What to Do On Rainy Days in Yorkshire

From underground caves to brewery tours, Yorkshire is packed full of awesome days out, even on rainy days…

No matter the season, you can always rely on the good old British weather to foil your plans for adventure. It’s always good to have a plan B in your back pocket for when rain falls – and we’ve got a whole list of ‘em. From intriguing museums to awe-inspiring art galleries and incredible aquariums, Yorkshire is well-equipped with tons of indoor attractions and stay-dry activities to keep you entertained on those dreaded rainy days. So no matter how soggy it is outside, you can still have a great day out in God’s Own County.

Winners for all ages

We’ve divided this list into family favourites and those great for grown-ups. But first, let’s jump into the all-round rainy day winners that are sure to warm your cockles.

White Scar Cave

Located inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park, White Scar Cave isn’t just one of Yorkshire’s finest natural wonders, it’s also the destination of an extra special rainy day activity. Leave the weather behind and enter an underground world of waterfalls, stalagmites and stalactites on a guided tour. With tight squeezes, echoing chambers and slate beds that are up to 400 million years old, expect to be wowed. The tour is a mile long and lasts roughly 80 minutes, making this the longest cave tour in the country.

White Scar Caves, Ingleton, Carnforth, North Yorkshire, LA6 3AW. Open weekends only from November to February. Tickets cost £14 for adults and £10 for children (under 3s go free). Family ticket bundles are available too.

York Motorsports Village

Got a need for speed? You’ll find loads to get your pulse racing at York Motorsports Village. There’s a wide variety of racing packages to choose from, from easy-to-drive F3 Junior go-karts that’ll whip the young ‘uns around at 9mph, to F1 ‘Pro’ racing experiences for the big kids. There are timed practices, speed races and team events to unleash your competitive side. You’ll even get the chance to race some of the world’s finest cars in their high-tech virtual reality simulators. Fancy that!

York Motorsports Village, Kathryn Avenue, Monks Cross Leisure Park, York, North Yorkshire, YO32 9JS. Prices start from £25.50 per person but vary depending on age, the day, the duration and the type of racing.

National Science and Media Museum

With interactive galleries and over three million historical treasures to discover, the National Science and Media Museum is one of the jewels in Bradford’s cultural crown. It’s also the perfect spot to take shelter on rainy Yorkshire days. You can immerse yourself in seven entire floors of exhibitions on photography, film and television that play with sight, sound and science. Crawl through a laser tunnel, get lost in a mirror maze or simply sit back with a 3D blockbuster at their in-house IMAX cinema.

National Science and Media Museum, Little Horton Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1NQ. Entry to the museum is free but pre-booking is recommended. Cinema tickets cost between £6.50 and £9 for the IMAX 3D.

The Escapologist

Nestled on the second floor of the White Rose Centre, The Escapologist has everything you need for a day out escaping stormy weather. They offer a host of fiendishly tough escape games, but with a kid-friendly focus. The games are themed around Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes and The Gunpowder Plot. Your job is to solve a range of head-scratching puzzles and get out of your chosen room within 60 minutes. When you’re done, successful or not, you can debrief in the on-site cafe bar.

The Escapologist, White Rose Shopping Centre, Dewsbury Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS11 8LU. Prices start from £35.50 for two people and vary on your group size and game of choice.

JORVIK Viking Centre

It’s a hit with young visitors but all ages can enjoy an amazing day out at the JORVIK Viking Centre. Located just 15 minutes from York Train Station, historians young and old can delve into the illustrious (and often bloody) history of the Vikings and their rich Yorkshire heritage. Take a ride through the remains of a 1,000-year-old Viking settlement, complete with characters, exhibitions and some rather pungent smells, before getting to grips with the horde of excavated artefacts that were found beneath the site of the very museum you stand in.

JORVIK Viking Centre, Coppergate, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9WT. Tickets cost £13.50 for adults or £9.50 for children aged 5 to 16.

