York...

[maimie]

it's my folks golden wedding in the first week of july and we're heading to stay in the Royal York Hotel from monday 30th june to friday 4th july. 

looking for ideas of things to do bearing in mind that the age range of the group will be 4 in their 70s or not far off, 2 in the 40s and a 10 year old boy fascinated by history and war!

my sister and i are also planning to take everyone out for a meal on the anniversary itself and wondered if anyone knew of any nice restaurants we could take them to.  we'd be looking for something decent but not too pricey.  someone mentioned Ate O'clock to us.  is it good?  any other suggestions?

[Kingsmills]

The Viking museum " Jorvik" is interesting for all ages.

There are some good boat trips with jazz cruises in the evening.

The National Railway Museum not far from your hotel has a slightly more modest version of the London Eye, "The Yorkshire Eye" strangely enough which affords great view on a clear day. Betty's Tea Shop is a bit of an institution although the queues can be off putting.

If all else fails there's always the Minster. As far as resaurants are concerned, there's a vey good family run Italian, the name of which escapes me just round the corner from Jorvik. The RoYal York itself has an extremely good restaurant.

[The Mantis]

We were there with the kids when they were just larvae. I can recommend the night boat trips and the Minster, especially if you have a head for heights and go right up. Didnae think the Jorvik thing was much cop though, these 'authentic' things are all the same. Go away up Ben Wyvis or something if you want an experience  :015: :015: :015:

[Kingsmills]

If your party are at all interested in railway history then the NRM itself can provide a whole day's "entertainment" housing as it does the Flying Scotsman, the Mallard, a full size Bullet train from Japan as well as a host of other railway memorbilia including Royal Trains through the ages. Not everyone's cup of tea I know but it kept by somewhat demanding kids ammused for a whole day.

They also tend to run day trips to Scarborough during the summer quite often hauled by the Flying Scotsman.

[Connie.Orr]

:crazy07:  Do the Ghost Walks thing!  :crazy07:

[Drochit Blue]

lose the kids in the Jorvik centre and get slaughtered on the Mickelgate pub run

failing that the Railway Museum is surprisingly interesting, the Minster too, but that tiny street full of Georgian shops...it's a shambles...

[forresdame]

I would recommend York Castle Museum - period room sets, a Victorian street etc etc - much more entertaining than I'm making it sound by the way  :015:

Also the railway museum if you like trains at all and if you can't face going to the top of the Minster, Clifford's Tower is a lot less high and still has a decent view from the top  :003:

[+Gringo]

If you fancy a wee trip out and about away from York you could do worse than visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It has featured in several feature length films over the years including, Brideshead Revisited and All Creatures Great and Small. More recently Pickering Station was dressed for Possession starring Gwynneth Paltrow. For the first film based on J K Rowling?s series, ?Harry Potter and The Philosopher?s Stone?. Goathland Station was turned into ?Hogsmeade? where the school of wizardry and witchcraft is based. The railway?s shop on the platform was transformed into the ?Prefect?s Room? and the Ladies toilets became the ?Wizard?s Room? which did cause a little confusion at the time!. Goathland Station has also been called Aidensfiled for the 'Heartbeat' TV series. The village of Goathland itself was also used in the same prog' as the village of Aidensfield and you could even visit the pub for a pint.

[Dmacca]

York my favorite city, love the place, visit Dungeons then walk down the road to the river and take some refreshment in the Kings Arms (probably the best known pub in york, due to it regularly flooding when the River Ouse gets up) if your lucky can get a seat by the open fire looking out on the river, also does pub food. Agree the Castle museum is worth a look. We did one of the ghost walks started outside the pub, after a few hours in there you will believe anything, but the walk was entertaining.

Plenty of reference to railways on here, many years ago the end of the station platform was where i would have been, watching the mighty Deltics coming and going, was hooked from my first visit with our school railway club around 1977, subsequent visits lured me to pubs in the city as i got older, once girl friends came along the trains spotting went out the back door, but still kept visiting with wife and kids(we spent our honey moon in York) never get fed up of the place.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I could never see past Fossgate or the Racecourse maself

[us2]

have been there and its great will catch up with you at the footy to tell you more.