Music Tour to York

Experience life in Viking Age York and understand more about where the Vikings came from and why they came here. This popular attraction is built on the archaeological site of the thousand-year-old Viking city of Jorvik. Following closure due to extensive flood damage in December 2015, the Jorvik Viking Centre has undergone a major refurbishment and is scheduled to re-open in May 2017.

This outstanding Museum explores 300 years of railway history through a huge collection of exhibits. Highlights include a replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, The Mallard – the fastest steam locomotive in the world, a Japanese bullet train, the Eurostar and Queen Victoria’s favourite carriage. See the train workshop and a miniature train set. Educational workshops are also available.

Explore 400 years of York’s past, with recreated rooms showing how people lived in different historic periods, toys on display dating back 150 years, and a costume gallery. The Museum’s best known attraction is a recreated Victorian York Street. A special exhibition focuses on WW1 and visitors can also view the recreated 18th century prison cells, with National Curriculum-linked workshops available.

The significant collections of the museum cover Roman, Anglian, Viking and Medieval York, fossil finds, rocks and minerals including a meteorite. Highlights include the 8th century Coppergate Helmet, The Bedale Hoard of Viking silver and gold, a marble Roman bust of Constantine the Great and a giant fossilised ichthyosaur skeleton.

Image: Richard North – CC BY 2.0

Paintings, ceramics, decorative art, studio pottery, drawings, water colours and prints can all be seen in this historic building. The collections include Italian works from the 14th century, Dutch masterpieces from the 17th century, Victorian works and paintings by LS Lowry, David Hockney and the York born artist William Etty. The collection of ceramic art is one of the most important in the UK.

A visit to this 13th century fortification is a great way to get a good view of the historic city of York. This is all that remains of York Castle, once the centre of government for the North of England and originally founded by William the Conqueror. The building has been used as both a prison and a royal mint, and a model shows what the Motte and Bailey castle would have looked like in medieval times.

A great evening activity this spooky walking tour looks at the history and mystery of the city through folklore and legend. Students will enjoy the scary storytelling skills of a specialist guide.

Explore the city of York’s darkest history through a multi-sensory experience taking the visitor back in time. Complete with special effects and 360 degree sets encounter the city’s most notorious characters including Guy Fawkes and Dick Turpin. A new Viking show was added in 2016.

Take a guided tour through York’s chocolate story and the famous families The Terry’s, The Craven’s and The Rowntree’s who made Chocolate making such an important industry in York for almost 300 years.  Learn about the origins of chocolate, how to make it; taste it and its sustainability. Uncover interesting facts about York’s best known products, the Chocolate orange and the KitKat.

Enjoy a boat trip on the River Ouse with a chance to see the city’s historic buildings, bridges and sights from a different perspective. There are great photo opportunities and plenty of wildlife to discover along the river.

Image by Chris j wood at en.wikipedia  CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Through interactive exhibits discover how the city of York changed during the reign of Henry VII, the first Tudor King. Learn more about Henry’s life and times and Horrible History facts about everyday life in Tudor times. Displays of authentic armour and weapons teach about the bloody War of the Roses where Richard was defeated by Henry VII.

This medieval house was discovered in the 1980’s during demolition work and has been carefully restored and decorated to show how it would have looked in 1483. Once home to the Priors of Nostell from 1360 and the Mayor of York in 1430 visitors can experience what life was like in medieval England. Image by James Hartshorn (CC BY 2.0).

A hands-on archaeological attraction which allows students to dig for real artefacts in four special indoor archaeological pits. Items can be unearthed from different periods covering York’s two thousand year history. Students also have an interactive session with an archaeologist to help them analyse and learn from their finds.

This award winning Second World War museum, near Malton in North Yorkshire is housed in a former WWII Prisoner of war camp. Displays in the different huts help students learn more about life on the Home Front and the Front Line and also cover WWI, social history and post WWII conflict.