Two Museums 

The history of Andover and the surrounding area is told across two museums under one roof – Andover Museum and Musuem of the Iron Age. 

Andover Museum 

Andover Museum lays out the history of Andover in exhibits, including recreations of a Stone Age lady, 

the Andover workhouse

and a creepy cupboard… 

Boo! 

It also has a children’s activity room and a trail around the museum. 

Witch Bottles

These are bottles full of urine, hair, pins and salt that in the 17th century were believed to ward of witches and their spells. 

The Cockatrice

Believed to roam around the picture perfect village of Wherwell, 

the cockatrice was a fearsome creature with the body of a rooster, the tail of a lizard and the wings of a bat. 

You can see it on the old weather vane from Wherwell Church.  

Museum of the Iron Age 

Musuem of the Iron Age brings to life the story of Danebury Hill Fort with exhibits that include a roundhouse you can visit and Iron Age artefacts you can hold.

and other exhibits. 

Danebury Hill Fort 

About 2,500 years ago, Danebury Hill Fort was a series of earthen ramparts, ditches and gateways protecting a central area. 

It is believed that during the Iron Age, about 300 to 400 people lived at Danebury Hill Fort, along with grain stores, livestock, temples and shrines. 

Danebury Hill Fort is about a 15 minute drive from the musuem. 

Nearest Town: Andover
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SP10 1DP

Adult Cost Range: £1 to £4.99
Child Cost Range: £1 to £4.99
Free if: Under 5 years

Opens: Wednesday to Sunday

Where to Eat: Cafe.
Facilities: Ice creams, snacks, shops, toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is a car park for visitors.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: June 2022

Our visit to Andover Museum and Museum of the Iron Age in Andover is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Beaulieu National Motor Museum 

At the heart of Beaulieu is the National Motor Museum, which as you’d expect is packed full of cars 

and some motorbikes.

But mainly there are cars –

old cars 

new cars 

record breaking cars 

and famous cars like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 

Mr Bean’s mini 

and Del Boy’s three wheeler. 

There’s even a car shaped like an orange!

The Monorail 

Beaulieu is also home to the oldest monorail in England, 

which glides above the attractions 

and through the museum building!

Open-Topped Bus

This dates from 1912 and drives you gently around the grounds. 

Ride in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

At certain times of the year you can book a ride in a replica Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and also in Mr Toad’s car from the film The Wind in the Willows. 

Have a look at the Beaulieu website for full details. 

World of Top Gear 

There’s also an exhibition of the cars created on ‘Top Gear’.  

Little Beaulieu Adventure Play Area

Probably our favourite part of the visit was Little Beaulieu, the adventure play area, 

which is a labyrinth of secret passages and bridges, 

slides, and walkways. 

The Grounds and Cafe

On top of all that, there are gardens to explore

with Alice in Wonderland shaped bushes 

and a cafe.

Nearest Town: Hythe, near Southampton
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO42 7ZN

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Free if: Under 5 years

Opens: Daily

Where to Eat: Cafe and picnic areas.
Facilities: Ice creams, snacks, cafe, shop, picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: January 2023

Our visit to Beaulieu National Motor Museum in the New Forest is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Tea Rooms

The tea rooms have indoor and outdoor seating areas and serve a range of homemade foods that you can enjoy surrounded by memorabilia.

The Pooh’seum

Also inside is a museum dedicated to all things Winnie-the-Pooh, including information on A.A. Milne

signed books 

and lots of photos.  

There are also plenty of toys on display!

Ashdown Forest

Ashdown Forest is the magical heath and woodland that inspired A.A. Milne to write two books about the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. 

The Pooh Corner staff gave us advice on where to visit and a little Expotition map for the children.

You can find the houses of Pooh, Piglet and Owl

play Poohsticks on the bridge 

or walk to the real life locations for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. 

Hartfield Town Croft Playground

Near to Pooh Corner is the Poohscape Play Area, a small, sandy play area with equipment that includes swings, a slide, a climbing frame, a wooden train and picnic tables. 

Nearest Town: Hartfield, Ashdown Forest, near East Grinstead
County: East Sussex
Nearest Postcode: TN7 4AE

Opens: Daily
Cost: The Pooh’seum is free to enter. The tea rooms charge for food and drink orders.  

