Eureka!, West Yorkshire

A museum designed to appeal to a child’s fun-loving curiosity? What a cracking idea! Inspired by the ground-breaking children’s museums of North America, Eureka! takes a play-based approach to learning. The six amazing galleries are filled with hands-on, climb-in, crawl-through exhibits. And the fun carries on with the museum’s outdoor play space. The museum’s ethos is twofold – it’s a place where children play to learn and grown-ups learn to play, so that means parents can get their hands on all those marvellous exhibits, too...

Star attractions Whether it’s climbing inside a giant mouth, exploring a shipwreck, scanning items at the supermarket checkout, changing the wheel on a car, wreaking havoc in the kitchen, listening to the lullaby flowers, or even peering into a transparent toilet, your child is sure to find something to tickle her fancy.

Family X-Factor Even the youngest of visitors is catered for. In the Desert Discovery, non-walkers can kick back in the soft and padded environs of the Baby Oasis, with its peek-a-boo palm leaves and textured feely shapes and shiny mirrors.

Not many people know this, but… Eureka! even has its own sizeable beach, complete with buckets and spades. It might well be the largest sandpit in the north of England…

Don’t forget to pack Your imagination, your sense of humour and, if you feel like it, a costume to match this summer’s Wild, Wild West theme

Special events
Wild, Wild West
July 23–September 4
Explore all things rootin’ and tootin’. Pitch a tent, join in a singalong in the cowboy camp, learn about the traditions of Native America or blaze a trail through the maze. Now where’s that Woody outfit and stetson?

Cost £9.95 (adults and children), £3.45 (under-threes), under-ones are free.

Eureka!, Discovery Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 2NE.

Also in the area National Media Museum, Shibden Park.