What an absolutely fantastic day! I don't often get to keave 5* reviews so I am really pleased to be writing this one. Myself and my family which included an 6+8 year old visited today during the viking event. Firstly, all the staff were absolutely amazing, friendly and polite. The highlight was of ourse the live re-enactment of shield maidens by India- she is awesome! Her story telling was gripping, thrilling and exciting! She commanded the stage so well and was very friendly and polite too when ending her talk. All the staff in the viking village and other interactive areas were so good with the kids too. The museum itself is huge with endless displays! We didn't give ourself enough time to see each floor properly, so I look forward to returning. Loved the cafe, cakes and hot drinks were spot on. Also nice to see little byo lunch areas on few floors, so you can still bring a picnic or own snacks. Brilliant facilities toilets etc on many floors. Really look forward to visiting again, to see the displays but also other themed events. Just some feedback for possible improvement to interactive areas like the viking village: * The staff/visitor areas need to be visibly separated especially if weapons are involved. My children were able to get hold of a sword, axe, faux bow and arrow whilst I was on the phone directing my husband to our location, there was a bench but it was low lying and I didn't recognise this as a separate area and fortunately the staff came around and stoped my children from holding the items. They were very professional and I'm thankful they were there but to avoid this in the future the weapons should be kept behind the staff or out of direct reach from visitors. Signs before entering the viking village about handling of weapons would be good too. It was nice once we knew this that the staff then showed my children how to hold the weapons and allowed them to hold the weapons in a controlled and supervised way. Thank you for being understanding and professional when taking the items and then explaining how they need to be handled.

Spent about two hours there as they were closing soon. Still could have spent about her two hours taking it all in as there was so much to see. Great exhibits Only bad thing was that there was a pot of broker or in repair machines or exhibits . Hence the need for donations as this was a completely free museum

Not been here since the late 1990’s so was looking forward to it. Happily it was free entry this time as I’m pretty sure when I last went I had to pay. I would say 2 hours tops here is enough some interesting displays lots to see but does became very repetitive. I thought the staff all looked very scruffy there needs to be a better uniform policy in place. I found the website unhelpful as no postcode provided or much information regarding parking and no info on parking charges. We used CitiPark Leeds Dock cost £4.50 for 2 hours. I doubt I would visit again but I’m sure people with older children would enjoy it if looking for a free outing for a couple of hours.

The place is absolutely great for a free activity, lots of history for the kids and me to learn! The kids loved the shows that were put on. The one thing that would be nice around the museum is some interactive displays where the young ones can touch, hear and have simplified information on screens or simple information cards etc. But the museum is wonderful, staff are helpful and a good day out! Gift shop very expensive selling lots of things that are much cheaper in the toy stores. Be wary if you multiple children

Excellent place to visit and so much to see. Live action happening that was very entertaining and so much information to wow you. coffee not overly expensive but nice. Great giftshop with some great stuff, again at a decent price. However, once again women don't get their own toilets. why oh why can we not just have man's, womens, unisex or just one loos with fully sealed independent toilets, not women being forced to give up their privacy once again.

Visited for the fantasy heroes event, my kids thoroughly enjoyed the day despite not knowing all the characters.. The trail was a great idea and meant we all saw things around the museum we hadn't seen before. Echoing a previous review, it would be good to point out where female-only toilets are as not everyone wishes to use shared facilities.

There was so much to see and do here, not sure where to start describing our day! Lots of huge exhibits, information, demonstrations and more. The first show we watched was a dramatic monologue about Viking Shield Maiden. The second was a poleaxe fight between two actors in medieval armour. The shop and cafe were also excellent and the general location is very interesting, as the museum is right next to the River Aire and Leeds Dock, with its many restored and new buildings.

We went to the Royal Armouries on a school trip and we thought it was awesome and amazing! The knuckle gun was very interesting. It was fascinating to find out about elephant armour. We also liked the detailed battle plans for the Napoleonic war. It was really good to be able to touch some of the exhibits. It was a big space and we had fun all day. All of us would love to go back when we can!

Attended the International Jousting Tournament this morning and then had a look around the museum itself. The Jousting was excellent and we noticed how there was a focus on free jousting-themed entertainment for children outside of the venue which was excellent. The museum is certainly worth a visit too. A really good morning's entertainment

My husband got us tickets for a jousting event (sounds a bit random, I know) but it was fabulous! I would definitely recommend it, as we were thoroughly entertained! The staff were all in period costume, and had a fantastic dialogue and definitely got the crowd going. (We also had balcony seats, which were slightly more expensive, but we had a fantastic view of the jousting so definitely worth paying a little bit extra for, especially as we were under the canvas in case of rain). We also got to meet the riders after the event and get their autographs :) It's a child friendly event, and the staff also work in the museum, which we visited after the jousting event, and it's got lots of tournament armour to look at.