Where to Eat: Eat at Pooh Corner or bring a picnic and eat at the nearby play area.
Facilities: Tea rooms offering food, snacks, ice cream, a shop and toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy-friendly.

Parking: No car park but there is free parking along the road outside. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: September 2022

Our visit to Pooh Corner and the Poohscape Play Area in Hartfield, Ashdown Forest, near East Grinstead, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Dinosaur Museum

The Dinosaur Museum brings dinosaurs to life with life-sized models

skeletons

information about the scientists who discovered dinosaurs

interactive displays

fossil excavation 

and activity sheets with a medal reward at the end.

Nearest Town: Dorchester
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: DT1 1EW

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: £10 to £14.99
Child Cost Range: £5 to £9.99 
Free if: Under 3 years old

Where to Eat: There are lots of places to eat in Dorchester.
Facilities: Toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly ground floor but there is a second floor at the top of a flight of stairs. 

Parking: There are several car parks in Dorchester. I have used the pay and display car park at Durngate Street (DT1 1NA), which is a few minutes walk from the Museum, and also Trinity Street (DT1 1TU), which is about a five to ten minutes walk.  
Cost of Parking: Varies.

Information Written: July 2022

Our visit to the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Samuel Franklin Cody

Samuel Franklin Cody is an exiting and charismatic local character who the museum, and its wonderfully enthusiastic volunteers, have worked hard to bring to life. 

Cody was born in the USA and became a famous Wild West showman. Later in life he became interested in kites and aviation. 

The Cody Flyer 

In 1908, Cody flew British Army Aeroplane No.1A, or The Cody Flyer, over Farnborough for 27 seconds and became the first person to fly a heavier-than-air machine in Britain. This historic moment marked the beginning of a new era for British aviation. 

The Cody Flyer Replica

Volunteers have built an impressive and full-size replica of The Cody Flyer. You can try flying it yourself in a flight simulator.

*The Wind Tunnels at Farnborough

These wind tunnels were used for research from the 1930s until the 1990s. Today these are listed buildings that you can see on a private tour, which includes visiting a tunnel that is 24 feet wide and also the Sea Plane Tank. 

I haven’t taken this tour yet but hope to over the summer. For further information on the Wind Tunnels, please visit the Wind Tunnels section of the Farnbrough Air Sciences Trust Museum website. 

Farnborough Airport

The museum is next to Farnborough Airport so you might also see aeroplanes flying over you. 

Nearest Town: Farnborough
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: GU14 6TF

Opens: Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.
Cost: Free and donations are welcome.

Where to Eat: There is a coffee shop.
Facilities: Coffee shop, snacks, drinks, toilets, accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1.5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is a car park. 
Cost of Parking: Free.

Information Written: June 2022

Our visit to the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum in Farnborough is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Didcot Railway Centre

As well as two operational railway lines and a science exhibition,

a turntable, a workshop, a World War 2 air raid shelter

and an engine shed full of enormous locomotives you can touch and, in some cases, climb into.

Didcot’s Engines

Didcot is home to a large collection of locomotives from the Great Western Railway. Many of these have evocative names like Trojan, Teddy Bear, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Fire Fly and Lady Of Legend.

Steam Days

The engines can be seen on any visit but are operational only on certain days of the year, when they can be seen shunting or pulling carriages. 

To see when the engines are running, please see the Locomotive Roster on the Didcot Railway Centre website.

The Buildings

The Centre still has many of the original buildings from the Great Western Railway Engine Shed that was built in 1932, including the engine shed, turntable and Coal Stage. 

The Engine Shed

My children loved being inside the Engine Shed and enjoyed being able to climb inside the cabs. We couldn’t believe the size of the engines. Some have wheels taller than I am – I had no idea! 

Coal Stage

This was built to give the engines water and coal and you can often see engines being coaled during an operational day.

The Branch Line

This is a short, operational railway line that runs from Didcot Halt station, past a signal box, to a transfer shed. 

The Main Line

At half a mile, this is the longer of the two operational railway lines and runs from the main platform to Oxford Road station. You can either alight here and walk back through the Centre or stay on for the ride back. 

