Photo: Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Hull
Wondering what to do in Hull? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip. Highlights include Hands on History Museum, Hull people's memorial museum and Ferens Art Gallery.
Aquariums
0.4 mi from Hull
The Deep
The Deep is an education and conservation charity built around an aquarium overlooking the Humber Estuary, with daily talks on sharks, penguins and ocean life, plus the chance to m...
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15.5 mi from Hull
Elite Koi
Elite Koi is a family-run Japanese koi dealer in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, where husband-and-wife team Chris and Tracey sell hand-selected koi sourced from trusted breeders...
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Museums & Galleries
0.1 mi from Hull
Ferens Art Gallery
The Ferens Art Gallery is an art gallery in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. The site and money for the gallery were donated to the city by Thomas Ferens, after whom it is n... — Wikipedia
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0.3 mi from Hull
Dinostar
Dinostar is a small, hands-on dinosaur museum in Hull's Fruit Market area, close to The Deep and Hull marina. Inside you can see a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, touch Triceratops bones...
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0.3 mi from Hull
Hull and East Riding Museum
Hull and East Riding Museum of Archaeology sits in Kingston upon Hull and explores 235 million years of history through its collections. You can see Roman mosaics and a bath house,...
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0.3 mi from Hull
Hull Streetlife Museum
The Streetlife Museum of Transport is a transport museum located in Kingston upon Hull, England. The roots of the collection date back to the early 20th century, however the purpos... — Wikipedia
0.3 mi from Hull
Wilberforce House Museum
Museum building in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
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1.2 mi from Hull
Hull Fishing Heritage Centre
Hull Fishing Heritage Centre is run by the Hull Bullnose Heritage Group, a registered charity dedicated to preserving the history of Hull's fishing industry and the Hessle Road com...
5.6 mi from Hull
The Ropery
The Ropery, part of The Ropewalk arts centre in Barton, North Lincolnshire, tells the story of Hall's Barton Ropery, a rope-making factory dating back to the 1800s. Housed in a Gra...
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5.6 mi from Hull
Skidby Windmill Museum of East Riding Rural Life
Skidby Mill is home to the Museum of East Riding Rural Life, set within the original outbuildings surrounding the mill's courtyard. Inside you'll find the Agriculture Gallery with...
5.7 mi from Hull
Wilderspin National School
The Wilderspin National School is a former national school and Grade II listed building in Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire, and a museum focussing on the life and works of S... — Wikipedia
5.7 mi from Hull
Hedon Museum
Hedon Museum is a small, volunteer-run museum telling the story of this historic East Riding town, from its Norman origins and silver mace to its railway and airfield past. You'll...
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6 mi from Hull
Baysgarth House Museum
Baysgarth House Museum is a local museum located in Baysgarth House, situated in Baysgarth Park, in the market town of Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England. — Wikipedia
7.7 mi from Hull
East Riding Treasure House
East Riding Treasure House, known on the council's culture website as Champney Treasure House, is home to the East Riding Archives in Beverley. Here you can explore an extensive an...
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13.5 mi from Hull
Hornsea Museum
Hornsea Museum sits in Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, just half a mile from Hornsea beach, making it an easy addition to a seaside day out. Spread across six historic buildings...
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14.6 mi from Hull
Brigg Heritage Centre
Brigg Heritage Centre sits on the first floor of the historic Angel building in Brigg Market Place, in North Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire. Its star exhibit is the Bronze Age Brigg Ra...
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15 mi from Hull
Normanby Hall Country Park
Normanby Hall Country Park is a Regency mansion set within parkland, located in Burton upon Stather, North Lincolnshire. Here you can explore the Hall itself, wander the Victorian...
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15 mi from Hull
Withernsea Lighthouse Museum
Museum in Withernsea, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
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15.9 mi from Hull
Fishing Heritage Centre
The Fishing Heritage Centre tells the story of Grimsby's fishing industry, letting you climb aboard a restored trawler, the Ross Tiger, to discover its history. Inside, the museum'...
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Theme Parks
Water Parks
Zoos & Wildlife
25.9 mi from Hull
Sewerby Zoo
Sewerby Zoo is a family-friendly zoo within Sewerby Hall and Gardens, home to a mix of domestic and wild animals from pygmy goats and llamas to capuchin monkeys, raccoon dogs and H...
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Where to stay near Hull
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Hull
Itineraries
- A weekend in Yorkshire: an accessible itinerary · 2 days
- A weekend in Yorkshire with the kids · 2 days
- A weekend in Yorkshire · 2 days
Haunted Britain
Hull is a practical base for a weekend of days out. The city has its own small attractions, and it sits within easy reach of the coast at Bridlington and Cleethorpes, the museums scattered across the wider Yorkshire area, and a handful of specialist collections over the county line in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. There are 21 places to stay on BritStays in this region, which gives you enough choice to pick somewhere quiet and still be out the door early.
