Six of the Best days out with the kids

Meerkats at popular Leeds attraction Tropical World.

The kids have started or gone back to school this week so an exciting weekend outing is ideal to reward their efforts.

TROPICAL WORLD

Tropical World in Roundhay is a great place for children to discover their inner explorer in the waterfalls, humid rainforests and desert.

It is also home to many wonderful animal species - from the endangered cotton-top monkey at Rainforest Canopy, to the world’s longest snake species at Creature Corner and the armoured Armadillo in the Nocturnal area. There are also meerkats and crocodiles.

TREASURE HUNT

Following the directions and solving the clues along the way, Leeds treasure hunts takes people past many local attractions and places of interest.

The railway station, Royal Armouries, Parish Church, City Square are on routes which are designed to get people looking around and opening their eyes to many things they would ordinarily walk straight past, while hunting out the clues.

A hunt will take about two hours to complete and there are a few different ones, available to download (some free) online.

GO APE TEMPLE NEWSAM

Visitors can escape everyday life on an adventure high in the trees at Go Ape Temple Newsam.

A variety of aerial challenges are set for the whole family, from aged four to adults, in the canopy of the woodland.

Designed for the perfect adventure for families, the course is structured in three levels of increasing difficulty, suitable for different ages.

Visitors have the opportunity to mix and match challenges to suit the interests and the skills of their group and their are fun ways to get down to ground level. Book online.

INDOOR KARTING

Indoor karting venues in Leeds will bring out the competitive side of the older children in the family and their adults.

TeamSport Go Karting, on South Accommodation Road, has adult and child karts, along with tuition and family karting events for visitors to have lots of opportunities to practice speed racer skills.

Escape room rewards. Picture by Simon Hulme

It boasts the longest indoor circuit in Yorkshire - with over 580m of racing, which is ideal for those thrill seekers who want to go full throttle speeding along the straights, just watch the corners – all 12 of them.

ESCAPE ROOMS

The concept of Escape Rooms emerged in the early part of the 21st century, transferring from computer games into the real world.

Partly inspired by television shows broadcast at the tail-end of the 20th century such as The Crystal Maze and the children’s fantasy adventure game series, Knightmare, players are locked in a room and have to solve puzzles to escape in the allotted hour.

The Yorkshire region is now a hotbed of Escape Rooms, with as many as 20 in cities including York, Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Sheffield as well as Wakefield.

CLIMBING CENTRES

Whether a seasoned pro or a complete beginner, there are plenty of climbing centres in Leeds that will challenge.

The city’s venues offer offer features from 250 rope-climbing routes to those that do away with ropes for a bouldering set-up with weekly resets.

And visitors can quickly get to grips with a host of challenges for all skillsets.

Centres offer expert guidance to get started and perfect the skills through special beginners classes and kids sessions.