Eureka! The National Children's Museum — Attraction in Calderdale

I'd heard a lot about this place from other parents so, given how much my 7yo son enjoyed the Wonderlab element of the Media Museum, decided to try Eureka over the half-term.

Firstly, as a disabled non-driver, I really appreciated the proximity to the station (it's basically built on the site of the old sidings, so couldn't be much closer). You come out of Halifax station, go down a set of stairs and you're there. The building is nothing special to look at during the day, though looks impressive lit up at night in an early-90s, tubular steel sort of way, due to its glass frontage. The garden to the front seems well maintained and had we come in the summer we'd have enjoyed the sandpit too. Can't comment on the car parking as we didn't use it; ditto the cafe / picnic area as we ate a late breakfast at Leeds station beforehand.

Like most who've commented here, I thought that the £12.95 admission fee was very expensive, not least because that's the child rate too and especially later when we realised that this is not an especially big museum (they have another building, part of the former station, but it seems to be used as a day nursery and conference facility). Once inside, I did find the layout somewhat confusing and lacking in a clear path to follow around the different exhibits.

My son enjoyed the roleplaying areas such as the bank, shop, the different house room layouts and especially (being car-mad) the garage. He also liked the science-oriented elements such as the body gallery and the sound lab. Contrary to others' observations, we didn't find the museum to be dilapidated or shabby, and everything seemed to be working fine.

However... What I would say is that some parts felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. The body gallery had some very cool interactive exhibits such as the ultrasound scanner and infrared camera, but a lot of the displays seemed a bit superficial even for the target age range. There was a lot of floorspace given over to healthy eating messages which seemed a bit preachy (though encouragingly, it didn't make a big deal about linking it to weight and size, which is a peeve of mine when schools do it given how harmful it can be to children's self-esteem, however good the intentions).

None of it seemed to have the high-tech 'wow' factor of, say, Wonderlab. I know that despite the name, it's not strictly a science museum, but a few more science-oriented items would have been welcome. For instance, there was a small corner of the balcony level devoted to weather / renewable energy - if this had been expanded to demonstrate things like wind / solar / water power, electric cars etc it would have appealed to the target age range who in my experience love things like that, but as it was seemed a bit of a let-down. It's 2018 but you wouldn't necessarily realise it in here.

Although Eureka bills itself as suitable for children of up to 11, honestly I don't think older ones would find much to engage them. As it was, my (not especially mature) 7yo and I saw and did everything worth seeing in about three hours. After that we were just revisiting the parts he'd previously enjoyed. Much of the museum is off-limits to over-5s, and I also get the impression that a lot of it is also aimed at school groups. We went in on a busy day in the October half-term and saw very few children above reception age.

All in all a good way to pass a few hours, and it gets some things very right, but it's very, very overpriced for what it is, and a bit limited in its scope and age range. I hoped it was maybe going to be something like a Northern version of the Science Museum, which it certainly isn't. Oh, we'll probably be back, maybe in the summer (so that we can enjoy the outside areas) as it's so easy to get to from Leeds, but once the 'included' year is up I don't think we'd bother paying again, especially as my child will almost certainly have grown out...

Absolutely fantastic Home Educator Day. Very educational and fun at the same time, I must say the staff at Eureka are phenomenal. An absolutely lovely experience, you are made welcome from the second of arriving, I'm useless at remembering names but was greeted by a lovely young lady who explained everything In detail on what was happening and what to expect throughout the day. My Son who is autistic and Sen usually has people talk over him or about him like he is not there but every single member of staff there spoke to him directly and made such an effort with him. One lady who again I'm sorry I can't remember her name but her service again was second to none and absolutely nothing was too much trouble for her. My Son had a bit of a meltdown as he got overwhelmed so I asked if i could take him outside to calm him down which the staff was lovely and so understanding. When we went back inside she kindly offered to take us to the sensory room so we knew where it was for next time, also explaining the sensory packs along with everything else they do to make things easier. The space itself is perfect and we stayed in there for a little while. The educational experience provided is brilliant and the PI staff were brilliant too. Every single member of staff at Eureka had a smile on their face, greeted us with such respect and genuinely made us feel so welcome. There are so many learning opportunities there whilst still having so much fun the kids don't even realise they are learning. The toilets were clean with disabled toilet separate to the baby changing room and all easily accessible. The cafe offers a variety of food at reasonable prices. A really well thought out museum that's interesting, interactive, and engaging for a variety of displays for all age groups. The staff are a real credit to the company and I only wish that all places had such a high understanding of disability as those here. We will definitely be going back and If you have kids wether SEN or not try this place I'm sure they will love it as there is something for everyone, they have a special area for under 5s, an area for prams and coats, well kept toilets on each floor and so many learning opportunities. Our favourite was learning of the human body. The area of pregnancy to birth is superb and a great opportunity for siblings to be ( or any child thats going to have a new baby in the family) to understand the process. There's sections on mental health, health eating, internal body parts even the importance of looking after teeth. There's a scan machine too which is great for children to help them understand the process. The pixel room was my Sons most favourite as he could see his drawings come to life. There's a lovely space outside where you can sit and eat or watch the trains go by. There's a sand pit too. Eureka being next to the train station and taxis available great for arriving by public transport and with a huge pay and display carpark too. This really is a place you can come back to repeatedly. A big massive thank you to all the staff that went that extra mile to make our...

We asked our daughter where her favourite place was and this was one of them!

Everything is aimed at children and will suit children of a wide range of ages. Almost everything is interactive and play based. We first visited with our daughter when she was two and she's now four and there's always been plenty for her to do and during that time activities have been updated and replaced so things don't get too tired or dated. Even our four month old enjoyed some of the more visual activities, and it's fun for adults too.

Firm favourites for our four-year-old are role playing in the M&S shop, the ball conveyer in the desert area and water play in the bathroom, it's also good fun being a post-person delivering post to different areas of the museum. Oh, and watching Archimedes take a dunk in the bath tub on the hour and half hour (which is something my husband remembers from visiting here as a child!)

Tickets last for a year which is great since there's so much to do we've never been able to see the whole museum in one day. If you don't live locally I recommend booking an early slot. We have always visited on weekends and it does get very busy especially as the day goes on, if you or your child struggle with crowds and noise it is probably better to visit in the morning.

The museum is right next to Halifax train station, and also has a large pay and display car park.

There is a cafe on-site which is a bit on the pricier side, and large indoor and outdoor picnic areas if you'd rather bring your own food.

This is a really great day out with kids and is somewhere we will continue to visit for...