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Not had enough of outdoor adventures? Head out of the city to Stockeld Park for a full day of adventures. Take bumper boats out on the lake, try out their pedal go-karts, get lost in their magical maze or blow off steam in one of their five adventure playgrounds.

If you’re more of a spectator, Leeds has an excellent choice of sports to choose from. Leeds United football fans are among the most passionate in the country and the club has been based at Elland Road since 1919.

Sporting Action

Right next door is Planet Ice Leeds and the home of Leeds Knights ice hockey team. Go for a spin on the ice yourself and then stick around to see the pros in action. Finally, Headingley Stadium is where you’ll find Leeds Rhinos rugby league club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Take a walk on the wild side around Leeds’ wildlife parks. Around a million visitors visit Tropical World in Roundhay Park each year. Walk through hundreds of beautiful butterflies in the Butterfly House, greet the meerkats and keep your eyes peeled for creepy-crawlies in Creature Corner. You can even pick up a cuddly friend to take home with you in the gift shop. Entirely indoors, it’s worth keeping up your sleeve in case of a rainy day.

Lotherton Hall offers more than just an Edwardian house. The estate also boasts Wildlife World with its resident Humboldt penguins. You can get up close and personal with some impressive specimens at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, thanks to behind-the-scenes polar bear and carnivore experiences. It’s an hour’s drive south of Leeds, but the range of animals and interactive experiences are pretty epic.

If you like your animals a little cuddlier, Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is open every day of the week for you to meet the goats, alpacas, pigs, rabbits and turtles lucky enough to call this working farm home. Before you leave, swing by the Market Garden to purchase fresh produce grown in the on-site allotments.

It may only open to the public on Saturdays, but The Donkey Sanctuary is a wonderful place to learn about the care and characters of these unique animals. Book ahead for fascinating talks and feel-good strokes.

Leeds is a superb destination to release your inner culture vulture, channel your inner child or let loose among the rugged moors of the Yorkshire countryside. Days out are a dime a dozen and you don’t always need a car to fill your time with exciting trips.