National Railway Museum

Not just for train enthusiasts, the National Railway Museum is an indoor attraction that’s bound to pique your interest in the story of Britain’s railways. Discover how they changed the world and see the engineering that made it all possible. Their full-sized trains will impress while the old photos, uniforms and retro signs walk you through a nostalgic piece of history. But there’s more – you can enjoy afternoon tea inside a beautifully restored carriage and explore the only Japanese bullet train to be found outside of Japan.

National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York, North Yorkshire, YO26 4XJ. Entry to the museum is free.

The York Dungeon

If you enjoy your laughs as much as your screams, The York Dungeon will strike the perfect balance on your next rainy day out in Yorkshire. Here, gory and ghoulish history comes to life with a full 360-degree set, teeming with famous characters from York’s dismal past. Expect jumps and scares aplenty as you spend 75 minutes coming face-to-face with haunted pubs, nightmarish labyrinths and enough gruesome guests to keep you permanently skittish. The age limit is 8 but the Saturday Lates ticket offer even more after-hours, mixing booze with boos.

The York Dungeon, 12 Clifford Street, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9RD. Tickets start from £17.95 per person.

Ingleborough Cave

Open from February to November, don’t miss your chance to visit the incredible Ingleborough Cave next time you’re looking for a rainy day activity in Yorkshire. You can take a guided walk through a series of underground passages, peppered with natural rock formations and artefacts that date back millions of years. The impact of the Ice Age can be viewed from within this marvel of nature, as you discover underground lakes, pitch black potholes and have fun scrambling to give your drizzly day out a real sense of adventure.

Ingleborough Cave, Clapham, North Yorkshire, LA2 8EE. Entry costs £13 for adults or £6.50 for children (under 3s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

National Coal Mining Museum

Yorkshire has a rich mining history and you can spend the perfect rainy day exploring it. Above ground at the National Coal Mining Museum, you can walk through the interactive displays and discover what life was like as a miner. You’ll see the very machinery that was used and find out why all the family sometimes had to venture beneath the surface. Then, it’s time to get kitted out with a hard hat and descend 140 metres below the ground. You’ll spend an hour meeting miners and discovering the subterranean chambers these workers called home.

National Coal Mining Museum, Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4RH. Entry to the museum is free.

Middleton Railway

A hop, chug and a toot from Leeds city centre, Middleton Railway is run entirely by volunteers and is a charming way to beat wet weather blues. The main attraction is their tiny steam locomotive, which pootles along to nearby Middleton Park and back. Remarkably, it’s the oldest continually working railway in the world, dating back to 1758, and your voyage is best followed up with a visit to the adjoining museum (indoors, of course) where you can get up close to artefacts, old photos and even more steam locomotives.

Middleton Railway, Moor Road, Hunsley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 2JG. Return steam train tickets cost £7 for adults or £3 for children. Entrance to the museum is free with your train ticket.

Stump Cross Caverns

In picturesque Pateley Bridge, you’ll find Stump Cross Caverns, perfect for dodging those rainy Yorkshire days. Caverns, carvings and cake are perfectly combined at this Nidderdale wonder. You can explore the warren of walkways and chambers at your leisure, descending the 65 steps to the incredible limestone formations formed by underground streams many millions of years ago. Then, make your way to the cosy cafe for good food and the visitor’s centre to eye up the remains of wolverines discovered within the cavern.

Stump Cross Caverns, Greenhow Hill, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 5JL. Tickets cost £13 for adults or £9 for children (under 3s go free).

Eden Camp

If you want to spend your day out in Yorkshire uncovering the sights, sounds and smells of wartime Britain, pay Eden Camp a visit. A World War II museum, this indoor attraction doesn’t just offer an insight into our history, it actually allows you to experience it. It’s set in a former prisoner-of-war camp comprising of 33 huts, each transformed into a mini-museum focusing on a different facet of the war. From key figures to air raids, uniforms to battle recreations, you can spend an entire day wandering between these fascinating outlets.

Eden Camp, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6RT. Open from April to the end of October. Tickets start from £13 for adults and £12 for children (under 5s go free).

