The Best Rainy Day Activities for Kids in Harrogate
- Claire
- Jun 5, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Come rain or shine, Harrogate has some fantastic rainy day activities for kids but its always trickier to keep them entertained when the weather turns so here are 20+ top go-to indoor activities in Harrogate (and close by).
Painting Pots
We are starting with one of our all time favourites! Home of The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt! In the heart of Knaresborough, a stones throw from castle, you can find Painting Pots Knaresborough, a ceramic and craft studio.
Here you can find pottery painting, Foam Clay modelling and Teddy Mountain bear making, as well as a huge range of craft workshops and special events that take place throughout the year.
Painting Pots offers a wide selection of bisque wear to paint including plates, mugs, vases, cookie jars, money boxes, keepsake decorations and special seasonal pieces, amongst the many quality designs. Prices start from just £4 and includes glazing and firing.
Visit the Painting Pots website for opening times and booking details.
Ripon Museums
Ripon Museums are perfect for curious minds, from quirky local history to fascinating artefacts, there’s lots to explore at your own pace. Great for little ones who love stories and big kids at heart too. Want to uncover a hidden gem today?
Did you know there are actually 3 museums in Ripon:
The Courthouse Museum
The Workhouse Museum
Prison & Police Museum
All have different entry fees but you can pay to visit them all under 1 ticket and all the tickets are valid for 12 months so you can visit time and time again.
To visit all the museums the ticket prices are: Adults £19, Child £10.50 family tickets from £28. For individual pricing and opening times check out the Ripon Museums website.
The National Railway Museum
All aboard for a brilliant indoor adventure! Gigantic locomotives, hands-on exhibits and exciting train history make this museum a winner on a rainy day. It’s brilliant for little train lovers and big fans of all things mechanical and best of all it's totally free to enter.
If you're heading there from Harrogate it's perfectly located next to the train station so you can ride on the train and then spend the day looking at trains.
Little Bees Harrogate
It wouldn’t be a list of rainy day activities without featuring a soft play!
Previously known as ‘Kidzplay’, Little Bees Harrogate Is 8,000 sq ft of play space with exclusive pods to hire, extensive soft play frame, role play village, baby sensory area, toddler zone, and ride-ons. They have an on-site cafe too offering a great selection of hot & cold food and drinks.
Royal Armouries
Rainy day? Armoury play! Discover swords, armour and daring tales from across the ages. With interactive galleries and epic displays, it’s like stepping into a storybook of battles and bravery AND it's another FREE day out! Visit the Royal Armouries website for all the details.
Snozone Sledging
Cold outside? Step into snowy fun at Snozone! Real snow, real sledging and big smiles guaranteed. There's more activities to do than just sledging but we really enjoyed it and have been back loads of times. Sledging sessions are £14.99pp.
I haven't done a whole write up on it yet but Xscape at Castleford has so much under one roof it's perfect for a rainy day and although it sounds far away, with it being just off the motorway it's super easy to get to and to park. There's also go karting, climbing, cinemas and a trampoline park. Our next visit will be to try out Gootopia the slime making place which sounds right up Izzy's street.
The Playhive at Stockeld Park
A warm, colourful space where imaginations run wild! Soft-play zones, slides and fun activities make The Playhive a brilliant choice when the weather won’t play ball.
Stockeld Park offers all sorts of packages and they vary in price depending on the time of year. The Christmas build up and Summer are the most expensive. If you have smaller ones and can go in term time it will be a lot quieter and easier on the wallet.
Pump Rooms Museum
When did Harrogate become famous as a spa town? How much of the sulphur water did they say you should drink to cure illness? How is Harrogate linked to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb? Answer these and so many more questions with a visit to the Pump Room Museum.
Top tip: Under the Ancient Egyptian display there are draws which are full of activity sheets and interactive props designed for kids but they are not very well signposted.
The Pump Room Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 4pm.
Admission: £4.20 Adult, £2.40 Child (5-16yrs) and a family ticket for 2 adults and 3 children is £12.20.
This is such a good value activity, it’s featured in my recent blogs ‘Visit Harrogate on a Budget' and 'Low cost activities in Harrogate'. Be sure to check these out for even more money saving ideas.
Stump Cross Caverns
I don’t know about you, but I love a day out where the kids are learning and have no idea! Stump Cross is an ideal indoor activity in Harrogate or should I say ‘underground’ activity? It’s nice and cool in the caves so it can be a welcome day out at the height of summer too.