Day Out with Thomas

We visited during December for a Day Out with Thomas, which is a day when Didcot is taken over by Thomas the Tank Engine, the Fat Controller and friends. 

It was a magical day. We met the Fat Controller before riding on Thomas the Tank Engine to meet Father Christmas. 

Pendon Museum

If you are interested in railways then consider combining your visit with a trip to the nearby Pendon Museum, which is home to some exquisitely modelled railway landscapes.

Wilgrove Halt Play Area

Conveniently located next to the picnic area, Wilgrove Halt is small play area for children from 2 to 12 years old that has trains and train station offices to role play in.

Mistakes?

I would be the first to admit that I don’t know much about trains and railways. If I have made any mistakes in this post then please let me know so I can make the corrections! 

Nearest Town: Didcot, near Oxford
County: Oxfordshire
Nearest Postcode: OX11 7NJ

Adult Cost Range: Various
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 3 years

Opens: Various times throughout the year. Please see the Didcot Railway Centre website for details.

Where to Eat: Try the cafe, a local pub or bring a picnic. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice creams, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Large car park
Cost of Parking: From £1.40 for the first hour.

Information Written: December 2019

Our visit to the Didcot Railway Centre (on a day when the engines were operational but without Thomas), in Didcot near Oxford, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Life

The brilliance of this museum is that it displays the fossils and then brings them to life in multiple ways…

drawing the animals around them to illustrate which body part the fossil came from

providing specimens you can touch

showing you the workroom where fossils are removed from rocks

using CGI to show you what the creatures could have looked millions of years ago

providing hands-on, child-friendly activities like fossil excavation, puzzles, colouring and painting

posing a Mesozoic Murder Mystery for you to solve – can you use fossils to work out who ate the plesiosaur?

Find Fossils For Yourself

It also encourages you to go down to Kimmeridge Bay beach and find fossils yourself.

Great Value

The Etches Collection is interactive, modern, fun and informative. It is also great value, as one ticket gives you free entry for a year, and compact, so there are no problems with short attention spans. 

6 Out of 5!

I asked my children how they would rate The Etches Collection and Kimmeridge Bay out of 5 and they said, “6”, which sums it up perfectly – we love coming here.

Nearest Town: Kimmeridge, near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5PE

Adult Cost Range: £5 to £9.99
Child Cost Range: £0 to £4.99
Free if: Under 5 years or with a ticket bought in the last 12 months.

Opens: Daily

Where to Eat: Cafe, picnic area and a nearby restaurant. 
Facilities: Cafe, shop, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is good sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: November 2019

Our visit to The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge Bay, near Wareham, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Pendon Musuem

Amongst our favourite models were the enormous viaduct

the beautifully detailed cottage gardens complete with vegetables and flowers

and the relaxing outside the pub.

Audio Tours 

You are guided round the musuem with an audio guide and the staff are very friendly and well informed. 

Family Trails

There are also family trails for older children and drop in modelling sessions for older children.

We found the museum family-friendly but note that it is too small to accommodate buggies.

Modelling

We were really impressed by Pendon Museum. My children left inspired to have a go at modelling themselves and, as they love trains, we do expect to return.

Didcot Railway Centre

If you are interested in trains, consider combining your visit to Pendon Museum with a trip to Didcot Railway Centre, which is about a ten minute drive. 

Nearest Town: Abingdon, near Oxford
County: Oxfordshire
Nearest Postcode: OX14 4QD

Adult Cost Range: £5 to £9.99
Child Cost Range: £5 to £9.99
Free If: Under 5

Opens: Various times throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Small cafe at the museum or the local pub.
Facilities: Toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Buggies: Cannot be accommodated.

Parking: There is a small car park and some spaces along the road to the museum.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: December 2017

Our visit to Pendon Museum in Abingdon, near Oxford, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre Adventure Play Area

The adventure play area’s equipment is aimed at children of over 8 years old.

The equipment includes:

• a huge, wooden climbing frame with wobbly bridges, a tube slide and another slide
• balancing courses
• obstacles
• climbing bars
• a zip slide. 

A Play Area for Younger Children

The second play area’s animal-themed equipment is aimed at younger children.

