Top Things to do in South West England
The 10 Best History Museums in South West England, England
Discover the best top things to do in South West England, United Kingdom including The Tank Museum, Cornwall's Regimental Museum, Museum of Cornish Life, Helston, Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre, Castletown D-Day Centre, West Bay Discovery Centre, No. 1 Royal Crescent, The Roman Baths, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Pirate's Quest.
Restaurants in South West England
1. The Tank Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4,570 reviews
The Tank Museum brings history to life, with the world’s best collection of tanks and explosive live displays. Our exhibitions tell the story of armoured warfare spanning over 100 years of history. Exploring ten powerful exhibitions, you will come face to face with almost 300 armoured vehicles. This unique collection includes the world’s first ever tank, the feared German Tiger and the modern Challenger 2. There are special events going on throughout the year at The Tank Museum including TANKFEST, Tiger Day and the Vintage Christmas Festival and Craft Fayre, as well as special activity programmes during the School Holiday.
Reviewed By RodneyAtwood - Shaftesbury, United Kingdom
My seven-year-old grandson and I visited together. He is an enthusiast for tanks of all sizes. I served in the RTR in the 1970s. This was our fourth visit together, but the pleasure of seeing the displays and the eagerness of getting to the museum have not lessened. We are a bit disappointed the Tiger display is being dispersed, but appreciate you have to introduce new ideas. We enjoy seeing the scale models and the semi-Lego, although grandpa whose pocket is not bottomless sees this as an advertisement for your shop. The layout of the museum, the great variety of tanks on display, the information boards, the background history, the helpful guides -- all make this an unsurpassed museum experience for both grandson and grandfather. Even our enthusiasm for toy soldiers can be indulged. We look forward further visits with our year entry, another good feature.
2. Cornwall's Regimental Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 152 reviews
Explore one of Bodmin’s most imposing historic buildings, Bodmin Keep. Discover a warm welcome at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum, a fun and friendly attraction, suitable for all the family. Open 7 days a week during school holidays. Situated close to Bodmin & Wenford Railway, we house one of the finest military collections in the South West. Our displays include uniforms through the ages, paintings and decorative arts, superb medals, an outstanding collection of weaponry and a few surprises! Join us for one of our many events, or just come along to browse our collection. While you're here why not have a go at our museum quiz, or give the bugle a go! ENTRANCE RATES 2018 All paid entry includes an annual pass, including adults, children, family passes and railway discounts. • Adults – £6 • Ages 6 – 16 years – £2 • Ages 5 and under – FREE • Family Pass (2 adults and up to 4 children): £15 • Dogs – FREE. We are proud to be a dog friendly attraction and dogs are welcome
Reviewed By Hunrosa2019 - Truro, United Kingdom
Following the loss of our dog yesterday, we decided (my partner & I) to keep busy. We wanted to stay local and this military Museum was on the to do list. The museum is dog friendly including all the internal rooms which i found welcoming. The museum itself is set across two floors and has a wonderful military war timeline the exhibitions and items on display were of great quality and such a vast array of memorabilia. There is an entire floor of historical military weapons and of medals Including the Victoria Cross of which all the present and on display. I was surprised to find for half term (I have no children so I was not aware!) That the museum was free of charge for entry!! I was a little disappointed at this especially as £6 per person (adult) was such a minimum entrance fee for such a fascinating and beautiful collection in a real Army Barracks. However we did make some donations and purchased a couple of items out of the shop. (However even if the museum only charged £1 per person as a promotion- it was incredibly busy yesterday and they could’ve made little bit of money, anyway I’m not the CEO or business manager!!) I must add, the lady who was working on the entrance/shop was incredibly friendly, heartwarming, informative and very helpful. Randomly, on leaving the museum my dog needed the toilet! I had her deposit in a little bag. I did search the entire external grounds for a bin and couldn’t find one. However on stopping a member of staff they didn’t hesitate to take this bag of doggy deposit from me to dispose of it on my behalf. I found the very grateful and such a nice gesture. They also have an antique shop of books which sells simple refreshments on a honesty box service, I really liked the fact that wonderful drinks and flavours were on offer and not just Pepsi et cetera. We spent several hours throughout the museum however my only tiny tiny criticism would be, ensure there is a notice/sign saying this way to 2nd floor as we completely missed this entrance/staircase and only on returning to the lovely lady she commented on both floors and we realised we had still another floor to visit! Overall, I will absolutely be visiting this museum again. We were due to also visit the town Museum yesterday however spent the entire day simply enjoying, learning and invoking memories of my service time within this museum. It’s a must visit place!!! 10/10.
3. Museum of Cornish Life, Helston
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 218 reviews
Explore 19th and 20th century Cornish culture and industry in the heart of Helston. Browse our spectacular collections housed in Helston's historic market buildings - much bigger than it looks from the outside! Explore the way our grandparents and parents lived and wonder at the way things were done only a few years ago. "A Treasure Trove of Memories and Curiosities!"
Reviewed By trazza22
Brilliant and free! My 7 year old loved the pumpkin quiz and the toy section. The wedding dresses and old medicines were also great. We had a lovely morning looking around and the staff were lovely and friendly too. A huge plus was that it is dog friendly.
4. Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 616 reviews
A great family tourist attraction. Informative - and interesting aviation heritage and activity museum. Ideal for young and old. Indoor and outdoor exhibits. Sit inside the cockpits of some fantastic aircraft...
Reviewed By glyn84 - Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Excellent place to spend a few hours looking at the aviation exhibition with very knowledgeable and friendly volunteers to explain the aircraft, even able to sit in the cockpits of quite a few even an amazing cold war Lightning to see .
5. Castletown D-Day Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 354 reviews
The Castletown D-Day Centre is a family friendly, interactive WWII museum that tells the story of the thousands of US military personnel who in June 1944 sailed from Dorset to the beaches of Normandy.
Reviewed By FamilyManWessex
A great WW2 museum where you are invited to touch guns and sit in and on the vehicles including a jeep, motorbike and sidecar troop carriers anti-aircraft gun and Sherman tank. Really friendly and helpful staff. A great family experience for our children aged between 5 and 15.
6. West Bay Discovery Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 33 reviews
A treasure trove of information about West Bay in a beautifully restored Methodist Chapel on the beach. There is something to interest all ages and the interactive activities are particularly popular with families. A fun way to learn about the Jurassic coast, forces of nature, shipbuilding, tourism, local industry, trails and walks and information about the filming of Broadchurch. We have a range of visitor information and a small gift shop that includes quality local products. We are operated by a local charity and mainly run by volunteers, admission is free but donations are invited to help with our running costs. PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE/FACEBOOK FOR WINTER OPENING HOURS
Reviewed By Noo473
Visited here this morning for the first time and was very impressed by everything in there. Although only a small building, it is well set out and full of interesting artefacts, pieces of local history and wonderful old photographs all creating a snapshot of West Bay and it’s past. It brought back memories of monthly visits made, as children, to visit a Great-Aunt who lived in The Old Shipyard. Very friendly and approachable staff which all added to the ambience. Thank you very much; have already recommended it to friends!
7. No. 1 Royal Crescent
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,826 reviews
Step into the past at one of England's finest Georgian townhouses. * 10 display rooms * Upstairs and downstairs * Georgian shop * Free info room with introductory video * Disabled access * Kids explorer packs * Friendly room guides * 'Women's Suffrage 100: Freedom and Fight in Bath' is the exhibition theme in 2018. The website has an Access section which has details of nearest car-parks, floorplans, facilities and information specifically for our visitors with access needs.
Reviewed By Alliemac308
Brilliant to see the house as it would have been in Georgian times, with each room explained by a knowledgeable and welcoming volunteer. Great value for money - a couple of hours flew by!
8. The Roman Baths
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22,941 reviews
The Roman Baths is one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe, and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK. Hidden beneath the present city of Bath lies the stone remains of one of the finest religious spas of the ancient world.
Reviewed By 2chopper - Banbury, United Kingdom
Excellent and unique must see attractions in Bath, is fascinating to learn the history of the Roman Baths, the free audio guide provides extra information too
9. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,130 reviews
Explore our free collections of art, nature and history on display in this beautiful building. Find out about the last billion years of earth's history, explore the region's natural wonders and discover more about peoples' lives, past and present.
Reviewed By baldyman2019 - Helston, United Kingdom
Suggested donation to enter, no issue with that, you receive a map and further literature regarding other exhibitions within the museum. Plenty of staff around to ask questions if needed and a great cafe on the ground floor. I especially enjoyed the Egyptian display and spent most of my time studying the artifacts. Overall a great museum with a variety of displays to suit all tastes. There is also a multi storey carpark at trenchard street which is a five minute walk away.
10. Pirate's Quest
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 551 reviews
Book online now to guarantee date an entry time of your choice. Pirate’s Quest, Newquay is an immersive walk-through experience which combines talented theatrical actors, amazing special effects, and detailed 360⁰ sets in an authentic, atmospheric adventure. A LIVE Pirate Guide will lead you through realistic scenes on an hour-long voyage into the history of piracy. Be transported to the 1700’s and learn about the REAL Caribbean Pirates! A real LIVE Pirate will help you escape a shipwreck then lead you through the mystical caves and murky streets of eighteenth century Cornwall to the crew’s recruitment base; Blackbeard’s Tavern. Eventually you’ll arrive at the Captain’s Ship, ready to set sail to the Caribbean. Feel, hear, smell, and see Cornwall’s intriguing legends and exciting history in an adventure the whole family can enjoy together.
Reviewed By Z8553QOdaves
Took my 4.5 year old daughter, we were led around by Redbeard and another whose name I didn't get (sorry!). Well worth the drive to Newquay - well told stories and information about the history of pirates in Cornwall and around the region, and a lot of fun to boot. Even the scary bit was fun - my daughter was scared but hasn't stopped talking excitedly about it since! One word of caution - it's definitely more of a storytelling show than a "museum" or similar, but that doesn't detract from how much fun it is with kids. Thumbs up!
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