A visit to the National Museum of Scotland

After visiting Edinburgh Castle we headed off down the Royal Mile in search of something else to do.
We liked the look of the Camera Obscura but being half term meant the queue outside was huge, so we left that idea behind and headed for the National Museum of Scotland instead which had the double bonus of being free.
The National Museum of Scotland houses diverse collections that will take you on a journey of discovery through the history of Scotland and around the world, taking in the wonders of nature, art, design and fashion and science and technology – all under one roof and the kids were wow’d from the off.

We started in the natural world galleries, which tell the story of our planet from animals to meteorites, monsters of the deep to earthquakes and volcanoes.

The museum was a real winner with the kids as although it was packed full of things to look at, it was the interactive part that kept them interested. We got to compare our weight to various animals, guess which animal made what sound and test our reaction times.

We then headed into the World Cultures galleries which link people and possessions across the globe. It was fascinating seeing how people lived in other countries and the kids were fascinated by the prayer wheels.

It was the science and technology part of the museum where they could get their hands on all sorts of fun things to do, with inventions and innovations as science is brought to life through displays and interactives.

We got a robot to spell our names………

Flew a hot air balloon high into the museum……..

In another exhibition we got to follow the story of Scotland from prehistory to the present day in the Scottish galleries.

We only had three hours at the muesum before it closed so didn’t get to see it all, however we made sure we visited the roof terrace as it offers fabulous views over Edinburgh.

We timed it just right to get a view over Edinburgh Castle at sunset.

We headed back downstairs to try and see as much of the museum as possible before it closed.

I would recommend allowing a full day to explore the museum as there is just so much to see and do.

The National Museum of Scotland is open daily from 10am – 5pm.
 

• Edinburgh
• Museum
• National Museum of Scotland
• Visit Edinburgh