Yorkshire’s best-loved attractions rewarded with national accolades

THEY ARE some of Yorkshire’s most-loved attractions and draw in thousands of visitors every year.

Now, they have been honoured by the national tourist board for England in recognition of the quality experiences on offer.

VisitEngland has awarded 13 ‘attractions accolades’ across the region.

From Wilberforce House, Hull, and Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in Doncaster, to Harrogate’s RHS Harlow Carr Gardens and Kirkstall Abbey, in Leeds, the awards highlight all aspects of the overall visitor experience, including story-telling, food and drink, customer service and all-round top-scorers. The attractions have achieved these accolades based on the score they obtained following their annual assessment by VisitEngland.

VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes said: “These attractions offer a warm welcome, unique storytelling, high quality food and drink and unparalleled customer service and rightly deserve these accolades. They provide visitors with amazing experiences and create reasons to travel the length and breadth of the country, increasing the economic benefits of tourism.” Introduced by VisitEngland in 2014, the accolades are available to members of the Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme, which represent a wide range of tourism experiences, from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks.

Other winners in Yorkshire include Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby, Henry VII Experience at Micklegate Bar, Jorvik Viking Centre and The York Dungeon, York, Richmondshire Museum and the Green Howards Museum, Richmond, Ripley Castle, near Harrogate, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Hunmanby, and Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax.