Holiday in Bradford- what to do?

[jasminoide]

DH is working from an office for the first 3 weeks of August and we've decided to go along and make a holiday out of it. Accommodation is sorted, just looking for recommendations for things to do with a teen and tween. We will have a car and don't mind driving up to an hour, or 90 minutes for a really nice place.
So far we'd like to go to Flamingo Land and the cat cafe in Leeds. I'd love to go to a Botanical garden (of the indoor, tropical type) but not sure where the closest would be? We are planning day trips to Sheffield, Manchester and perhaps Leicester.
Open to all ideas, the hidden gems as well as the well known places.
Is Flamborough worth going to for the views?

Tropical world itself is completely indoors, but obviously Roundhay Park that it's set in is outdoors and normally you would visit the park too, it's pretty much Leeds equivalent of London's Hyde Park.

There's formal gardens on both sides of the road and the main park area is on the same side of the road as the car park, so you can walk down to the big lake and see all the ducks etc and there's also woodland to explore.

But the weather forecast looks a lot better from now on, more showery than constant rain. You could be lucky and stay completely dry.

Perhaps look out for some cheap cagoules?

I'm probably looking at the situation from a Yorkshire person's viewpoint.

If it's raining, you just get on with it, because if you stayed indoors every time it looked like rain, you'd never go anywhere.

But if you only went to indoor attractions as a family that would either be unaffordable, or at odds with the Yorkshire 'careful' mindset.

As a child we went for lots of days out to places like Roundhay Park and I remember many a time we would shelter under a tree or in a doorway to avoid the worst of a passing shower, or famously, the time we went to one of Leeds other big parks at Easter and it snowed.

@jasminoide New to the thread, so not read all the replies, but if in Bradford itself the Media Museum is brilliant.
Got from Playschool to Gordon The Gopher for grown ups, and the birth of the internet and video games for kids less old lol
Then there's the water fountains in the centre where you can watch/walk through and al the restaurants alongside.
Do you drive? Just easier to say yay or nay before saying days out lol

@ShaunaTheSheep Betty's at Harlow Carr Gardens is much quieter and you don't need to pay to go into the gardens to visit it. You can walk down from there to the Valley Gardens through the pinewoods from there too.

Oh yay! I'm so glad you are enjoying it! #teambradford all the way!

Hope you enjoyed your akhbars (not jealous at all lol)

Definitely try get over to tong for goodalls ice cream before you go back home. It really is exceptional.

@MrsPnut thank you, Harlow Carr sounds good.

Update: we had a great day at media museum and last night we went to Manningham Lane (I was utterly intrigued about the 'ghetto'). Rather nice for a ghetto, there was a wedding party gathered outside the Pearl and we loved the dancing and drumming that was going on. We ate lovely shawarma in Istanbul. If this is the ghetto then I'm clearly a hood 😁.
Went to Cannon Mills Market today.... Omg we loved it. We were probably the only white people there but no issues at all. Ate keema parata (sp?) and bought about 5 bags of kitchen stuff and lovely material. I'm currently looking on Rightmove for houses in Bradford, it's fab!

@jasminoide I love your updates! So glad you are enjoying our city! Have you had a peep in sunbridge wells yet?

No restless I haven't, what's there?

I've had a little cry over your thread OP.
I left in the 80s, and although I visit family a few times a year I saw the degeneration on f the late 80s/90s but haven't visited long enough to see regeneration. Your posts are so positive. I'm really thrilled and will make family visits longer so we have a chance to see the sights next time.
Ps: direct buses from Bradford Interchange to Ilkley where there's a Betty's and some lovely boutiques and the river with pebbles beach where I wanted my revising summers sitting in the sun with my friends and hunting crayfish (always found them) if you have a free lazy day with ok weather. Or if you have the car you can go up the the Cow and Calf rocks so you know you really were on Ilkley Moor Bah Tat ( where the ducks play football and we know not why). 😀

@jasminoide

Sunbridge Wells is an arcade built in old tunnels. Lots of little bars, street food vendors, restaurants and cafes.

Def go to Saltaire and salts mill. You'd miss out hugely if you didn't I think. There's a nice park there too and you can get a little tram up to the top of the moor I think.

Ilkley moor and ilkley in general also recommended... the scenery is just spectacular and it would be a shame to miss the gorgeous countryside. If you have a car you could drive into the dales and just have a pub lunch if you don't have gear for walking. Bolton abbey and beyond is lovely

Just buy coats and crack on, it'll be worth it.

