1 / 3Leeds Discovery Centre
📍 Leeds, North West
Appointment-only guided tours of Leeds Museum's working storage facility, covering artefacts, fossils, taxidermy, historical clothing, and toys not on public display. Free parking. No cafe. Best for curious families with children aged 8 and up.
Visit to LDC is by appointment, as it's not public access building. The staff can invite you into their workplace and give you a whistle tour. what is there ? Ancient to modern artifacts that are in storage that form our history. The LDC staff are brilliant, their enthusiastic , passionate about their work and it's evident when they talk to you about the items they show you during the tour. Great for enthusiastic children and adults a like. Thank you to the staff.
🏆 Family Action Verdict
Best for curious families with children aged 8 and up who are genuinely interested in history and collections. The behind-the-scenes access is unlike any standard museum visit — guides match their commentary to the group's interests and pull out items you'd never see on a normal tour.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →122 Google reviews
M Lam
a month ago
“Visit to LDC is by appointment, as it's not public access building. The staff can invite you into their workplace and give you a whistle tour. what is there ? Ancient to modern artifacts that are in storage that form our history. The LDC staff are brilliant, their enthusiastic , passionate about their work and it's evident when they talk to you about the items they show you during the tour. Great for enthusiastic children and adults a like. Thank you to the staff.”
ilona rigo
9 months ago
“Well worth a look if you like museums as here stores old artifacts, bones, taxidermy, clothes, toys and much much more! Toilets and free parking but no cafe. Our guide was knowledgeable and it was a fun hour walking and looking at items he or we pointed out. 16C to keep items safe, but it was a good temperature for me! Book yourself on, I donated a fiver to help running costs and to preserve these fine old items 👍”
Magdalena Docherty
a year ago
“Absolutely fantastic place to visit. The lady who was our tour guide through the collection was absolutely fantastic, knowledgeable and passionate about the collection. Myself and my 10yo had a lot of fun and we would definitely go back another time to look at some more of the collections.”
Lauren Robson
a month ago
“Really enjoyed the pre-booked tour for half-term. The staff were very nice, helpful and knowledgeable. They have part of a meteorite which is billions of years old, plus drawers full of weird and mysterious things. Loved it!”
Reviews from Google
Overview
Leeds Discovery Centre is a working museum storage facility offering pre-booked guided tours through collections of artefacts, fossils, taxidermy specimens, historical clothing, and toys. Guides surface items from storage drawers on request, including meteorite fragments and rare specimens. The facility is kept at 16°C to preserve collections — warm layers are essential. Free parking available, no cafe on-site. Visits must be booked in advance.
