Harewood House which is located between Leeds and Harrogate makes for an excellent day out for the whole family.

There are various admission prices dependant on what you wish to see, but the best value for money is the Family 'Freedom' Ticket. A family is considered to be 2 adults and 3 children or 1 adult and 4 children - at £30.00 the ticket may seem expensive but there is more than enough to occupy the family for the full day. (Freedom Ticket £33.00 Sundays & Bank Holidays)

To the back of the house are formal gardens laid out originally
by Sir Charles Barry and later restored to their full glory in 1994. They make for an enjoyable stroll and with the various fountains and statues this was also fun for the children.

In addition there are enormous sweeping grounds with woods,
a lake with a small motor cruiser on and a surrounding walk,
and numerous paths that criss-cross some breathtaking landscape. Set amongst this is a quadrangle of buildings that houses some interesting shops, a bird sanctuary (with many interesting and varied species - the children especially loved
the penguin tank with the 2.00pm feeding session and see-through tank), and a restaurant. We did eat here and although
the food was very good the service was a little disorganised
and it was quite expensive for five. We would recommend
taking a picnic if there are a few of you, as access to parked
cars is very good and there are plenty of picnic tables
available - including some covered areas if the weather is not too good. The most impressive part of the whole day for our 3 however was when, after they had been and spent the regulation £1.00 each in the gift shop (you know how important that rubber lizard is to them !), we finally let them lose on the adventure playground. And how impressive it is too. It is split into different age ranges with a separate area for very young children and some excellent equipment for the older children, including commando slides and a large tower with various chutes
together with high level walkways of all types and descriptions. Once our 3 had disappeared into this labyrinth it was only the temptation of ice cream that finally lured them away. All around this area there are also a number of benches and seats so you can relax, take in the scenery and keep an eye on the children.