Top 5 UK Science Museums
*World Museum
Where – Liverpool
Cost – Free
With thousands of exhibits spread across six galleries – World Cultures, Bug House, Aquarium, Planetarium, Natural History and Treasure House Theatre – there is something at the World Museum for everyone. There are some must-see exhibits spread throughout the five floors, such as authentic Samurai armour, dinosaur bones, Egyptian mummies and a meteorite from Mars. The Treasure House Theatre adds a very Horrible Histories-esque spin on things, with themed sessions including Death on the Nile and Samurai Armour both allowing you to be hands on and making it ideal for school visits.
*Science Museum
Where – South Kensington, London
Cost – Free
First opened in 1857, the Science Museum has 40 galleries for visitors to experience some of science’s biggest breakthroughs over the past 300 years. These include Glimpses of Medical History, Exploring Space, Psychology: Mind Your Head and Who Am I? – a unique chance to explore the science behind who you are. The Science Museum also has its very own IMAX Cinema on which stunning films such as Born To Be Wild 3D – which allows you to meet orphaned elephants and orangutans – and Hubble 3D – a look at distant galaxies as the Hubble telescope is serviced – are shown around the clock. Tickets for these films cost extra, but the ‘Explorer ticket’ deal for £20 allows entry to one film, rides on Red Arrows 3D and Legend of Apollo 4D, and gets you a guidebook.
*Thinktank
Where – Birmingham
Cost – Adult £12.25, Children and Concessions 8.40
Aimed at kids more than adults (though that isn’t to say adults won’t have fun here!), Thinktank is a fantastic, interactive and fun-packed museum. Based at Millennium Point, Thinktank has over 200 hands-on displays across four floors and covers various aspects of science and technology which is enough to challenge your children’s brains AND keep their hands busy – the perfect destination during school holidays.
*Museum of Science and Industry
Where – Manchester
Cost – Free
Based just off Deansgate, the MOSI takes a look at the history behind a city that was the driving force for the Industrial Revolution. The MOSI has a varied number of exhibitions including ones on early steam machines, cotton machinery, a warehouse dedicated to aviation, and an atmospheric tour through a Victorian sewer looking at Manchester’s water supply and sanitation from the Roman times to the present day. The MOSI also has special exhibitions which you may have to pay to see – in the past these have included a Dr Who retrospective and Gunter von Hagen’s groundbreaking look at the human anatomy.
*Mills Observatory
Where – Dundee
Cost – Free (a small fee applies for group visits and public planetarium shows)
As the UK’s only full-time public observatory, you have the opportunity to see the stars and planets through a Victorian telescope here. The dome is open every weekday evening (weather permitting) and allows you to see fascinating displays on astronomy and space exploration – all thanks to John Mills, who bequeathed it to the people of Dundee in 1935.
Rachel is a freelance science blogger with a background working on a science park, and is a keen frequenter of science museums.
Related posts:
Comments