Days out with children
If you are travelling with children, build the trip around one big outdoor attraction and keep a backup indoors. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is the obvious headline day: a full outing in its own right, and the sort of place where you will want most of the day rather than a couple of rushed hours. Closer in, the Animal Education centre in Hull is a gentler option for younger children, and The Jungle Zoo at Cleethorpes pairs naturally with a seaside afternoon.
For days when the weather has other ideas, Play Factory Louth is the indoor energy-burner, and in warm spells the Water Splash Park is worth packing towels for. A sensible rule: pick one animal attraction and one play attraction per trip rather than trying to stack three into a single day.
Rainy-day options
This is a region with an unusual density of small museums, which makes wet weather far less of a problem than it might be elsewhere. Sutton and Wawne museum is the local one in Hull, run on a modest scale and best approached as a short, interesting stop rather than a half-day. Further afield, the Dickens Museum & Scrooges Counting House and Catton Heritage Museum both reward an unhurried hour, and the Harbour Heritage Museum and Bayle Museum give Bridlington two indoor options within a single trip to the coast.
- Goole Museum — a compact local collection, good as part of a two-stop day
- The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft — a specialist transport collection with real appeal for anyone with an interest in old vehicles
- Kohima Museum and RAF Ingham - Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre — both military history, both worth checking opening days in advance as smaller museums often open seasonally or on set days
Outdoors and open air
Normanby Hall Country Park is the one to earmark if you want grounds to walk in alongside something to look round, and it suits a slower day where the point is fresh air rather than ticking off exhibits. Coastal days at Bridlington or Cleethorpes work well in the same way: a long walk, a sit down, and one indoor attraction held in reserve for when the wind gets up.
Heritage and local history
The heritage offer here is small-scale and locally run, which is rather the charm of it. Epworth Old Rectory and The Gainsborough Heritage Centre both sit on the Nottinghamshire side and make a reasonable pairing for a single day's driving. If you prefer your history close to base, Sutton and Wawne museum keeps things firmly local. These are places where volunteers often know far more than the labels say, so it is worth asking questions.
Grouping it into a sensible day
The honest advice is two stops a day, three at most if one of them is a twenty-minute museum. A workable pattern looks like this: a big morning attraction such as Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Normanby Hall Country Park, lunch, then either a museum or a seaside walk depending on the sky. On a coastal day, combine Harbour Heritage Museum and Bayle Museum at Bridlington, or The Jungle Zoo and Play Factory Louth around Cleethorpes, so you are not driving between stops.
Where to eat
For food with a 5-star hygiene rating, Cooplands is the straightforward choice for bakery items to take with you — useful when you are heading somewhere with limited catering. The Food Hut suits a tea-room stop and a sit down between attractions. For evening meals, The Barge Inn, Swashbuckle and The County Hotel are all pubs and inns, so expect pub timings: eat earlier than you would in a city restaurant, and ring ahead at weekends.
Making it a short break
Three nights is the sweet spot. Give day one to the coast, day two to one major attraction, and day three to a run of small museums clustered in the same direction. Book your stay somewhere with parking if you intend to drive, since most of these attractions are not walkable from one another.
Before you set off, check opening days directly with each attraction — several of the smaller museums here run limited hours — and have one indoor option identified for every outdoor plan. Take cash for small volunteer-run sites, pack waterproofs regardless of the forecast, and leave a buffer in the day rather than planning to the minute.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Hull itself, rather than further afield?
Within Hull you have the Animal Education centre, which suits younger children, and Sutton and Wawne museum for local history. Both are small-scale, so most visitors use Hull as a base and travel out to larger attractions such as Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Normanby Hall Country Park for a full day.
Where should we go on a rainy day?
The region has plenty of indoor museums. Options include Sutton and Wawne museum, Goole Museum, Catton Heritage Museum, the Dickens Museum & Scrooges Counting House, The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, Kohima Museum and the RAF Ingham - Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre. Play Factory Louth is the indoor choice if you need somewhere for children to burn off energy.
What can we do at the coast?
Bridlington has two indoor attractions in the Harbour Heritage Museum and the Bayle Museum, which pair well with a walk. At Cleethorpes you have The Jungle Zoo and Play Factory Louth, which work as a single day without much driving between stops.
Which attractions suit a full day rather than a quick visit?
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is the main full-day attraction, and Normanby Hall Country Park works well as a slower day combining grounds to walk in with something to look round. Most of the smaller museums are better treated as one-hour stops.
Where can we eat with a 5-star hygiene rating?
Cooplands is a bakery, handy for picking up food to take with you. The Food Hut is a tea room for a mid-day sit down. The Barge Inn, Swashbuckle and The County Hotel are pubs and inns, best for evening meals, though it is worth ringing ahead at weekends.
How many days do we need for a short break here?
Three nights works well: one day on the coast, one day at a major attraction, and one day covering a cluster of smaller museums in the same direction. There are 21 places to stay on BritStays in the region, and parking is worth prioritising as the attractions are spread out.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Hull.