The Porthole

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a zoo and conservation centre on the outskirts of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. You explore on foot, with three walk-through animal reserves and themed lands that recreate habitats from around the world.

Tip: Booking tickets in advance is cheaper than buying on the day, and Planet Putt next to the entrance is a good wet-weather add-on.

Tropical World is a licensed zoo in Roundhay Park, Leeds, made up of climate-controlled glass houses that each recreate a tropical environment. You start in the butterfly house, where butterflies fly freely around a swampy setting with terrapins, koi and Morelet's crocodiles. From there you move into an Aztec-themed aquarium with stingrays, octopus, seahorses, piranhas and poison dart frogs.

Tip: Free parking is close by, a short walk away, and buses 2 and 12 stop right outside. Dogs, including assistance dogs, are not allowed inside.

Cannon Hall is a country house a few miles west of Barnsley, once home to the Spencer and Spencer-Stanhope families. Inside, the museum's collections span four centuries, from Georgian furniture and 17th-century Dutch paintings to modern art glass and British studio ceramics.

Tip: Parking is pay and display and you don't need to book a ticket, so you can simply turn up.

The Piece Hall in Halifax is a Grade I listed building, completed in 1779 as a cloth hall where handloom weavers sold their woollen "pieces". It is the only surviving example of the great eighteenth century northern cloth halls, and one of Britain's most outstanding Georgian buildings. Its 315 rooms are arranged around a large open courtyard.

Tip: Some shops, the restaurant and bar, and ticketed events may restrict dogs, and the historic building has some uneven surfaces, so take care.

Chatsworth is a Grade I listed stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, home to the Devonshire family for 17 generations. Inside, over 25 rooms show art and artefacts spanning 4,000 years, including the Painted Hall, the State Rooms and the Sculpture Gallery. Some rooms close for annual conservation, so not every one is always open.

Tip: Book online in advance for free parking. Prams and rucksack-style baby carriers aren't allowed in the house, but there is left luggage near the entrance.

AO Arena is a large indoor venue immediately north of Manchester city centre, partly built over Manchester Victoria railway station. It opened in 1995 and hosts concerts, comedy, family shows and sport, including ice hockey and boxing.

Tip: The arena sits partly above Manchester Victoria railway station, so it is easy to reach by train.

The People's History Museum in Manchester is the national museum of democracy. It tells the story of how democracy developed in Britain, and of ordinary people who came together to fight for their rights. It is based in a Grade II listed former hydraulic pumping station, linked by a glass walkway to a modern extension.

Tip: Check the museum's website before you go, as the exhibitions and activities change.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an art gallery with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, set in the 500-acre parkland of the Bretton Hall estate in West Bretton, near Wakefield. Opened in 1977, it was the UK's first sculpture park. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.