The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Dorset, England
Discover the best top things to do in Dorset, United Kingdom including The Tank Museum, Langton Matravers Museum of the Stone Industry, Bournemouth Aviation Museum, Dinosaurland Fossil Museum, Portland Bill Lighthouse, Blandford Forum Town Museum, Portland Museum, Sherborne Museum, The Blandford Fashion Museum, Gold Hill Museum.
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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. Langton Matravers Museum of the Stone Industry
3. Bournemouth Aviation Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 346 reviews
Reviewed By TimB3691
Lots of aircraft cockpits to sit in.really liked the Vulcan bomber cockpit. The 737 aircraft exhibit is great.
4. Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 417 reviews
A traditional museum with more than 10000 specimens on permanent display.
Reviewed By IainSpirit - Southampton, United Kingdom
We went here the day before heading to the beach fossil hunting. The collection is huge and you could spend days looking at the displays, we had a very excited 7 year old determined to see what was next so we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked. Do remember its a private collection and not the natural history museum so you could walk round it in a 5 - 10 minutes. Having said that there are literally thousands or tens of thousands of individual exhibits and being a private collection the owners are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable with every single piece each having a back story. I would have loved to have gone without covid and spent a lot more time learning. Even with COVID the owner made us feel really welcome, spent time chatting and even spent a lot of time giving us advice on where to head to the following day. The building is Mary Anning's old church converted into a Dino Museum so you really get a great atmosphere and there are wow's everywhere you look well worth the money.
5. Portland Bill Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,492 reviews
For nearly 300 years a lighthouse has stood on Portland Bill to guide vessels heading for Portland and Weymouth and acting as a waymark for vessels navigating in the English Channel. A red sector light warns mariners of the hazardous Shambles Bank lying three miles offshore. Tours of Portland Bill Lighthouse are organised by AMH Support Services under licence from the Corporation of Trinity House.
Reviewed By SophieParry97 - Birmingham, United Kingdom
Me and my partner visited last week on a beautiful sunny day, lighthouse was very easy to find, beautiful scenery. Car park nearby was fairly priced, plenty of spaces available. Due to arriving late on the site we were unable to visit the shop underneath the lighthouse although the place was neatly presented from outside. I believe the option to climb up the lighthouse wasn't available due to the current corona virus pandemic. Upon exploring the surrounding area the entire site was litter free and well maintained, pulpit rock was also a very short walk from the lighthouse which was an interesting monument to visit. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and am planning to return with my friends at a later date, definitely recommend!
6. Blandford Forum Town Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Blandford Town Museum holds a wealth of artefacts and archives from Prehistoric to the present day. With information for people researching their family history, militaria and railways to information and learning boxes for schools. The Museum interacts with the local community through a variety of special interest clubs. When you join the museum as a member you can join the museum directly or can join as a member of one of several museum clubs, information about which can be accessed on our website.
7. Portland Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
Dinosaurs, shipwrecks and smugglers, Roman and Viking invasions, stone carving, seafaring, ground breaking scientists and world-famous authors, Portland museum packs in an astonishing collection that reflects the history and people of this exceptional island community! Portland Museum is a gem – tucked away in a beautiful corner of the island in two cottages dating to the seventeenth century, a stone’s throw from Rufus Castle and the stunning Church Ope Cove, on the South West Coast Path Although joined to the mainland by a tombolo, a wave formed beach, the island has always been regarded, and self-identified, as somewhere different and the museum’s collection reflects this. Staffed by volunteers from the local community, Portland Museum looks forward to welcoming visitors eager to find out about author Thomas Hardy and museum founder Dr Marie Stopes’ connections to the island. Portland Museum has something to interest everyone!
Reviewed By DonC567 - Saint Thomas, Canada
A diversity of exhibits of historical findings discoved in the local area including early Roman items, fossils, ship wrecks dating back to Viking explorers, etc. Dr. Marie Stopes, the founder of the museum, had an interesting life from the education field (double PHDs), political career, social advocate of birth control, etc. Well before her time!
8. Sherborne Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 75 reviews
This fascinating small museum reflects the social and historical life of Sherborne, a market town in the heart of the Dorset countryside. Attractions include a unique medieval wall-painting, a touch-screen version of the glorious Sherborne Missal, botanical watercolours by pioneering Edwardian artist Diana Wilson, a vast photographic archive, a famous dolls' house, silk displays and much more. Ground floor wheelchair access.
9. The Blandford Fashion Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
Blandford Fashion Museum’s extensive collection includes costumes and accessories from the 18th century to the late 1970’s. The Museum has a number of exhibition areas that display specific stories of the life and changing shape of fashion from the past. The Museum also has a traditional tea room and small shop
Reviewed By CarolS98 - Southampton, United Kingdom
A warm welcome awaits you. Museum was larger than I expected, given Blandford is a relatively small town. Exhibits were organised according to themes such as "Ladies of Dorset" and "Getting the Shape" with clear explanations. This made it far more interesting than just a room full of dresses. It does only cover women's fashion though.
10. Gold Hill Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 294 reviews
Volunteer-run museum of local history situated at the top of the iconic 'Hovis hill'. Dog friendly. Free admission.
Reviewed By DAVIDMS20050 - Emsworth, United Kingdom
Many years ago, when my middle aged children were very young and I was only in my late 20`s or possibly 30 I visited the lovely old town of Shaftesbury and walked up the very steep 1 in 4 hill. Good living and old age now made only a bit of this possible on Monday the 1st and it was slippery in the rain. Well that`s my excuse. Nice to pop into the town with its gardens, shops, clean free loos and banks still open for business..... Good to see this friendly free volunteer run museum telling the whole story of Gold Hill and quite a bit of local history. I wish I could have stayed longer than a half hour it deserves more, but I hope my £2 helps towards the running costs. One of the best local history museums I have visited -well done Shaftesbury. Some interesting other local old buildings such as the Market Hall [full of antiques] and a lovely Abbey Garden with another museum, but unfortunately tempest fugit and back in the car and onward to lunch at Haslebury Mill near Crewkerne. It is a tough life in retirement!