It has:

• toddler swings
• a balance course
• frog and sheep springers
• a large wooden cat with a fireman’s pole nose
• another two slides – one shaped like a spider and the other like a frog.

The Visitor Centre

The Visitor Centre is next to the play area and houses a cafe, a shop (where you can buy duck food) and a small, wildlife-inspired indoor play area with some unusual jigsaws, feelie box puzzles, brasses to rub and a fish tank.

This area was much quieter, probably because the weather outside was beautiful, and we spent an uninterrupted half hour playing. 

The staff were lovely and when we ran out of paper for the brass rubbing they brought some more over without us needing to ask.

Thatcham Lake

The lakeside is often covered in wandering water birds. Ducks, moorhens, geese and swans were everywhere and seemed very used to visitors, some hardly moving when approached. 

The Walks

There are three walks signposted from the Visitor Centre that take 30, 45 or 60 minutes. 

The paths are generally flat and firm with the occasional tree root.

Nearest Town: Thatcham, near Newbury and Reading
County: Berkshire
Nearest Postcode: RG19 3FU

Opens: Daily during the summer but closed on Mondays during the winter.
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly. 

Parking: There are a few car parks.
Cost of Parking: Free – donations are suggested but not required.

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, geese, waterbirds and insects.

Information Written: April 2017

Our visit to Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham, near Newbury and Reading, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Milestones Museum

The streets are set up to immerse you in times gone by, with people working, old modes transport 

and also shops, some of which you can go into. 

At the 1940s sweet shop, you can swap an old penny (bought at the ticket desk) for a bag of sweets. You choose from jars on the shelves and the sweets are weighed out in front of you on old scales.

The Post Office

We love the Post Office, where children under 5 years old can play postman. There is a fancy dress box, a post van, a post office counter, a sorting wall, an opening postbox, a door with a letterbox and some letters for posting. 

We also found books to read, jigsaws to solve and bricks to stack as well as magnetic letters. 

Milestones calls this a space for learning for 3 to 5 year olds. It is locked and can only be used by someone with a key (freely available from the downstairs desk).  

The Pier and Penny Arcade

Outside the Post Office is the Penny Arcade where you can swap modern money for old pennies and play on the machines.

There is a good variety of things to use – some you sit in, some you watch and some you play.

Other Activities

Other activities around the museum include bridge building bricks, Victorian fancy dress, a working pub and a hopscotch course. 

There is also a cafe and you can bring picnics.

Temporary Exhibits

Milestones Musuem often has fantastic temporary exhibits. 

We visited to try the LEGO^® Brick Around the World Challenge – an indoor trail where you crack codes, solve puzzles and answer riddles to help agents of the Tiger Club save the Crown Jewels from the evil clutches of the Master Collector… 

Mwah hah hah hah hah!…

Legal notice: LEGO^® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Nearest Town: Basingstoke
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: RG22 6PG

Opens: Daily but closed on some Mondays.

Adult Cost Range: From £16.50
Child Cost Range: From £13.25
Free if: Under 5 years

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe. 
Facilities: Picnic area, cafe, snacks, ice creams, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: About three hours.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a good-sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: March 2017

Our visit to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Dippy the Diplodocus

I’ve always loved the Natural History Museum and couldn’t wait to take my children there. I had a specific mission – to show my children Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton before it leaves on 4th January 2017.

The children were amazed by Dippy’s size. They were young so the concept of a skeleton was a little abstract for them but they recognised it as being a dinosaur. 

I wrote this in January 2017. Dippy has now left the Natural History Museum and has been replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. 

The T-Rex

Next stop was the Dinosaur Gallery. Its first exhibit gives you the chance to get up close and personal with a life-size T-Rex that roars and eyes the crowd.

The Dinosaur Gallery

The Dinosaur Gallery is displayed on two levels. There are several dinosaur skeletons suspended from the ceiling that are viewed from a suspended walkway. 

There are also specimens on the floor, including a Diplodocus skull, dinosaur and alligator skin comparisons, hatching dinosaur eggs and a Triceratops skeleton.

The Mammals Gallery

There was so much to see in the Mammals Gallery.

