Alnwick (01665 510777; www.alnwickcastle.com)
Adults £12.50, children £5.50

Seven Stories

Named after its seven floors and the idea that there are only really seven stories in the world, this superb attraction has craft activities, daily live story-telling sessions, a rumpus room where our kids made full use of the dressing up box and stage to perform their own pla,y and book-stuffed floors of changing exhibits based around favourites such as The Wind In The Willows.

30 Lime Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (0845 2710777; www.sevenstories.org.uk)
Adults £5.50, children £4.50

The Captain Cook Experience

Having just polished off our cod and chips at the Magpie Cafe round the corner, a Whitby harbour trip on this small-scale version of Cook’s Endeavour sounded suitably serene. Twenty minutes later, rolling about the deck like a bag of marbles, we were clinging to our children for dear life. Serene this is not. Exhilarating it most certainly is. As the silhouette of Whitby Abbey receded and the waters stilled, we were regaled with tales of Cook’s 1768 trip to Tahiti from Whitby and by the end were so water-splashed and exhausted we almost felt we’d been there and back ourselves.

Bark Endeavour, Pier Road, Whitby Harbour at Fish Quay, Whitby (01273 364100; www.endeavourwhitby.com)
£2.50 for all ages

Jorvik Viking Centre

Explore the Viking era via a vibrating time machine and a small pod which whirls you through scenes of Viking life, including a fibreglass man squatting down for his morning ablutions – immediately spotted by both of our children. Less scatological fun is to be had working out if you have Viking blood by answering a series of questions about your hair.

Coppergate, York (01904 543400; www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk)
Adults £8.95, five-15s £6.

National Railway Museum

The largest railway museum in the world contains 100 locomotives, including The Flying Scotsman, the Mallard and a replica of Stephenson’s Rocket. There’s a futuristic Japanese Bullet Train, an outdoor play park and some really good science shows. Our train-crazed son simply gawped in awe.

Leeman Road, York (08448 153139; www.nrm.org.uk)
Free

Brontë Parsonage Museum

Misunderstood teens and romantic souls reading the Brontës get a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most literary families who lived here in Haworth amidst the brooding moors. Don’t take small ones, though – Charlie played havoc running into roped off areas. We took solace in Branwell Brontë’s local pub The Black Bull, where we pretended to Phoebe that we hadn’t heard the barman mention the pub was haunted.

Church Street, Haworth, Keighley, West Yorks (01535 642323)
Adults 6.50, five-16s £3.50

The World of James Herriot

Although the world of flat-capped farmers and kindly, middle class vets meant nothing to our two kids, they enjoyed this attraction based in the house and surgery of vet Alf Wright, who wrote the “All Creatures Great and Small” books under the pseudonym of James Herriot. An audio guide takes you around the 40s period home and up to the children’s interactive room where little ones can colour in, do brass rubbings of animals and test their sheepdog skills. There are also regular story telling sessions.

23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire (01845 524234; www.worldofjamesherriot.org)
Adults £6, five-15s £4.20

York Castle Museum

Having touched on the Victorians in her Year 1 lessons, five-year-old Phoebe was delighted with the Kirkgate Victorian street mock up at the York Castle Museum, poking her way around the schoolroom (she wasn’t keen on the back straightener) and demanding Fairy Kisses and Pineapples Drops in the sweetshop. Everything from the tea caddies in the grocers to the dolls in the toyshop are original. Good fun for over fives.

Eye of York, York (01904 6876; www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk)
Adults £8, children free with paying adult. Tickets are valid for one year of repeat visits.

Beaches of Northumberland

We can’t talk about the best places for kids in the North East without mentioning the wonderful beaches of the Northumberland coast. We were in this unspoilt part of the world in high season for a sunny week and had entire beaches to ourselves. The kids picked through rock pools with their crabbing nets, calling triumphantly to us as we sat and read our books in deck chairs. Our favourites were Craster for the rock pooling and Bamburgh for the truly awesome castle which shelters the sands. Crowd-escaping at its best.

Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience and the Museum of Hartlepool

You could spend the best part of a day taking part in the dockside naval entertainments at this 18th century seaport recreation before you even step aboard the HMC Trincomalee, Britain’s oldest warship still afloat. Our kids got the most out of the Marine Adventure Centre where Phoebe sent messages through flags while Charlie enjoyed the Pressganged film show (until he got scared when an able seaman flogged a colleague for falling asleep on guard duty).

Jackson Dock, Maritime Ave, Hartlepool (01429 860077)
Adults £7.95, children £5.95