York - What special things to do in/around the area?

On our most recent visit, we enjoyed the Jorvik Viking Centre. The staff/presenters were knowledgeable and engaging. I have not used Trip Advisor much in the past, but I just checked and they have lots of reviews. If the centre is really crowded, you may not notice the glass floor which is literally over the remains of Viking era homes. Also see the York Castle Museum and walk the walls.

Because we are All Creatures Great and Small fans, we needed to visit the original house & vet clinic in Thirsk. Later, we stayed in Grassington which is used for filming the current series. We stayed in a cottage a few steps from the pub. We also enjoyed walking between Grassington and a nearby village....across the sheep filled fields and along a little river.

The National Railway Museum should not be missed.

My favourite things in York are: the Minster (big cathedral), National Railway Museum (recently renovated), Jorvik Viking Centre, walking around the centre of town in areas like the Shambles, and if you like beer, Brew York. If you go west you can easily visit the Dales. If you go east, you can visit Castle Howard (large stately home with nice grounds) or head to the coast- you have Bridlington, which is known for seabirds, and should have a lot of puffins in early June, and then further up Scarborough and Whitby which are nice seaside towns. You can do a nice walk and/or bus ride between them.

My trip report from a few years ago might give you some ideas:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-the-uk-my-york-and-edinburgh-trip-report

I would definitely get out into the countryside.

1) The Minster
2) National Railway Museum
3) Walk the ancient walls
4) Some great museums in the city
5) Do the Yorkshire Dales
6) Day trip to Castle Howard

I second the recommendations for York Minster, which is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've ever been in. Also the National Railway Museum, which I think your kids would probably like.

Castle Howard is incredible, although it is very expensive, so be prepared for that if you decide to go there.

But really, I think your kids would probably enjoy Whitby above all. It's a lovely seaside town with a lot of history, and allegedly was the place where Dracula was created by Bram Stoker. It's easy to get to from York, either by car or public transportation.

One other place I happen to think about that I think your kids would probably like is Bolton Castle. These are ruins that have a lot of history in themselves and are pretty fascinating to see. They also have falcon demonstrations regularly, and that was fascinating. They had a falconer who showed us the birds. They have a number of them, and then showed how they're trained and how they feed and so on. It was really interesting and I loved it.

Not SUPER close, but if you're already planning to head north from York, and you like to get off the beaten path, maybe visit the little coastal village of Seaham. It has one of the best sea glass beaches in the world and I spent one of my best days EVER picking up glass on the beach and lunching in a little fish shack right on the shore.

I know that kind of excursion isn't for everybody (Rick Steves doesn't even MENTION Seaham in the British travel guide) but some people might enjoy it as much as I did.

I’m currently in the midst of a trip in England which had my wife and me in York just over a week ago. All of the sights mentioned above are worthwhile, but I would add one. On our drive from York to Whitby, we stopped at the Rievault Abbey. While the Whitby Abbey is well known and very popular, the Rievault Abbey, built in the same era, is so much more impressive. There is much more of it remaining, allowing the visitor to get a better impression of the size, purpose and architecture of these 11th century structures.
St Mary’s Abbey in York is also worth a walk-through. Although there is little left of the buildings, the gardens are lovely, and the grounds are the site of the Yorkshire Museum and Art Gallery.
We very much enjoyed the Castle Museum, but I would not recommend the nearby Clifford’s Tower, which is a separate ticket and in my opinion not worth the price. One last activity- we thoroughly enjoyed the evening Bloody Tour of York, with Mad Alice. It’s pure theatre, but a very entertaining walk around the old town.

Loving these responses! Thank you so much!

There is so much to do and see in the area it is difficult to know where to begin.... What sort of things do you like doing/seeing. There's no point in suggesting say the Ntional Railway Museum if you can't stand trains!

York is very walkable and do make sure you walk the walls. There is the Cathedral and Clifford's Tower. The Castle Museum is popular with its recreated street scenes. Part of it is in the C18th prison buildings and you can still see the cells. (The notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, was held here.) Have a look at the article which has loads of ideas of things to do and see in York.

The North York Moors are just a short drive and are less busy than the Dales. They have some very pretty small villages, the equal to any you find in the Cotswolds - Hutton le Hole and Thornton le Dale stand out. with a stream running down through the village. There are the two market towns of Pickering and Helmsley, both with ruined castles. Helmsley has a walled garden which is worth visiting. The church in Pickering has medieaval wall paintings - again worth finding. There are ruined abbeys at Rievaulx, Byland and Mount Grace Priory.

Ryedale Folk Museum in Hutton le Hole has old buildings from around th area that have been moved and rebuilt here. There is a street scene with shops and a photographer's studio as well as rural buildings (many with thatched roofs) It is a real blast of the past.

The North York Moors Steam Railway runs from Pickering to Whitby and is a super run throught the North York Moors. Visit the ruined Whitby Abbey and St Mary's Church next to it with its unspoilt Georgian interior with box pews packed into every available space.

Eden Camp Modern History Museum near Malton is in a preserved 1942 prisoner-of-war camp. The huts cover all aspects of WW2 from the home front with rationing and the Blitz (complete with sound effects and smells) to life as a German Prisoner of War and attempts to escape. There are also military vehicles, airoplanes, guns and other equipment displayed around the site. You could easily spend a full day here as there is so. much information to take in - and there is something to appeal to everyone.