Royal Armouries

A Leeds city centre delight, the Royal Armouries Museum is a must-visit for anyone in Yorkshire who wants a glimpse into the story of arms and armour throughout the ages. This incredible indoor attraction covers five floors and showcases over 8,000 artefacts, with everything from one of the most complete examples of elephant armour to Henry VIII’s foot combat armour. Whether you’re marvelling at a 20th-century vampire-killing kit or trying your hand at the museum’s crossbow range, there’s loads to get stuck into, come rain or shine.

Royal Armouries, Armouries Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1LT. Entry to the museum is free.

York’s Chocolate Story

Melty, gooey, and creamy, who wouldn’t want to spend a rainy day in Yorkshire surrounded by chocolate? Join York’s Chocolate Story and you can learn all about the exotic origins of the much-loved treat, how it wound its way from the rainforests of Central America to the cobbled streets of York, and which Yorkshire families turned this sweet treat into a business – does the name Rowntree’s ring a bell at all? And of course, no tour would be complete without a few demonstrations and a cheeky chocolate tasting or two.

York’s Chocolate Story, King’s Square, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 7LD. Tickets cost £15.95 for adults and £13.50 for children (under 4s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

Standedge Tunnel

Did you know you can venture deep beneath the wild Pennine countryside on a boat? Well now you do, thanks to the impressive Standedge Tunnel – Britain’s longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel! If you’re wondering how it can be both the deepest and highest, then book yourself onto your very own tunnel journey to find out. There’s a quick 30-minute voyage or you can go the whole hog and spend two and a half hours discovering the well-lit tunnel up close, as you learn fascinating tidbits about canals, industry and archaeology.

Standedge Tunnel, Standedge Tunnel Waters Road, Marsden, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 6NQ. Tickets for a short boat trip start from £8 for adults and £6 for children. Family ticket bundles are available.

North York Moors Railway

How would you like to journey through 24 miles of stunning Yorkshire countryside from the comfort of a warm, vintage railway carriage? A trip on one of the North York Moors Railway’s six steam locomotives makes a rainy day a truly magical one. You’ll find yourself transported back to a bygone era, filled with puffing steam trains, heritage carriages and quaint liveries. Stay dry and gaze out the window at the wonderful countryside, stop by the old-world railway stations and even enjoy afternoon tea as you travel.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, 12 Park Street, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7AJ. Ticket prices vary depending on the length and direction of your journey but return tickets during peak season are around £47.30 for adults and £23.65 for children (under 4s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

Family Favourites

Got little ones chomping at the bit to venture outside on rainy days? No need to dread the forecast, there’s plenty of fun still to be had for the young and simply young at heart.

National Emergency Services Museum

Head to Sheffield for your next Yorkshire day out and fend off the wet weather inside the National Emergency Services Museum. You never want to be in a position to need to call 999 but when you do, who’s on the other end of the line? What can they do to help? Find out across three floors of exhibitions, including over 50 emergency vehicles and their own bonafide Victorian police cells, the fascinating history and modern reality of our fire, ambulance and police services are brought to life at this wonderful family-oriented museum.

National Emergency Services Museum, West Bar, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8PT. Tickets cost £9.50 for adults and £7.50 for children (under 3s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

Eureka!

For a day of discovery, play and education masquerading as all-out-fun, take the family to Eureka! in Halifax. If a rainy day indoors is getting them restless, this is the perfect place in Yorkshire to let off some steam, thanks to six unique zones and hundreds of interactive exhibitions. The human body, technology, deserts, imagination, theatre and more are all covered here, with loads of hands-on activities and break out areas that prove it’s a children’s museum through and through. Even the grown-ups might learn a new thing or two!

Eureka!, Discovery Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2NE. Tickets cost £14.95 for adults and children aged 3+. It’s £6.45 for kids aged 1-2 and under 1s go free.

