Yorkshire Air Museum

The Yorkshire Air Museum stands on the wartime RAF Elvington airfield, south-east of York, and it is also the Allied Air Forces Memorial. It is one of the UK's largest independent aviation museums, a registered charity and an Accredited Museum, and it keeps more than 45 aircraft, from before the First World War through to modern drones.

The centrepiece is a Handley Page Halifax B Mk.III bomber, which the museum describes as the only example of its kind in the world. Alongside the aircraft are the memorials: the Allied Air Forces Memorial, a women's memorial, a 77 Squadron memorial and a memorial chapel. The museum commemorates the aircrew who served, and a visit here carries that weight as well as the engineering.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, the museum is about 55 minutes by car. Head south towards York, round the city and out to Elvington on its south-east side. Use YO41 4AU in a satnav, or the what3words address parked.grove.learns. Parking is free, with easy-access spaces.

Plan on driving. The train from Thirsk to York is easy, but check the museum's own travel information for buses on to Elvington before trying it car-free.

Start with the Halifax and its hangar, then cross to the second hangar, where the aircraft run from the early years of flight to modern drones. The exhibition buildings and the memorials come next, and the free digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app gives more detail as you go round.

For children there is an aircraft-themed playground, woodland trails and picnic areas. Cafe 77 is in the old NAAFI building and open to museum visitors, and there are picnic tables outside. Dogs on a lead are welcome round most of the site, the cafe included.

Check the events page before you go. Open-cockpit days, when you can sit inside some of the aircraft, run on set dates through the year, and the museum also offers private tours of the Halifax, booked two weeks ahead.

The Halifax is the reason many people come, and here it stands on a wartime Bomber Command airfield, among the memorials to the crews. The size of the collection is the second draw: more than 45 aircraft, across two hangars and several exhibition buildings, which makes it a sound choice for a wet day. And a standard ticket lets you back in free for 12 months, so a family can come back another day on the same ticket.

In winter the museum closes on Wednesdays, and from November last admission is 3pm, so arrive by late morning to see both hangars without rushing. It also closes on 24, 25 and 26 December and on 1 January. Book online to save 1 per adult or 4 on a family ticket. Keep your ticket, sign it and bring ID next time, because it gets you back in free for a year, except on some special event days. The hangars are big buildings, so dress warmly in winter. Dogs on a lead are welcome, so the dog can come too. For a longer day, York is on the way home, and Beningbrough Hall is north of York, on the way back towards Thirsk.