Yorkshire is not a county that rests on its laurels. While the Dales, the moors and the coast remain as magnificent as ever, 2026 brings a wave of genuine new openings and long-awaited returns that make this a particularly rewarding year to visit. Here is what is actually new, recently renovated, or opening its doors for the first time.
Hull: National Geographic's Pick and a Maritime Renaissance
The biggest story in Yorkshire tourism this year is Hull. National Geographic has named it one of the top 25 places to visit in the world in 2026 — the only UK city on the list — and the reason is a sweeping £30 million maritime heritage project that is finally coming to fruition.
The centrepiece is the Hull Maritime Museum on Queen Victoria Square, which reopens in summer 2026 after a £27.5 million restoration. The museum has been closed for years, and when it returns, visitors will find over 50% more artefacts on display than before, new immersive projections and films, a planetarium, and access to floors that were previously off-limits to the public. The 40-foot North Atlantic Right Whale skeleton and Erik the Polar Bear are back, alongside previously unseen material covering 800 years of Hull's seafaring story. Guided trips into the basement storage racks will offer a look at artefacts there still is not room to display.
But the Maritime Museum is only part of the picture. The Spurn Lightship, moored at Hull Marina, reopened on 7 March 2026 after a 14-month, £4 million restoration. This is the first completed attraction in the Hull Maritime project, and it is free to visit (Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 3pm). The lightship's deck, cabin and below-deck spaces have been sympathetically restored, with new interpretation panels telling the vessel's full story.
Meanwhile, the Arctic Corsair — Hull's answer to London's Cutty Sark — is expected to arrive at its permanent dry berth at the new North End Shipyard in spring 2026. Built in Beverley in 1960, this deep-sea trawler survived the Cod Wars and once held a world-record catch. The visitor centre at North End Shipyard is already complete: a carbon-neutral, Passivhaus-certified building that sets a new benchmark for sustainable cultural spaces in the UK.
Connecting these sites is a new maritime heritage trail with multimedia art and streetside information panels, running through Princes Dock Street, Humber Street and High Street — lively strips now packed with restaurants, terrace bars, independent galleries and boutiques. Queen's Gardens, which links the Maritime Museum to North End Shipyard, has been undergoing a £21 million transformation since 2022 and is expected to reopen in spring 2026 with 453 new trees, restored fountains, improved accessibility and enhanced biodiversity planting.
If you have not been to Hull recently, this is the year to go. The Fruit Market quarter around Humber Street alone is worth the trip, with spots like Butler Whites, Humber Fish Co. and Thieving Harry's making it one of Yorkshire's most interesting food and drink neighbourhoods.
Topping & Company Booksellers, York
York is getting what Topping & Company says will be the largest independent bookshop in the UK. Topping & Company Booksellers is opening on Museum Street, directly opposite York Minster, in spring 2026. The shop will stock over 75,000 titles across multiple floors in the former tourism headquarters building, and the company expects it to draw over a million visitors a year.
Toppings is already well-loved in Bath, Edinburgh, Ely and St Andrews, and the York branch will follow their generous model: complimentary tea and coffee while you browse, knowledgeable booksellers, and an extensive programme of author events and readings. In a city already rich with independent shops, this is a significant addition. The exact opening date has not yet been confirmed, so check their website before making a special trip.
The Poetry Pharmacy, York
A smaller but equally charming new arrival is The Poetry Pharmacy, which opened at 20 Coney Street, York, on 6 March 2026. This is part bookshop, part apothecary — poetry and non-fiction titles are curated according to emotional states such as 'Inspiration', 'Comfort' and 'Joy'. Founded by poet Deborah Alma and her partner James Sheard, the original Poetry Pharmacy is in Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, with a second concession inside Lush on Oxford Street in London.
