is free you do get to see a lot.
Some of the armour frames were exquisite and as a fashion lover I particularly liked hearing about the design element of making the armouries both for humans and animals.
I also noticed two stages inside and I do remember when I visited when I was younger and saw live performances of historical battles. I went through three floors of corner to corner displays - wherever you turned there was something new to see.
I also liked the interactive elements such as quizzes, games, videos, and moving displays. I think this would be really good if you are taking children too who don't want to spend hours reading long paragraphs about armour.
It is definitely worth spending a few hours there but I would not spend all day there. Now I have been again I don't have a huge desire to immediately go back as there is only so many pieces of armour you can enjoy before getting a little bored - I feel like I've seen it now.
However, I think it would be worth going back for a live show. I have heard you can enjoy a live jousting, performances of which have received five-star reviews.
The museum closes at 5pm and at 4.45pm a tannoy announcement warned of the gift shop closing in 15 minutes. So I entered the gift shop to be told "we are going to close now".
Why announce on the tannoy we have 15 minutes left to then have the doors shut behind me? If I am honest I felt it was disappointing on the staff's behalf to shut like that after I had enjoyed the displays. Besides, surely with it being a free museum they could do with a few more purchases.
Do you like visiting The Royal Armouries Museum? Let us know in the comments below.
Like any gift shop the prices are quite high, but I would argue that because the museum is free it is acceptable. I also noticed the upstairs café was closed in the afternoon which was unusual.
There's no denying that this is a fantastic attraction is Leeds and an enjoyable day out no matter your age. It is rated Leeds' best attraction on Tripadvisor which I think may be a little over the top and I would brand it a one-time wonder, but it is worth going to.
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