Train to Skipton, don't know what day market day is anymore but go then.

Train to Keighley and then steam train to Haworth (not Howarth 😠). Walk up through the park to the top left gates and then up Main Street to the Bronte Parsonage.

Leeds for shopping, and the Corn Exchange if that's still going. Loved it as a teen.

Just seen your update, glad you had a great time!
Whenever I've mentioned Bradford is a nice day out I've got "ooh no, rough there" - not been my experience at all

although I'm going to have to google keema parata (is it some kind of mince dish?) If not excuse my ignorance lol

@jasminoide

Update - we had to come earlier than expected and we are on day 4 now. We live in a very white, non diverse county so we are totally blown away by the diversity here, it feels like a proper holiday for us. On the first day we discovered Manchester Supermarket and what a treat that was - we haven't seen so many of the fruit/veg before and the aromatic smell of them is sonething you certainly don't get in Tesco! We spent ages examining the aisles of tea, clay cooking pots and bought far too many jelly sweets. We tried Kashmiri pink tea, milk cake and a range of Pakistani (?) sweets that look like coloured fudge. We've been to The Broadway, have the science/media museum booked and are booked into Akbar's tonight for dinner. It's a bit rough and ready around Leeds Road but we have felt very safe here and people are very friendly. We were getting into the car yesterday and a neighbour (who thought we'd moved in) came to welcome us 😁. I can see why it's not the typical tourist destination but we have really had our eyes opened and enjoyed trying new things. We are very much #teamBradford so far!

@jasminoide Oh, I love Manchester supermarket!!! Didn't realise there was more than one of them (I only know the one in Wakefield which isn't too far away from Bradford) Agree, so much more choice you just don't get in your usual supermarkets! I personally stock up on fresh lychees when I go Keep eyeing up all the yummy sounding Indian sweets as well but never tried any yet

@jasminoide it's right in the city centre, a refurbished network of under tunnels with restaurants, bars and shops, but even if you don't want go and eat or drink, it's just incredible for a look around. Not sure if you are still around on 7th, but if so there is a free tour on (see pic below). I've heard great things about the new pizza restaurant there!

Restlessinthenorth the pizza restaurant there is amazing! The owners live locally to me and were doing deliveries during the first lockdown 😋 I'm loving reading your updates OP. Keep the Bradford love coming!

If you're looking for Indian sweets to try can I recommend halwa? Sort of like rice pudding but made with grated carrot. It's absolutely delicious!

Goinggently the tram only runs on a Sunday these days but if it's not open there's a nice walk up through the woods to the top.

Can nobody spell Haworth on this thread?!

I'm loving this thread, I've lived in Bradford for most of my life and not done a lot of the things that the OP has done, it's giving me lots of ideas. It's great to hear someone being so positive about Bradford too.

Has anyone suggested Eureka yet? Great for kids, and the Piece Hall is stunning especially if there’s an event on. Halifax takes about 15 mins by train and costs peanuts.

Update - we've been to cat cafe (this was essential, dc2 & 3 have ASD and this was a major incentive to come on the holiday) White Rose shopping centre, Meanwood Valley urban farm (lovely place and very cheap), Kirkgate Market (I nearly cried when I saw how cheap the plants are, I pay at least x3 back home), Heaton Manor in Halifax (only £1 to enter the Jungle experience 😬). Also tried 3 new Asian supermarkets (Pakeeza and Save Co in Leeds Road and Al Halal somewhere in BD8). Those wicker plate wall hangings that are 'in' on Instagram and retail for about £20 can be bought here for 99p. They are for pita bread apparently! Also tried karak coffee which was lovely and chapli kebabs.
Have had a few, eh, "interesting" experiences too. The satnav got us a bit lost on the way home one day and we ended up in a housing estate with horses tethered in a central green. The dc were very happy and wanted to have a stroke. It was open and public so I thought it would be fine.... long story short we were chastised with very colourful language from someone leaning out of a window and we'll know in future to keep our hands to ourselves. Several things happened in Harehills Lane that makes Bradford look like the Home Counties in comparison 😂. We got ginormous shawarma sandwiches for £3 so it was all worth it though.
Off to Bolling Hall today, weather has been really decent. We are going to really miss here when we leave 😭

Also want to recommend the Turkish Sweet Centre on Leeds Road. Its small so you could easily miss it, but they do a baked kunafa, Turkish ice cream and glass of Turkish tea for £5.99 which is very reasonable.

How long do you have left OP?