The York shop offers poetry consultations, a programme of readings and workshops, and a Reading Room with complimentary tea and coffee. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, and Sunday, 10:30am to 5pm. At a time when high streets are struggling, a shop built around the healing power of verse feels like a quietly radical thing.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park: A Landmark Exhibition Season
Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield has announced a bold 2026 programme exploring resilience, inheritance and transformation. The headline is Hold to this Earth, a landmark exhibition running from 13 June 2026 to 18 April 2027 in the Underground Gallery. This is the first group exhibition staged in the Underground Gallery in its twenty-year history, and it brings together over 60 works by more than 30 contemporary Indigenous American artists, drawn from the Tia Collection.
Artists including Rose B. Simpson, Raven Halfmoon, Jeffrey Gibson and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith explore land, identity and materiality through practices rooted in deep relationships to cultural memory and community. It is a significant international exhibition for a park that continues to punch well above its weight.
The 2026 programme also includes exhibitions by Jakob Rowlinson, Jim Ever, Andi Walker and Thabo Mkwananzi, alongside retail exhibitions featuring Louise Lockhart, Annie Montgomerie and Angela Harding. The park itself is free to enter (parking charges apply), and you could easily spend an entire day walking the grounds and visiting the galleries.
Eureka! The National Children's Museum, Halifax
Eureka in Halifax has launched a brand-new gallery called Magic Place in its Spark gallery space, opening during February half-term 2026. This is a joyful, immersive digital playspace inspired by the golden age of home computing and video games, where children do not just watch a screen — they step inside and control the world around them.
It is designed for multi-sensory play and digital exploration, and it is a significant new addition to what is already one of the best children's museums in the country. Eureka is particularly good for ages 0 to 11, and the new gallery adds a genuinely fresh reason to return if you have not visited in a while.
The Dolphin, Robin Hood's Bay
This is not a grand museum opening, but it matters. The Dolphin on King Street in Robin Hood's Bay — a pub with a history stretching back to the 1600s — has reopened after being shut since March 2020. New owner Dave Brown led a community-backed restoration project, with the pub partially reopening for drinks over Christmas 2025 and a food offering expected from early 2026.
Robin Hood's Bay is one of Yorkshire's most atmospheric coastal villages, and The Dolphin sits right in the heart of it. The renovated interior has been well received, and it is dog-friendly. If you are walking the Cleveland Way or just visiting for the day, it is a welcome return.
Lightwater Valley, Ripon
Lightwater Valley theme park reopens for the 2026 season on 28 March. While not a new attraction as such, the park continues to evolve its offering for families with children aged roughly 2 to 12. It is set in 175 acres of North Yorkshire parkland near Ripon and makes for a solid family day out, particularly if you are staying in the Dales or Harrogate area. Check their website for current ticket prices and opening days, which vary through the season.
Planning Your Visit
Yorkshire's new openings are spread across the county, but a few practical notes are worth bearing in mind:
- Hull is the standout destination for 2026. The Spurn Lightship is already open and free. The Maritime Museum and Arctic Corsair are expected in spring and summer — check the Hull Maritime website for confirmed dates before travelling.
- York is always worth a visit, and the arrival of Toppings and The Poetry Pharmacy adds to an already exceptional city centre. Both are within walking distance of the Minster.
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park is free to enter but charges for parking (currently around £8-£12 depending on how long you stay). The Hold to this Earth exhibition opens 13 June.
- Eureka in Halifax charges admission (currently around £15-£17 per person). Book online in advance during school holidays.
- Many of these attractions are accessible by public transport. Hull, York and Halifax all have mainline railway stations, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park is reachable by bus from Wakefield or Barnsley.
This is a year when Yorkshire's cultural landscape is genuinely shifting. The Hull Maritime project alone would be enough to justify a trip, but taken together with York's new literary arrivals and YSP's international exhibition programme, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting years for new things to do in God's Own County in a long time.
Sources & Useful Links
- Hull Maritime Project — Official Website
- Spurn Lightship — Opening 7 March 2026
- Arctic Corsair & North End Shipyard — Hull Museums
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park — 2026 Programme
- Topping & Company Booksellers — York Events
- The Poetry Pharmacy — Our Bookshops
- Eureka! The National Children's Museum
- Visit Hull — Hull Maritime
- National Geographic — Best of the World 2026: Hull
