Top 10 Museums in Dorset, England
Discover the best top things to do in Dorset, United Kingdom including The Tank Museum, Sculpture by the Lakes, Castletown D-Day Centre, West Bay Discovery Centre, Bournemouth Aviation Museum, Poole Museum and Scaplen's Court Museum and Herb Garden, Dorset County Museum, Red House Museum & Gardens, Dinosaurland Fossil Museum, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & 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. Sculpture by the Lakes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,366 reviews
Beautiful 26 acre Sculpture Park & Gardens, with Gallery cafe. Due to deep water NO CHILDREN UNDER 14 years of age (including babies) and NO DOGS are allowed. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, hut bookings are from 10am to 4.45pm. Entry is £12.50 per person. The Gallery Cafe is now open serving tea, coffee, light meals, delicious cakes, cream tea's, ice creams etc., visitors can choose to eat inside, outside (at the newly created seating area), or take it out into the Sculpture Park using one of the picnic baskets provided, complete with rug. Visitors are able to enjoy the Gallery & Gallery Cafe without entry to the Sculpture Park. Described as one of the most beautiful & unique sculpture parks in the United Kingdom, Sculpture by the Lakes marries the soft beauty of nature's wild river landscape with the more formal presentation of monumental outdoor sculpture. It is that combination of art and landscape that inspires Sculpture by the Lakes.
Reviewed By matttJ1645KV
So so Tranquil.easy to find on Sat Nav.some beautifully thought out by some very friendly and approachable staff.going to go again as soon as.Alot of thought and sensitivity about and how each sculpture is placed.i highly recommend this venue for sculpture newbies.
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. Poole Museum and Scaplen's Court Museum and Herb Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 354 reviews
At Poole Museum discover the colourful history of this ancient port town and its people, and learn about the amazing environment of Poole Harbour, on four floors of art, archaeology and social history. The recently extended and re-displayed museum (all year, except Mons in Winter)has a terrace with stunning harbour views, and activities for all. Medieval Scaplen's Court Museum is open Aug and its tranquil herb garden May - Sept afternoons. ALL FREE.
Reviewed By 851LauraG - Hastings, United Kingdom
Very interesting visit to this museum on a rainy day. Entry is free but donations are welcome - they even have a nifty contactless donation point. It was a very rainy day in the town and this offered shelter and some lovely displays on local life, from home life to industry, trade, and wildlife. Some lovely interactive displays, including a pirate story and the magnetic tiles.
7. Dorset County Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 428 reviews
Dorset County Museum closed in October 2018 for a two-year multi-million pound redevelopment. Complete with new galleries, a learning centre, collections storage, a library and visitor facilities the new Museum will become a cultural destination at the he The Museum is continuing to inspire, educate and entertain all generations on its county-wide tour exhibiting in towns and at events across Dorset. Dorset County Museum Offices The Old Warehouse 31a Durngate Street Dorchester Dorset DT1 1JP Open: Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
8. Red House Museum & Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 140 reviews
A former Georgian workhouse, the Red House is now a museum exploring the story of Christchurch from before the Ice Age to modern times. Find out about the town’s ancient past with our displays about Saxon princes and Iron Age dwellers at Hengistbury Head, then take a glimpse at life in the 19th century in our Victorian bygone gallery. In our family area, you’ll find hands-on activities and dressing-up costumes, as well as quizzes and spotter trails. There are plenty of corners to escape to at the museum, including our charming herb garden and south garden, which holds unexpected dinosaur surprises. The Red House has a charming shop with a wide selection of gifts to browse or buy and the café is the perfect setting for a bite to eat or something to drink, inside or out. Throughout the year, we also run a programme of fun, family-friendly events.
Reviewed By Mike1717 - Christchurch, United Kingdom
Free to enter, this is a lovely place to visit. It’s building is big, in mellow red brick, and in the past has been a workhouse and a fusee factory. A fusee is a small chain used in clock and watchmaking. There is an eclectic mix of exhibits, ranging from the prehistoric to ictorian times. There is a small shop. An exhibition room attracts varying displays of art, photography and crafts. The garden is small, but beautifully maintained by volunteers. An hour will allow you to see everything, after which, cross the road to the exquisite priory church, the longest in England, and then stroll the 200 metres to the town High Street.
9. 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.
10. Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,118 reviews
Private home of extensive travelers Sir Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife Lady Annie was one of the last Victorian manor houses ever built.
Reviewed By nigelcymru - Conwy, United Kingdom
Excellent museum especially for lovers of Victoriana Good collection of Victorian and pre raphaelite paintings Quirky building with an encyclopaedic collection of architectural styles I would recommend a visit
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