The Deep

Just because you don’t fancy a day out in the pouring rain doesn’t mean you don’t want to be surrounded by water, right? The Deep aquarium is home to over 3,500 creatures, including sharks, turtles, stingrays, jellyfish and even a colony of friendly Gentoo penguins. With tons of viewing windows, information boards and ways to get involved, it’s a marvellous indoor attraction to spend a rainy day in Yorkshire with your sea-loving little ones. Round it all off at the restaurant where fish swim all around you as you dine.

The Deep, Tower Street, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 4DP. Advance tickets cost £17.75 for adults and £14 for children (under 3s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

Calypso Cove

A trip to Barnsley is in order on the next soggy day to explore Calypso Cove. Because since it’s raining anyway, why not plunge yourself into a day out full of fun water slides, flumes, splash zones and even a sunken galleon? The main leisure pool at this giant indoor water playground is the hangout spot for younger children, while the more daring can tackle the Terror Torrent flume or take on the Walk The Plank diving board. Top the day off with burgers, hot dogs and wraps at the pirate-themed restaurant, The Hideout.

Calypso Cove, Metrodome Leisure Complex, Queens Ground, Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 1AN. Tickets start from £10 for adults and £8 for children. Spectators are free and family ticket bundles are available.

Xscape

Xscape is your one-stop Yorkshire shop for indoor attractions on those miserable rainy days. In fact, you may need a couple of rainy days to work your way through everything on offer here. Got your checklist ready? There’s the ever-popular Gravity trampoline park, Snozone indoor ski slopes, Tenpin bowling, LazerZone, a 4D cinema, escape rooms, glow-in-the-dark golf and, for the really little ‘uns, a soft play centre. If all that indoor adventure sounds like hungry work, you’re well catered for with loads of restaurants on-site.

Xscape, Colorado Way, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4TA. All activities are charged separately.

Magna Science Adventure Centre

There’s no adventure like a science adventure, and that’s exactly what’s on offer at Magna. It’s full of hands-on experiences to ignite the most curious of young minds. You can explore the wonders of science and technology across the four different sections – Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Their interactive exhibitions are enough to turn a miserable day out into a mesmerising one. The Big Melt show is particularly good – it harks back to the area’s industrial past, with a pyrotechnic display around an original steel furnace. Impressive stuff.

Magna Science Adventure Centre, Sheffield Road, Templeborough, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 1DX. Advance tickets cost £15.95 for adults, £13.95 for children aged 4-15 and £6.50 for children aged 2-3 (under 2s go free).

Web Adventure Park

Although Web Adventure Park has oodles for you to do outdoors, they also have a fantastic indoor play area that makes it great even on rainy days in Yorkshire. The highlight is their four-lane Astra slide – it’s one of the biggest in the country and the little ones will love whizzing down it. But that’s just one of the attractions here – there’s soft play, complete with ball cannons, as well as crafts, a dressing-up station and a mini disco. Don’t forget to stop by The Animal Zone, where you can meet chipmunks, guinea pigs, rabbits and ponies.

Web Adventure Park, Cliftongate Business Park, Wigginton Road, York, North Yorkshire, YO32 2RH. Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week and start from £3.50 for adults, £8 for children 1-15 under 1s and £3.50 for under 1s.

Jorvik DIG

Linked to the Jorvik Museum, Jorvik DIG gives your budding archaeologists the chance to venture into four indoor excavation pits. They’ll use their trowels to uncover the artefacts lying beneath the synthetic soil (that means no dirty kneecaps). What ensues is a journey through 2,000 years of Yorkshire’s history, as each artefact is uncovered and its past brought to life by knowledgeable guides. You’ll get to explore objects from the Roman, Viking, Medieval and Victorian times, with the perfect blend of imagination and discovery.

Jorvik DIG, St Saviour’s Church, St Saviourgate, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 8NN. Tickets start from £8 for adults and £7.50 for children. Family ticket bundles are available.

