Archaeology for kids at DIG, York

AD | Press tickets

York is a great place to visit as a family and there’s a lot of choice for activities for children. DIG was a favourite of ours, where a real archaeologist will teach you about artefacts and what you might find on an excavation site.

Address and contact information

St Saviour’s Church,
St Saviourgate,
York
YO1 8NN

• Email: groups@yorkat.co.uk
• Phone number: 01904 615505

Ticket prices

Pre-booking online, or by calling 01904 615505, is advisable. Your visit around DIG is led by a real archaeologist, so all tours are timed. You can also use the York Pass for free entry, which can be booked online. 

The Pastport includes entry to 4 different attractions which are part of the York Archaeological Trust; Jorvik, DIG, Barley Hall and the City Walls Experience. 

Opening hours

DIG is open from 10am until 4pm, with the last tour of the day starting at 4pm. On weekdays during term time, the 4pm tour is for adults only.

What to expect from your visit at DIG York!

Learn about archaeology

The first part of the experience is led by a friendly archaeologist, who gives a talk about what archaeology means, a brief introduction to York’s history and stories of York from the past. This is done in a sort of classroom setting, where everyone can sit at tables and chairs while the talk is going on. Our archaeologist was fantastic and really got everyone, including the adults, to be part of the session. There are lots of times where it’s okay to ask questions, and to answer them and really be part of what is going on. 

You’ll get to find out what archaeology has done for York, why York has so many years of history to learn about and why the viking-age city was so important. We loved learning about some of the most exciting archaeological artefacts that had been found, as well as some of the grossest! The tour is really set up to keep children entertained and Erin loved every minute of this bit. 

Hands-on experience

During the second part of the tour you get to go to the DIG replica excavation pits. Here, you can take part in up to 4 excavations, which are based on real-life excavations in York that York Archaeological Trust have carried out over the past 30 years. Staff are on hand here to talk about your findings. The excavation pits are covered in the same material that is used in playgrounds, just broken up into little pieces. You are asked to re-cover anything once you are done in that area to make it easier for the next group.

This was such a unique archaeological adventure, and we hadn’t done anything like it before. Both children and adults can get involved here which makes it fun for everyone. You get around 30 minutes in this area so there’s plenty of time to move from one area to another. 

Explore the museum

After the tour is finished you are free to look around the museum for as long as you like, being respectful of any other tour that might be happening at the time. The museum has loads of hands on areas for children where they’re able to touch and feel artefacts, listen to sounds from York in the past and draw an artefact for themselves. The museum is only small but it’s worth staying to look around.

How long should I plan to spend at DIG?

Tours run every 30 minutes and in total, last for 1 hour. After this time, you are welcome to spend more time looking around the museum so plan to stay another 30 minutes after the tour ends. 

Visit the gift shop

DIG has a very small gift shop at the entrance, which is worth a visit. You’ll be able to buy things here like replica Roman coins, postcards and Viking themed toys. 

Would we go back?

We really loved our visit to DIG York and would absolutely go back if we find ourselves in York again. It’s a really reasonably priced attraction on its own, and even better value when you have the Pastport or Visit York Pass. 

Other great things to do with kids in York: