What's on at the Museum
We are currently open Saturday to Thursday, from 10am until 5pm (closed on Fridays). As well as a six-acre site and over 20 heritage buildings to explore, we have a varied and creative programme of events and activities throughout the year.
Believe it or not?
Saturday 23 March until Sunday 17 November (closed on Fridays)
Prepare to be bewitched by this brand new exhibition for all the family, telling the story of magic and beliefs from the North York Moors and beyond.
Celebrating 60 Years
Monday 11 March until Sunday 17 November (closed on Fridays)
To mark the Museum’s 60th birthday this year, we’ve put together a special exhibition, on display in the Art Gallery.
Explore stories from the Museum’s past, discover the volunteers who worked tirelessly to found this special place, and find out how you can be a part of its future.
From moving the Museum’s very first building through to our more recent activities creating and caring for a cornfield, discover the work that has gone into this special site in the heart of the North York Moors National Park
This exhibition is free to visit. (It is not in the paid part of the Museum.)
Hobnobbing with the Hobs, with Bob Fischer
Saturday 25 May, 2 – 3pm. Tickets: £5
Join writer and broadcaster Bob Fischer to discover a wonderful world of folklore from the North York Moors.
This landscape is riddled with tales of ‘hobs’, the mystical little beasties once believed to have helped out on local farms, or, indeed, to have caused havoc on them!
Did Elphi, the mischievous Farndale hob, really cause the Oughtred family to leave their moorland home forever? And did the cave-dwelling Runswick Bay hob actually have the power to cure whooping cough? In this lively talk, Bob looks at the origin and history of these endearing local folk tales.
Bob Fischer is a North-eastern writer, broadcaster and walker whose own ‘hobsession’ started when he discovered the intriguing ‘Hob On The Hill’ moorland marker stone near Commondale. He is a regular writer about folklore and other weirdness for Fortean Times magazine and his popular Haunted Generation website chronicles the stranger corners of 20th century pop culture.
If you can’t make this date, you could join Bob for ‘Hobnobbing with the Hobs’ on Saturday 14 September instead.
(Please note, if you would also like to visit the Museum, an entry ticket must also be purchased or a valid annual pass shown.)
History Walk About - Explore the Reenactment Encampment
Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May, 10am – 4pm
We’re delighted to welcome back the reenactors to Ryedale Folk Museum.
Visit the Museum, take a walk about the encampment and explore the sights and smells of life in yesteryear.
Access is included within your entry ticket to the Museum or on presentation of a valid annual pass
Hobtastic Trail
From 25 May until 30 September
The hobs are taking over the Museum! These mischievous elves live in moorland farms and houses and if you’re very lucky may do your chores each night – but make sure you treat them nicely, because a naughty hob is definitely not what you need! Hobs are secretive creatures and not always easy to spot…
Join us for a hobtastic new trail to discover their hiding places! Perfect for all the family. Count the hobs, collect a little prize from reception and enter our prize draw for the season.
During the school summer holidays, there’ll be a new count each week and another opportunity to enter! Check out our Facebook page for the answers every Sunday.
Hutton-To-Do
Available now
There’s a bit of a To Do around Hutton-le-Hole. We’ve created an exciting family-friendly game for you to play around the village. Pick up your free ‘Bingo’ cards from the Museum, then have fun exploring. Just as a member of our friendly museum team at reception for ‘Hutton-to-do’.
Can you hug a walnut tree, find a house with a date or say ‘Now then!’ to a shopkeeper?
Who will get the first row? Or all four corners?
Although you can take part around our site if you’d like to, there’s no requirement to visit the Museum as you can complete this free activity around the village too. (Please note, the Museum is closed on Fridays.)
Summer of Magic - Artful Thursdays
Thursdays during the summer holidays, 11am – 3.30pm
Join us to embark on a magical summer at Ryedale Folk Museum. In keeping with our theme for the year, we’ll be creating art with a magical twist in these artist-led workshops every Thursday of the summer, taking inspiration from folklore and magical thinking from the North York Moors.
Thursday 25 July
Thursday 1 August
Thursday 8 August
Thursday 15 August
Thursday 22 August
Thursday 29 August
These family-friendly activities are free, included in your museum entry ticket or valid annual pass.
History Walk About - Explore the Reenactment Encampment
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August, 10am – 4pm
We’re delighted to welcome back the reenactors to Ryedale Folk Museum.
Visit the Museum, take a walk about the encampment and explore the sights and smells of life in yesteryear.
Access is included within your entry ticket to the Museum or on presentation of a valid annual pass
Magical House Protection - the Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft
Saturday 7 September, 2 – 3.30pm. Tickets: £5
Join writer Brian Hoggard of Apotropaios as he uncovers the concealed world of counter-witchcraft.
Across the British Isles, old homes and houses bear witness to the beliefs of our ancestors. Brian will be exploring the special signs and secret objects that have often lain hidden for centuries. From written charms to marks and carvings, the evidence mounts. But of particular fascination are the many objects, long-concealed. Welcome to a world of magical thinking, where everyday people buried witch bottles, horses’ skulls, so-called ‘mummified’ cats and an array of other curious finds…
After writing an undergraduate dissertation on witchcraft and folk magic, Brian’s research quickly escalated into an incredible project to map and plot evidence of magical house protection. The results of this work – which started in 1999 – formed the basis of the publication Magical House Protection: The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft.
(Please note, if you would also like to visit the Museum, an entry ticket must also be purchased or a valid annual pass shown.)
Hobnobbing with the Hobs, with Bob Fischer
Saturday 14 September, 2 – 3pm. Tickets: £5
Join writer and broadcaster Bob Fischer to discover a wonderful world of folklore from the North York Moors.
This landscape is riddled with tales of ‘hobs’, the mystical little beasties once believed to have helped out on local farms, or, indeed, to have caused havoc on them!
Did Elphi, the mischievous Farndale hob, really cause the Oughtred family to leave their moorland home forever? And did the cave-dwelling Runswick Bay hob actually have the power to cure whooping cough? In this lively talk, Bob looks at the origin and history of these endearing local folk tales.
Bob Fischer is a North-eastern writer, broadcaster and walker whose own ‘hobsession’ started when he discovered the intriguing ‘Hob On The Hill’ moorland marker stone near Commondale. He is a regular writer about folklore and other weirdness for Fortean Times magazine and his popular Haunted Generation website chronicles the stranger corners of 20th century pop culture.
(Please note, if you would also like to visit the Museum, an entry ticket must also be purchased or a valid annual pass shown.)