Rainy Days in Leeds

We can't guarantee the sunshine all the time, but with so many fun activities in Leeds, you won't want to save them all for a rainy day!

Leeds is a city renowned for it's love of Cinema, with it's annual film festivals, independent picture houses and large multiplex cinemas. Visit the Hyde Park Picture House for sing-a-long films and mother and baby screenings, or relax in the huge comfy seats at Vue in The Light, whist watching the latest family blockbusters.

Xscape is the 'coolest' attraction around, offering a unique combination of extreme sports and leisure activities for all ages and abilities under one roof. Turn a rainy day into a snowy one with skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing and ice sliding. Off the slopes choose from rock climbing, sky ride, laserzone, dodgems, ice skating, a soft play toddler area and cosmic golf.

Come out of the rain and into the rainforest heat at Tropical World! Land on the white sandy beach then walk beside waterfalls and pool of colourful fish, a new meerkat enclosure, and the largest collection of tropical plants outside Kew Gardens. Discover a world of reptiles, spiders, amphibians, birds, small mammals and butterflies, plus the Explorers Cafe for refreshments.

Give your family a day out they'll never forget, bring them to the award-winning Royal Armouries Museum. They have many thousands of fascinating objects, specialist staff keen to share their knowledge, amazing handling collections and a team of skilled Interpreters who bring it all to life with displays of hand-to-hand combat. Exhibitions change throughout the year, and museum admission is free.

Why not combine a spot of lunch with a cookery lesson for the kids? Children find The Olive Press restaurant irresistible with the opportunity to make their own pizza. The ‘Little Olives' menu offers a range of healthy, appealing dishes to suit every little taste bud. Toddlers eat for free, fun activity sheets are provided to keep older ones entertained.

The Works Skatepark is the leading Skatepark in the UK, catering for skateboard, BMX and inline skating. The main attraction is a massive, well equipped indoor skatepark split into several sections and catering for all abilities. Throughout the park there are various viewing areas for spectators. Upstairs there is a cafe, media centre, seating area and a free video game lounge.

Inside our newest attraction Leeds City Museum, you can see fascinating, lively displays telling the story of Leeds, the natural world, Ancient Egypt and Africa to name but a few. Walk on a giant map of the Leeds area, dig for fossils, play some African drums or set the little ones loose in Toddler Town, a scaled down version of the city.

Shaky Jakes milkshake bar allows you to pretend it's hot and sunny outside while you enjoy their guilty pleasures indoors! If you've ever wondered what a Ferrero Rocher, banana and Nutella milkshake with a whipped cream topping would taste like, you've come to the right place. Step back to the 1950's in this nostalgic milk bar. The diet starts tomorrow!

The Bowery is for arty-types of all ages and abilities. This art gallery/cafe runs creative workshops for children on weekends and during school holidays. Kids can learn drawing and painting, sculpture, jewellery making and much more. Parents are welcome to help out, relax in the gallery and cafe, or they may find themselves inspired to take a class of their own!