6 Best Sights in Yorkshire, England

A must for train lovers, Britain's biggest railway museum houses part of the national collection of rail vehicles. Don't miss such gleaming giants of the steam era as the Mallard, holder of the world speed record for a steam engine (126 mph), and a replica of the prototype steam engine, the Rocket. Passenger cars used by Queen Victoria are on display, as is the only Japanese bullet train to be seen outside Japan, along with railway-related art, posters, and memorabilia. You can climb aboard some of the trains and occasionally take a short trip on one. There's also a miniature railway, very popular with kids (£3.50). Admission is by pre-booked ticket only.

In an 18th-century building whose elegance belies its former role as a debtors' prison, this quirky museum includes a replica York street that re-creates the Victorian shopping experience, notable domestic interiors, more than 100 historic patchwork quilts, a toy gallery, and Christmas cards sent during World War I. You can also visit the cell where Dick Turpin, the 18th-century highwayman and folk hero, spent the night before his execution and an exhibition that looks back on 400 years of fashion.

Even the squeamish won't balk at the exhibits in this museum devoted to presenting social and medical history in a kid-friendly way. Educational but entertaining interactive displays take you back to the disease-ridden Leeds slums of the 1840s, reveal the realities of surgery without anesthetics, and explore the history of childbirth. The museum is popular with school groups on field trips. It's a mile east of the city center and accessible by Buses 16, 42, 49, and 50.

Exhibits in this quirky museum range from local geology and natural history to archaeology, whaling, and trade routes in Asia, plus an exceptional collection of marine fossils. It's notable for its old-school displays that use handwritten cards.

Located on a 22-acre former World War II Bomber Command base, this independent museum showcases more than 60 historic vehicles and aircraft, many of which are still in working condition and are certain to delight aviation enthusiasts. Planes range from early-20th-century biplanes and gliders, such as the Eastchurch Kitten (the only surviving one in the world), to Spitfires, other World War II–era planes including a German Messerschmitt, and contemporary fighter jets like the Mirage 4. There are also exhibits devoted to military vehicles, aircraft weaponry, and Royal Air Force uniforms. The museum is home to a memorial and gardens commemorating British and Allied service members who lost their lives in conflict.