The caves offer a great way to explore underneath the dales, winding your way through the limestone caves. You might even spot a fairy door or two!
If you have older children or brave little ones, I highly recommend going to one of the UV afternoons where they turn out all the lights and you explore using a UV torch. Amazing!
There is a café on site which caters very well for adults and children and has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. And good luck not spending any money in the very well-stocked gift shop.
Admission: Adults (14+) £16, Children (3-13) £11.50 includes trail and prize, Infants (0-4) FREE. Or for even better value why not buy annual passes? £25 for adults and £20 for kids.
The Yard @ Yolk
Inside the play barn at Yolk Farm you'll find:
Giant sand pit
Trike park
Collecting eggs station
Growing vegetables station
Farm shop play area
Construction play area
A dedicated outdoor space for children to run free in
ENTRY FEE: £3.95 per child (adults and under 1s are free).
Hole in the Wand
Calling all witches, wizards and mythical creatures, your quest awaits. Take on 9 enchanted holes on the world’s most magical mini-golf course. Conquer the course to be rewarded with a spellbinding potion. Will you accept your quest and master the art of Wizard Golf? For all you Harry Potter fans out there. Hole in the Wand now has venues in York and Leeds.
Adult prices from £9.99, children from £8.49.
Tropical World
Next to Roundhay Park in Leeds it's open 10-4 every day, £9 for adults and £4.50 for children (3-15yrs). I love a visit to Tropical world especially on cold, rainy days because it's so warm in there. You'll get to see meercats, monkeys, butterflies and even crocodiles! Perfect for nature loving kids and adults alike.
Oxygen - York
This is another venue to add to your list when the kids need wearing out, and perfect if they are a bit older so you can sit back with a coffee in the café and watch them from above.
Izzy loved our latest visit here with a group of her mates they disappeared for 2 hours and just checked in with us when they were sweaty and needed a drink.
You'll find it at Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4XU. An hour is usually around £14.00pp but don't forget you'll need special socks (£3).
Cinema Days in Harrogate
An absolute rainy day staple has to be a visit to the cinema and I love that we have two to choose from in Harrogate
Venues:
Everyman Harrogate, my choice if I’m super tired and want a sofa to chill on.
ODEON Harrogate, budget friendly option. Check out the kids showing in the mornings for £2.75 a ticket!
Perfect for cold or rainy days when everyone needs a cosy plan.
Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre
Honestly I preferred ‘The Hydro’, that was definitely catchier.
After a £13.5 million refurbishment the council run swimming pool is now reopen. I’m not quite sure where all the money went? We normally go for the swimming rather than the gym and the pools are pretty much the same but the reception and changing rooms are a bit fancier.
What’s that saying? If kids aren’t happy put them in water? I would have laughed at that before I was a parent but it’s 100% fact.
Swim sessions are £3.50 for children (under 3s are free) and £6.00 for Adults. Family tickets are £16.00 (2A and 3C).
Live for Today Climbing
If the bad weather has you all stuck in the house, climbing the walls, then this could be a great option.
Situated right at the end of Hornbeam Park, Parthian Climbing is Harrogate’s very own climbing wall. It’s a bit more serious than a clip and climb but the kids (and you) will still have loads of fun. You can book them in for introductory sessions from £12.00. Check out their website for all times and prices.
Ninja Warrior Leeds
If you want to tire the kids out Ninja Warrior definitely has to be top of the list. You’ll find it in Seacroft; LS14 1NH. (About 30 mins from Harrogate).
Offering loads of Ninja Warrior style courses and a huge inflatable zone it’s a ‘soft play’ but for older kids and adults.
Expect to pay around £14 for an hour or £21 for two hours.
Clip N Climb Ilkley
Another choice if you fancy an easy bedtime! And suitable for all ages. They do 25 min sessions for 2.5-6yr olds for £11.50 and 55 min sessions for ages 4+ for £16.50.
Clip N Climb is right next to the train station (LS29 8HF). It’s about a 30 minute drive from Harrogate.
Media Museum Bradford
This was one of our favourite days out in 2025 and it’s FREE!
We allowed 4 hours for our visit but it wasn’t long enough. There were some exhibits that we didn’t see so we’ll be heading back soon.
There are some extras that are chargeable including a couple of the exhibits. There was one that has loads of old school computer games. At £3pp it’s not going to blow the budget but it was too busy when we were there so we’ll didn’t get to play on much. My top tip would be have a peek through the door first and see how busy it is.
We also did the IMAX cinema which was £7pp and it was sooo good. Would definitely recommend.
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