Stupid question: What does one do when visiting the Moors or the Yorkshire Dales? Is it like a national park that you enter and take hikes and see nature and landscapes, or does it refer more to towns in the region and exploring those? Any opportunity to see animals, like sheep?

Lots of great advice. My wife and I enjoyed York a great deal. The Minster is certainly worth the time. Walking through the Shambles and along the city walls is time well spent.
Not sure how you are traveling but we took the train from London and used the opportunity to stop overnight in Cambridge. Could have used two nights . Train is about 2 hours from Cambridge to York so I guess you could do it as a day trip.
Great area, enjoy.!

What does one do when visiting the Moors or the Yorkshire Dales? Is it like a national park that you enter and take hikes and see nature and landscapes, or does it refer more to towns in the region and exploring those? Any opportunity to see animals, like sheep?

You can do both, our national parks have above average levels of natural beauty, and they often have villages and small towns worth exploring. And yes, you will see animals, particularly sheep, just about everywhere, almost nowhere in England is truly wild, and most rural land is farmed in some way.

Uk National Parks are somewhat different to US National Parks, in that there are towns and villages within the borders of the park. So life goes on as normal but with protections for the landscape.

I used to go to the Yorkshire Dales a lot. I’d rent a holiday cottage in a small town or village (usually Wensleydale - somewhere like Aysgarth or Bainbridge). Do some circular walks from that location, or drive somewhere else and walk from there. Driving is slow going but beautiful. The landscape is human-generated - farms, dry stone walls, sheep (lots of sheep) and some nice towns and villages with local crafts, tea rooms etc.

I don’t know the Moors as well, but I have enjoyed visiting the various ruined abbeys.

You don’t pay to enter the National Park or anything like that. It is just an area with special status preserving its natural beauty. It’s hard to get planning permission to build anything new, for example.

A typical holiday to a National Park entails staying in a cottage or small hotel, taking long walks and going to country pubs. You might also visit local sights like stately homes or ruins, or wander round small towns. It’s mainly about being in a relaxing and beautiful environment that also has a sort of stuck in the past feeling due to the lack of modern development.

On our last time in York, I was determined to have an Afternoon Tea at Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, but we didn’t get there. I keep reminding my husband that he owes me a Tea at Bettys.

Farmers seem to “brand” their sheep with a patch of dye on their coat, to separate the red sheep from the green sheep from the blue sheep, etc. See how many colors the family can spot.

Some minutiae - If you do get to York there is a fabulous gelato shop in the old town. Sorry, I can’t tell you the name. (Tiny storefront with a back room with two little tables). I had been to Rome earlier in the year and was just blown away by how good the gelato was. Turns out the young man that owned it went to Italy to study how to make gelato. Stop in when you are ready for a break.

The Moors Railway is a nice one to add, especially the Pickering to Whitby route. The scenery along the way is really good, and Whitby gives you plenty to see once you arrive. Rievaulx Abbey is also worth stopping at if you’re driving around the Moors.

Farmers seem to “brand” their sheep with a patch of dye on their coat, to separate the red sheep from the green sheep from the blue sheep,

The more prosaic purpose is to be easily able to identify which farmer's flock each sheep belongs to. It dates from time immemorial, long before electronic ear tags and computerised tracking.
Every farmer has their own identifying colour and style of paint daub- the code is only known among the local farming community.

So, if a blue sheep and a red sheep rub against each other, do you get purple sheep? Tough for farmers to sort out, if so. Maybe those colors are rub-proof.

British sheep fact: a Hogget is sort-of a teenager sheep (younger than two years old), older than a lamb, but younger than an older, mutton-producing animal.

You may see Hogget on a menu, and I first thought it must be pork, but learned it was sheep, and it was delicious!

Arnold Clark is a well recommended auto leasing company you may consider leasing a car for a day or two. Keep in mind the following:
If you are not familiar with wrong side driving then DEDICATE the front seat passenger as the navigator and the driver to be the DRIVER. A driver multitasking is not a good mix.
Roads are narrower and slower, plan trip time’s accordingly.
Local drivers tend to be more patient and forgiving.
Consider if your lodging offers easy accessible parking.
Be sure and provide the primary driver with opportunities to also take breaks and enjoy the views.
Do ask locals for directions and tips for parking and recommendations for events. We discovered a small quaint village hosting a centuries old mayday fair tradition due to asking a local at a pub for their recommendations.
We subscribe to local newspapers for places planned to visit. The expense is small and often a starter discount available while the news has proven valuable for planning and better understanding our destination.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/
We also research the destinations by using their local tourist website.
https://visityork.org/
Charity shops abound throughout the UK and we have found wonderful buys of second hand clothing (scarves, kits, shirts/blouses, pins, posters and tea cups) making for excellent keepsakes of our travels.

So, if a blue sheep and a red sheep rub against each other, do you get purple sheep? Tough for farmers to sort out, if so. Maybe those colors are rub-proof.

Very weather and rub proof. This is substantial mission creep and hardly family friendly, but also sometimes you see other marks on a sheep as the rams (tups) are fitted with crayons (a short term way of marking) when they mate with the ewes. That is a way of determining both whether they have done their job, but also the fertility of both ram and ewe (and I'm not explaining that in detail!), also of having accurate due dates for each ewe/yow.

I know RS on some of his tours does sheep dog handling visits. Maybe an extended tour which talks about how a sheep farm is run could also be beneficial. There is far more method and science to it than often understood.

Another interesting thing is how you count sheep (or anything else)- in dialect. In the Lake District there are 4 very slightly different dialect ways of doing that.