Harrogate - your recommendations of things to see/do please

[lilolilmanchester]

Planning a weekend in Harrogate. I'm just looking at a few internet sites about what to see/ do. If you live in Harrogate/know Harrogate well, would appreciate your recommendations. The only thing I know for definite is that I'd like to go to Betty's Should add there'll be 2 teenagers and a spritely 75 year old, as well DH & me.......

Bettys- go late and you don't queue. It's open until about 9 ( Check)

Teenagers...hmmm cinema, shopping,

Ripley castle and Harlow Carr are good (not sure for teenagers). Ripley gas a great ice cream shop and car boat sale on some Sundays

Loads of great places to eat.

Valley gardens are quite nice and free

What do you like to do?
Where are you staying?

I hate to be miserable but is it that great for a day out there?

There's shopping of course, and personally I'd do Harlow Carr gardens but that's not very teenager friendly. Can you send them off to the shops whilst you go?

Harewood House too.

I guess it depends on what variety of teenagers you've got.

Go to york instead, much more to do. And there is a betty's as well!

Harrogate is great for just pottering. If you want to do lots of stuff then maybe not the best place (unless it's shopping, eating and walking in parks)

Harrogate bettys is much nicer than York but ilkley has the biggest portions.

Depends how far you want to travel. Brimham Rocks is fairly close, and great for scrambling around and climbing.

Rudding park is my favourite hotel.

And if your teenagers like ancient ruins, Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal is quite close.

35mins on train to Leeds and a tiny bit more to york.

We stayed at the Balmoral, which was v nice - and you get free entry to a spa which is about 20 minute's walk out of the centre, so we made good use of that on one of the days. There's not loads to do for teens but ours were happy with a day of pootling in Harrogate, a day in York and a few hours at the spa.

Harewood House is great - adventure playground is really good (although depends on the age of your teenagers). The bird garden is definitely worth visiting.

gosh, so many replies already!! We're limited as to where we can go due to this being a meet-up with someone who has to come on public transport. We've all been to York fairly recently... Don't need to do too much - will be arriving mid=day day one and going home early evening day 2, so don't particularly want to travel out of Harrogate (which we would do if staying for longer). Happy to just potter & look round, just wondered if there was anything we shouldn't miss. Currently booked in to the Barcelo Majestic, but flexible booking so can cancel if I find somewhere better. There is so little availability, spent hours (literally!) trying to find somewhere that could take 5 in 2 rooms; even serviced apartments are full.

Gotta - went to a wedding at Rudding Park years ago, it is lovely, but we decided we wanted somewhere in the town.

Majestic was a bit dodgy but in a great location- the best really.

Then it had a big fire and was refurbished. A colleague stayed last week and said it was good. It has a small pool etc. Most hotels in harrogate don't have pools.

Hotels in harrogate all have some kind of downside. There isn't a really good hotel other than rudding. There is a travelodge (or similar ) right in town and a premier inn about a mile out.

The majestic is in a good location. It is in it's own grounds and so quieter than many. Teenagers can wander safely on their own from there.

Belligerent, the Balmoral does look nice. Hotel we've booked has got it's own gym/pool etc which I thought would be good for the DCs.

thanks gotta, I wasn't sure about the Majestic as had read mixed reviews, so planned to keep looking as I can cancel up to the day before if I find something I like better. Good to hear that your colleague thought it was ok

Hotel du vin is really noisy. We stayed recently and our quiet room was very loud.

would also appreciate thoughts on where to eat... decent "pub grub"/brasserie rather than fine dining

bump - planning on afternoon tea in Betty's, unless enough folk tell me it's not worth the huge price!

THe turkish baths are well thought of...

Turkish baths are fab and might be good for the teenagers? Google them. Beautiful original Victorian setting, and really relaxing.

I think the Bettys at Harlow Carr is nicer than the one in town, but both good. My preference for the one in town is to go around 6-7pm, when it's pretty quiet - either go for a drink/cake before dinner, or go a bit later and have dessert/coffee. It's candlelit then, with piano music, much nicer than the hurly burly of the day.

You can walk from town to Harlow Carr - a couple of miles, i think, walking through the Valley Gardens and the Pinewoods, which is very nice.

i had a very nice evening meal once at the 'Harrogate Brasserie' which is a hotel as well.

A really fab place to eat is the Chinese restaurant in the Royal Baths - absolutely amazing surroundings but perhaps a bit on the formal/pricey side. Unique though.

Also, think people have divided opinions on this, but I really like Sunday lunch (or similar) in Hales Bar - very old pub, with gas lighting and the old-fashioned Victorian tiny rooms.

Mercer art gallery is very nice, if that's your thing - small and quick to look around but interesting/individual.

The Pump Rooms museum is good for a short visit - not deeply revealing, but quite small and pleasant. Definitely get the teenagers to taste the (horrible & sulphurous) water - think you can taste it for free from a pump outside, or have some while you visit the museum. On a recent documentary, Michael Portillo said the secret of the success of the Harrogate Spa waters was its high sulphur content which kills off intestinal worms (and according to him, 90% of the population had worms in the 19th century. Nice!)

Umm, that's all i can think of for the moment...

Thanks Wolfhound and Donki, some great ideas. Foodwise, not really after Chinese/Italian/Indian etc as spoilt for choice where we live, would prefer good old fashioned pub grub (which woudl also be preferred by one of our party...)
Lots to be going on with, happy to hear other suggestions. Thanks again.