7 Best Sights in Yorkshire, England

The most evocative of Haworth's Brontë sights is this somber Georgian house dating back to 1778, the sisters' family home where you can see original furniture (some bought by Charlotte after the success of Jane Eyre), portraits, and books. The Brontës moved here when the Reverend Patrick Brontë was appointed vicar of the local church, but tragedy soon struck—his wife, Maria, and their two eldest children died within five years. The museum explores the family's tragic story, bringing it to life with a strong collection of enchanting mementos of the four children. These include tiny books they made when they were still very young; Charlotte's wedding bonnet; and the sisters' spidery, youthful graffiti on the nursery wall. Branwell, the Brontës' only brother, painted several of the portraits on display. Admission is by timed slot only; it's best to book ahead.

Standing in the Howardian Hills to the west of Malton, Castle Howard is an outstanding example of English baroque architecture, with a distinctive roofline punctuated by a magnificent central dome. It served as Brideshead, the home of the fictional Flyte family in Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh's tale of aristocratic woe, in both its 1981 TV and 2008 film adaptations, and more recently provided locations for Clyvedon, the residence of the Duke of Hastings in the hit Netflix show Bridgerton. The house was the first commission for playwright-turned-architect Sir John Vanbrugh, who, assisted by Nicholas Hawksmoor, designed it for the third Earl of Carlisle, a member of the Howard family. The central structure was started in 1701 and took 25 years to complete (with a Palladian wing added subsequently), but the end result was a stately home of audacious grandeur.

A spectacular central hallway with soaring columns supports a hand-painted ceiling that dwarfs all visitors, and there's no shortage of splendor elsewhere: vast family portraits, intricate marble fireplaces, immense tapestries, Victorian silver on polished tables, and a great many marble busts. Outside, the neoclassical landscape of carefully arranged woods, lakes, and lawns led 18th-century bon vivant Horace Walpole to comment that a pheasant at Castle Howard lived better than a duke elsewhere. Hidden throughout the 1,000 acres of formal and woodland gardens are temples, statues, fountains, and a grand mausoleum—even a fanciful children's playground. There are also three cafés, two shops, and a garden center.

The family seat of the Earls of Harewood (cousins of the King), Harewood House (pronounced har-wood) is a spectacular 1759 neoclassical mansion designed by York architect John Carr and the period's leading interior designer, Robert Adam (the money, sad to say, came from sugar plantations and the slave trade). Highlights include important paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds, fine ceramics, and a ravishingly beautiful collection of Chippendale furniture (Chippendale was born in nearby Otley), notably the magnificent State Bed. There are tours of the Private Apartments (£10) periodically in June, July, September, and October, where you can see a notable collection of watercolors by JMW Turner and works by modern artists like Egon Schiele. The Old Kitchen and Below Stairs exhibition illustrates life from the servants' point of view. Capability Brown designed the handsome grounds, and Charles Barry added a lovely Italian garden with fountains in the 1840s. Children will love the bird garden with over 40 rare and endangered species and the adventure playground. The house is seven miles north of Leeds; you can take Harrogate and District Bus 36.

Built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren with 18th-century additions and interiors by Robert Adam, this country house, still home to the original family, is one of Britain's finest examples of 18th-century interior decoration. Of particular note is the ornamental plasterwork, Chippendale furniture, the domed Sculpture Hall devoted to Roman statuary, and the Tapestry Hall, which boasts priceless Gobelin tapestries. The 25 acres of gardens are justifiably famous; a double herbaceous border running down to the river separates garden "rooms," each flowering during a different season. A miniature railroad, playground, dollhouse and teddy bear exhibitions, and pedal boats amuse kids. Entry to the house is restricted to one-hour guided tours, which run from April to September.

This elegant, beautifully decorated Georgian townhouse, with its crystal chandeliers, silk damask wallpaper, and one of the country's finest collections of 18th-century furniture, provides a glimpse of how polite 18th-century society lived. It particularly highlights their tastes in architecture, interior decoration, food, and furnishings. Entrance on Fridays is restricted to guided tours at 11 and 2.

The Brontës aren't the only literary lions to have emerged from this part of Yorkshire. In his eccentric, satirical novel Tristram Shandy, Laurence Sterne experimented with the techniques of postmodern fiction in 1760, long before the traditional novel form had emerged as a literary genre. Despite the book's often bawdy humor, Sterne was the local vicar, living and writing in this charming 15th-century house with 18th-century additions. Restored in the 1990s, it contains the world's largest collection of Sterne's work and memorabilia. Admission to the house is only by guided tour (11:30 am and 2:30 pm) or by advance appointment. There are also 2 acres of notable gardens.

Surprises await inside this large townhouse built during the 16th and 17th centuries. With an eye for texture, decoration, and pattern, industrialist Frank Green—who lived here from 1897 to 1930—re-created 13 period rooms, including a medieval great hall, as a showcase for his collection of antique furniture, ceramics, art, and textiles. Delft tiles decorate the former kitchen (now a shop), and the dining room retains its original 16th-century paneling and 18th-century plasterwork. Stumpwork from the 17th century is the highlight of the textiles in the Tapestry Room. There's an actual Roman road in the cellar, plus a display about Roman York and one resident's account of seeing a ghostly Roman legion in the 1950s. Access to the house is by guided tour only.