York
The Romans settled here in the 1st century and called it Eboracum (Romans). When the Saxons moved in, they called it Eoforwic. In 866 the Vikings took over the city and called it Jorvik. Hundreds of years later, York still retains the flavor of the medieval city with cobblestone streets, a huge Gothic cathedral and no cars in the city center. Kids can have fun peeling away the layers of history in York.
York Minster - York Minster is England's largest medieval church. The cathedral has exquisite stained glass windows, including scenes like St. Nicholas in his horse cart, riding over a thief. For a great view of the city, climb up the Central Tower. Check out the Foundations Museum to see how the Gothic cathedral was built on top of the Norman church which was built on top of the remains of Roman army headquarters. For further details of the cathedral, check out the official York Minster site.
The York Dungeon - The York Dungeon has a long and colorful past. This attraction relishes in re-creating scenes such as Dick Turpin, the highwayman, waiting to be hanged, or the execution of the traitor Guy Fawkes. The York Dungeon is not for the squeamish, but it's a vivid presentation British history.
National Railway Museum - Train lovers will enjoy this museum, with over 200 locomotives and train cars and 3000 models. See what it's like to be inside of a Victorian luxury train, a "Palace on Wheels." For all the details, visit the National Railway Museum site.
York Castle Museum - This museum, once the city prison, is now a re-created Victorian village, with homey details such as a police station, cobblestone streets, family living rooms. Don't miss the Jane Austen costume collection, doll houses and the military collection.
Jorvik Viking Centre - The Jorvik Viking Centre sits on the site where well-perserved parts of the Viking city were found. Kids can dress up as a Viking raider (ready to plunder), then travel back through successive eras to life in Jorvik a 1000 years ago. Find out about how archeologists work and how artifacts are preserved and analyzed. At the gift shop you can make copies of Viking coins found on the site.
Museum Gardens - To get outdoors, relax in the Museum Gardens outside the Yorkshire Museum. The gardens which extend to the River Ouse, also have parts of the Romans walls and a medieval tower.
Take a cruise on River Ouse - Take a boat trip along river, day time or in the evening. You'll see the spots where witches were dunked and the Vikings slugged it out with the Saxons. On some nighttime cruises, they tell ghost stories too.
Danelaw Village - In Murton, just outside of York, visit Danelaw Village at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming. Twenty buildings have been realistically constructed in the Viking style, plus demonstrations of arts and crafts.