We retreated to the blue whale room and were relieved to find it less crowded and the blue whale itself as mind-blowingly massive as I remembered. 

The Marine Invertebrate Room

The last room we had planned to see was the Marine Invertebrate room. Sadly, it was closed for a puppet show so we decided to call it a day and go for some lunch in a local cafe.

So, So Busy

Choose the timing of your trip carefully. I visited during a peak time and the museum was so busy that the children struggled to see many of the exhibits.

Using a Buggy

I used a buggy but it was difficult – many walkways were narrow, the lift in the blue whale room was not in use and manoeuvring was hard because the rooms were so full of people. 

Next time I will leave all our stuff in the cloakroom.

Useful to Know

1. The museum can be really busy

Google suggests that the museum’s busiest times are school holidays, weekends and Fridays from about 12 noon until about 4pm.

2. Entry queues can build up

When we drove past at 10am the museum had just opened and there was an enormous queue but by 10.50am it was down to about five minutes. When we left the museum at 1pm there was no queue at all but when we drove past at 2pm an enormous queue had built up again.

3. Step-Free Access

The front entrance (Cromwell Road) into the Museum has steps but no ramp. The Exhibition Road entrance has step free access.

4. The Cloakroom

Children under 3 can leave items in the cloakroom for free. Buggies can be left but need to be folded.

5. Check Before You Go

You can check the museum’s website to make sure that all the galleries you want to see are open on the day you plan to visit.

The Natural History Museum at Tring

If you are interested in animal specimens then consider the Natural History Museum at Tring but note that there are no dinosaurs there.

Nearest Town: South Kensington, London
County: London
Nearest Postcode: SW7 5BD

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Cafe, picnic area and nearby restaurants and pubs. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice creams, shop, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly in theory but difficult when it is busy.

Parking: The museum does not have a car park and but there are NCP car parks in the area, some of which can be booked online.
Cost of Parking: Varies and can be expensive.

Information Written: January 2017

Our visit to Natural History Museum in London is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Winchester Science Centre Exhibits

The Science Centre exhibits are aimed at a range of ages. Many were the right height for a young child and others had toddler stools.

Amongst our favourite activities were matching photos with x-rays, 

using pendulums and magnets,

bouncing light beams around corners, 

piecing together a human skeleton from x-rays and 

playing on the outdoor balance course and 

soft play area (for ages 6 and under).

Each exhibit explains how to use its equipment and then poses questions for you to answer by doing an experiment. 

Winchester Planetarium

Within the Science Centre is Winchester Planetarium, a planetarium cinema with a 360 degree screen. The Chatterbox shows are a good option for young children as talking and shouting out is allowed. 

You can choose whether to buy a ticket for the Science Centre, the Planetarium or both.

Nearest Town: Winchester
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO21 1HZ

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: £10 to £14.99
Child Cost Range: £10 to £14.99
Free if: 2 years and under

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe. 
Facilities: Indoor and outdoor picnic tables, cafe, snacks, ice creams, drinks, toilets, accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 5 hours.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a car park. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: December 2016

Our visit to Winchester Science Centre in Winchester is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Animals

It is unusual to be able to be so close to these animals – you can  understand their smallest details and appreciate their true sizes. 

We discovered that some penguins are taller than children, a tiger’s paws are bigger then my hands and that some hummingbirds are the same size as bees.

The Galleries

This museum displays 4,000 animals across six galleries. Most of the animals exhibited are either alive today or have only recently become extinct. 

There was almost every animal we could imagine, including a polar bear, a shark, a rhino, an elephant seal, a crocodile and the bones of a giant sloth. 

Note that it does not have a blue whale, dinosaurs or geological specimens (unlike its sister museum in London). 

Where to Eat

There are two outdoor picnic areas and in the basement there is a small café that sells the usual sandwiches, drinks and cakes. Tring itself is only a short walk away and has more places to eat and drink. 

Also nearby is Tring Park, a lovely woodland with trails, sculptures and a play area.

Nearest Town: Tring, near Aylesbury
County: Hertfordshire
Nearest Postcode: HP23 6AP

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat in the cafe. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There are a few car parks near the museum. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: April 2016

Our visit to the Natural History Museum at Tring, near Aylesbury, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.