Tropical World

When the rain is falling and the wind is blowing, what could be better than a day trip to Tropical World? Leave the rainy Yorkshire weather behind you and head into this indoor wildlife park to meet some of the zoo’s wild residents. Here you’ll find a host of intriguing creatures, from snakes and creepy crawlies to crocodiles and monkeys. You’ll travel through rainforests, mangroves, deserts and even step into a nocturnal world filled with bats, armadillos and more. Don’t miss the meerkats – you can get a glimpse of their underground world.

Tropical World, Princes Avenue, Roundhay Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2ER. Tickets cost £7.60 for adults or £3.80 for children (under 5s go free).

Bradford Ice Arena

Get the whole family involved in this little slice of nostalgia and spend a wobbly day out gliding around Bradford Ice Arena. Penguin and snowman stands are available to prop up less confident skaters, but otherwise, the slippery floor is all yours. Family sessions are the perfect introduction to ice skating, so you can teach the little ones to skate in a fun and safe environment. You can borrow a pair of skates or bring your own. Swing by the cafe for a bargain mid or post-skate snack when the hunger kicks in.

Bradford Ice Arena, 19 Little Horton Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD5 0AD. Tickets start from £4.50 (under 5s go free). Family ticket bundles are available.

Alpamare Waterpark

A seaside saviour for a rainy day in Yorkshire, Alpamare Waterpark is a must for water-lovers. Catch a ride on the indoor wave pool which erupts with metre-high waves every half an hour, take a hair-raising run on one of the slides, or frolic in the water fountains, flutes, barrels, cannons and buckets in the Splash and Play area. Both the infinity pool and garden pool are kept at a balmy 35 degrees all year round, so a spot of light rain shouldn’t stop you from relaxing in their bubble recliners and admiring the far-reaching views out over the ocean.

Alpamare Waterpark, North Bay, 28 Burniston Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 6PH. Tickets start from £13 for adults, £13 for children aged 16-17, £10 for children aged 6-15 and £6 for children aged 1-5 (under 1s go free).

SEA LIFE Scarborough

Jellyfish, penguins and turtles… on the Yorkshire coast? It’s true! You’ll find them all at SEA LIFE Scarborough. This indoor attraction is home to over 2,500 creatures, some you might never have heard of. Their lively talks and animal feeding sessions are not to be missed, but the best part might just be the Tropical Ocean Tunnel, where sharks and stingrays swim right over your head! You can even catch the otters zooming around their pool and go on a rainforest adventure, where you’ll meet all sorts of cool creepy crawlies.

SEA LIFE Scarborough, Scalby Mills Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 6RP. Tickets start from £15.97 per person.

The Dome

In need of a wallet-friendly, all-day destination for a rainy Yorkshire day? The Dome certainly fits the bill. This no-fuss indoor destination is home to three family-friendly indoor attractions – swimming, ice skating and the two-tier soft Playzone. The pool is a must. Along with structured lessons, youngsters can join The Big Splash swim sessions, which are designed especially for families and make the most of the centre’s water slides, geysers, fountains and pools. There’s a ten-pin bowling alley just across the road too.

The Dome, Doncaster Lakeside, Bawtry Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 7PD. Activities are booked separately. Swimming tickets start from £8 for adults, £5.50 for under 16s and £3 for under 3s.

Great for grown-ups

Just because you’re all grown up, doesn’t mean you should stay cooped up inside when it pours. Instead, use the bad weather as an excuse for cheese-chomping, beer-guzzling and culture-vulturing.

Black Sheep Brewery Tour

Love all things hoppy, malty and zippy? Then you’ll be in your element on a trip to the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, where you’ll embark on an extensive tour of this famous Yorkshire brewhouse. Learn about the Black Sheep story from the start to the present day, watch the beer bubbling in the fermenting rooms, find out how the carefully-chosen ingredients are selected, enjoying a few snifters along the way. Someone will have to be the designated driver, but soft drinks are available for children and abstainers.

Black Sheep Brewery Tour, Wellgarth, Masham, North Yorkshire, HG4 4EN. Tickets cost £10.95 for adults or £5.50 for children.

