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?

I would have thought you wouldn't get many answers op but it just shows how many great things there are here on our doorsteps

@ssd I'm blown away by the responses! I was honestly hoping for a few replies by locals. Why does Bradford have such a bad name when there is so much going on?

[quote jasminoide]@ssd I'm blown away by the responses! I was honestly hoping for a few replies by locals. Why does Bradford have such a bad name when there is so much going on?[/quote]
Closely guarded secret. Honestly the countryside it is beautiful here and there are so many things to do. You will have a great time.

I get so annoyed seeing some of the horrible comments about it being a dump on Guardian articles about the area. This thread is a breath of fresh air.

Has anyone mentioned East Riddlesden Hall? National Trust property a few miles away near Keighley.
Easy walks along the Leeds Liverpool canal - 5 rise locks near Bingley
Saltaire also accessible from the canal. Shops, galleries, restaurants in Saltaire are worth a visit.
Lots of really nice parks in Bradford and it's surrounding towns.
Good countryside, nice walks, national trails (Pennine Way).
Ilkley is a nice place to visit too. Smart shopping, lots of cafes and restaurants, riverside walks, Ilkley moor nearby..
Bradford has pretty decent public transport, good train links to the local towns from Forster Square and to Manchester and beyond from the Interchange.
The town centre is a bit depressed in parts but the new Broadway centre is modern and clean with excellent parking and decent shops, but not huge.
The Waterstones bookshop is in one of the loveliest buildings you will ever find a bookshop in!
It's a hugely varied place but you should be able to fill 3 weeks doing interesting things without too much trouble.

I love all the positivity about Bradford on this thread.

in the centre:
Record Cafe for cheese platters and wine
Al's Duke Bar for cocktails
Italian stall in Oastler Street market
Cheap nice Italian pizza: Pizza pieces
Sunbridge Wells
Bread and Roses coop café

Bolton Abbey is absolutely stunning. You could easily spend a day there. We took a BBQ to the allocates place for these and loved it. Wish we had more time to walk and explore it more.

Also, enjoy the Pakistani restaurants in Bradford - the food is amazing.

Oh my God how did I forget East Riddlesden Hall?! Also Cliffe Castle (excellent museum and cafe, and a small greenhouse bit with tropical plants!)

@Juice9000

Got to be honest “Holiday” and “Bradford” aren’t two words I thought I’d ever see together, but I guess that’s a predictable response!! (Sorry, I did used to work there)

Best thing actually in Bradford is the museum of film & television.

I thought the same!

Brimham Rocks would be good if your kids are outdoorsy.
York is lovely.
Don’t go to Leicester, it’s really far and there’s nothing special there.
You could go to Chill Factor in Manchester if you ski/ snowboard or you could go one the snow park.

Leicester is over 100 miles from Bradford. Depends on how much you like driving, but probably not quite a day trip. The botanical gardens are nice though.

Lincoln is c90mins from Bradford, that would be a nice day out.

@LadyCatStark Don’t go to Leicester, it’s really far and there’s nothing special there.

Richard III muséum
Space centre
Bradgate park
Beacon hill
Leicester City / Tigers grounds
Botanical gardens
Golden mile
Tropical bird land
…
Have you ever been?

[quote MimiSunshine]**@LadyCatStark* Don’t go to Leicester, it’s really far and there’s nothing special there.*

Richard III muséum
Space centre
Bradgate park
Beacon hill
Leicester City / Tigers grounds
Botanical gardens
Golden mile
Tropical bird land
…
Have you ever been?[/quote]
Yes, lived nearby as a child, but I wouldn’t travel there from Bradford!

Nidderdale Llama trekking, Pateley Bridge, Nr Harrogate?

The Deep in Hull. It's an underwater aquarium. I think it has penguins too

why are people saying Howarth; i doubt that kids would like that.
sounds like a boring school trip.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway to Haworth is fun for kids.
Teenagers will like the shops
www.bronteadventures.co.uk/haworth-shops/
The Bronte Waterfall walk is nice.
If teens are doing Wuthering Heights in English then the Parsonage is educational. I went as a teenager and found it interesting.

@alexdgr8

why are people saying Howarth; i doubt that kids would like that. sounds like a boring school trip.

It's fascinating. I found the life of the Brontes interesting when I was a teenager.

I loved Howarth as a kid, guess all children are different!

@Miniestelle

The Deep in Hull. It's an underwater aquarium. I think it has penguins too

Yes the Deep has penguins!

DS loves Howarth! He’s 12 and really likes the historical shops.

The Deep has penguins, but it’s a decent trip out from Bradford. 1.5 hours drive or so, but closer than some of the places suggested 😀

Lotherton Hall, on the east side of Leeds and may have been mentioned on this thread also has penguins.

So a holiday in Bradford where you avoid Bradford at all costs then? . I don’t blame you, I was born there and it is a shithole. Saltaire is nice, I like Salts Mill a lot. Ilkley and Haworth are both lovely. The media museum and industrial museum in Bradford are worth a shout if you can bear to be there at any point?

It’s Haworth not Howorth. Bronte museum is boring for most young children, I only appreciated it as a teen. The steam railway is fun.

@Youdiditanyway

So a holiday in Bradford where you avoid Bradford at all costs then? . I don’t blame you, I was born there and it is a shithole. Saltaire is nice, I like Salts Mill a lot. Ilkley and Haworth are both lovely. The media museum and industrial museum in Bradford are worth a shout if you can bear to be there at any point?

But a lot of the places suggested are in the Bradford area and have Bradford postcodes.

If someone said they were going to London, people wouldn't just give suggestions within a couple of miles of the place they were staying would they? They'd suggest things across a 5-10 mile radius at least.