Wensleydale Creamery

Nothing says Yorkshire quite like Wensleydale cheese, and you can delve inside Wensleydale Creamery’s gloriously cheesy world at their museum and Cheese Experience. This one-of-a-kind indoor attraction takes you through the art of Wensleydale cheese making – all 1,000 years of it – including how a single 500g block of cheese is crafted from just eight pints of milk. Watch the experts do their thing and ask all your burning questions before getting stuck into the tastings, all in the name of education, of course.

Wensleydale Creamery, Gayle Lane, Hawes, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, DL8 3RN. Tickets cost £4.95 for adults or £2.95 for children.

The Hepworth

A truly modern art gallery, chances are you won’t have visited an exhibition space quite like The Hepworth. Since opening in 2011, it’s quickly become one of the top indoor attractions in Yorkshire – and it’s no secret why. Inside you’ll find key works by Barbara Hepworth, from whom it takes its name, as well as exhibitions from contemporary artists and items from Wakefield’s art collection, which spans over 500 years. Have a wander around the galleries, visit the shop, enjoy lunch at one of the indoor picnic tables and those rainy days will fly by.

The Hepworth, Gallery Walk, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 5AW. Entry to the gallery is free, some exhibitions have a cost.

Harrogate Turkish Baths and Spa

Turn your day indoors into a day of indulgence with a trip to the Turkish Baths and Spa in Harrogate. This is not your ordinary spa, oh no. The Moorish design has been restored to its former glory with vibrant glazed brickwork, painted ceilings, Islamic arches and ornate Italian mosaics in every room. It’s a stunning place to relax and float between heated chambers, steam rooms, plunge pools and relaxation beds with a host of personalised treatments to boot. Because even though it’s wet outside, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good soak.

Harrogate Turkish Baths and Spa, Parliament Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2WH. Spa days cost from £100 per person including full use of the facilities, lunch and a treatment, individual sessions start from £19.

Salts Mill

The impressive architecture of this former industrial mill has been brilliantly adapted to offer an exemplary rainy day bolthole in Yorkshire. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salts Mill has been transformed from a cloth factory into a hub of creativity. Wander the 1853 Gallery which features works by legendary artist David Hockney, before making a pit stop at the ginormous, light-filled bookshop on the second floor. Independent cafes and restaurants mean lunch is taken care of, and that’s before you’ve even visited any of the charming shops.

Salts Mill, Victoria Road, Shipley, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, BD18 3LA. Entry to the mill is free.

York Minster

How many times have you walked past York Minster but never actually ventured inside? Make it your mission on the next grey day. This iconic piece of Yorkshire architecture has stood proud since 1472 as the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. Take shelter indoors and join a free guided tour to learn more about its history or climb the Central Tower to admire the views from the highest point in York. The Undercroft Museum is a must for history buffs, while the Hidden Minster tours explore spaces usually closed to the public.

York Minster, Deangate, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 7HH. Tickets cost £12 for adults (under 16s go free) and are valid for a year from purchase.

The Brontë Parsonage

Yorkshire and the three Brontë sisters will be forever entwined, as their home county served as a source of inspiration for their books. The Parsonage is the Brontë’s former family home, beautifully preserved as a museum since 1893. It’s tucked away in the Pennines, so rainy days are a regular occurrence here, but inside the house you’ll find a safe haven to pore over letters, documents and writings from the famous authors. The house itself gives you a unique insight into what life was like for them and Haworth’s residents during the 19th century.

The Brontë Parsonage, Church Street, Haworth, West Yorkshire, BD22 8DR. Tickets cost £11 for adults or £4.50 for children (under 5s go free).

The Piece Hall

The sheer scale of the recently restored Grade I-listed Piece Hall can make it easy to forget you’re in Yorkshire rather than exploring Rome. Originally an 18th-century cloth hall, this sprawling building features a colossal interior piazza surrounded by three tiers of balcony style walkways that offer shelter from downpours. It’s now home to an array of indie shops, eateries and a free museum which tells its history. Keep your eyes peeled for concerts, performances and festivals that make a rainy day visit here even more special.

The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 1RE. Entry is free.

Leeds Art Gallery

Just a quick dash from Leeds Train Station, Leeds Art Gallery is ideally positioned for those relying on public transport to keep the rainy day blues at bay. It’s home to one of the best collections of 20th-century British art in the country. Here, you’ll find works by the likes of Francis Bacon, Henry Moore and Edward Armitage, alongside a range of modern artists. Upstairs, their temporary exhibition space has even more art to appreciate and a barrel-vaulted glazed roof that fills the space with light and keeps you dry.

Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3AA. Entry to the museum is free.

Sheffield Winter Garden

The clue’s in the name. Sheffield’s Winter Garden is an indoor attraction designed to be enjoyed whatever the weather. It’s a true city centre oasis – the 22-metre arching greenhouse, one of the UK’s largest temperate glasshouses to be built over the last 100 years, is home to more than 2,500 different species of plants from all around the world. It’s a little slice of the tropics in Yorkshire and offers a peaceful retreat from the bustle (and rain) outside. There’s a cafe too, so if the heavens really open simply grab a cuppa and linger a while longer.

Sheffield Winter Garden, 90 Surrey Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2LH. Entry is free.

Dean Clough

Once the world’s largest carpet factory, Dean Clough remains an ever-evolving space. Today, the industrial building, with its collection of 19th-century mills, has been put to good use. It’s been transformed into an indoor maze of quirky shops, cafes and restaurants, with enough art-filled corridors and galleries to spend a rainy day getting lost in. Northern artists both past and present are championed in the permanent collection, where paintings representing the North of England over the last 30 years are proudly displayed.

Dean Clough, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 5AX. Entry is free.

Land Rover Experience Yorkshire

It’s not an indoor attraction but zooming around the wild terrain of the Yorkshire Dales behind the wheel of a Land Rover is certainly an adrenaline-packed way to say “Screw you!” to a rainy day. With 3,000 acres of off-road tracks, steep inclines and muddy waterways to play with, this experience day at Broughton Hall Estate is a fine wet weather companion. Taster sessions, half or full day expeditions are all on offer, each with plenty of time to admire the amazing views from the on-site cafe after your exhilarating ride.

Land Rover Experience Yorkshire, Yellison Farm Barns, Broughton Hall Estate, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 3HS. Taster sessions cost £125 per person, half day experiences start from £325 and full days from £525.

York Art Gallery

If your taste in art spans 14th-century Italian panels, 20th-century photography and contemporary post-modernism, a visit to York Art Gallery may just be the rainy day activity for you in Yorkshire. You can spend hours wandering through the rooms in this immaculate Victorian complex. Visit the largest collection of William Etty works in the UK, as well as the most extensive collection of British Studio Ceramics in the world. It also hosts the annual Aesthetica Art Prize, proving that it’s a gallery worthy of venturing into the wet and wild for.

York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 7EW. Entry to the gallery is free, but some exhibitions have a cost.

iCombat

If you’re the type of person who takes rainy day activities seriously, you may wish to assemble an A-Team of pals and troop down to iCombat. Why? This is a battlefield arena where Call of Duty meets Laser Quest, complete with advanced laser technology, customisable games and a range of challenging mission objectives. Work in teams, band together or freestyle with every man for himself. If you constantly quibble with friends about who has the best gaming skills, now’s your chance to settle the debate once and for all.

iCombat, 164 Armley Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS12 2TY. Games start from £15 per person.

Henry Moore Institute

An art gallery of international significance and an important part of the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, the Henry Moore Institute is the perfect place to spend a rainy day out. Head into this cavernous gallery where you’ll find their latest exhibition. They have a reputation for attracting world-class contemporary artists, like Senga Nengudi, Jean Tinguely, Jiro Takamatsu, Roy Ascott and Gego to Leeds. Follow the exhibition through into Leeds Art Gallery to double-up your day out, without stepping back out into the rain.

Henry Moore Institute, 74 The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3AH. Entry is free.