Hilarious bunch of silly, smelly, scary and down right weird waxworks but worth a visit…read more It was the second time i had visited, having previously been there as a child. We were greeted by a child pleading, screaming and crying to its mother not to go in. It was scared. Some of the waxworks were a bit rude and some were of made up animals. Worth a look as it is so strange and not too expensive!

The first thing that strikes you about the wax works is that it's more than a little dated. It's…read morenow been rebranded as 'The Brading Experience', and there's certainly something a little eerie about it, as the whole seem is from another decade. The Isle of Wight wax works have been quite long established, but not much appears to have changed. If you're on the Isle of Wight, and if it's raining outside, it's worth a look at least once. There's definitely a little entertainment in it, and there's a certain craftsmanship to appreciate in the actual models, although they're not quite as realistic as more modern, higher budget, creations.

Situated on the harbor looking out to the Naval yards across the water in Portsmouth is this…read moretreasure of a museum. Clean, well staffed and organized, this small museum is packed with power. Each exhibit has been extensively thought out and presented with audio, visual and an artistry that is rarely seen in a museum of this size. Things are hung from ceilings and below foot peaking out through glass, video and interactive stations abound and wall carvings worthy of awards complete your walk through the history of fire power. They ask that photos not be used on commercial sites, but I can tell you that the people carved into the walls are wood, metal and brass, and the floor to ceiling sculptures are extraordinary. Top all of this off with a cafe that makes their own scones and lasagna, and this museum rushes to the top of my worldwide must see list. It has won many awards for good reason. They know how to teach the public in an eye-catching and engaging manner. Three jolly cheers and five stars for Explosion!

An offshoot of the Royal National Armoury collection housing a wide range of cannon and field…read moreartillery from the age of Henry VII through to Saddam Hussains mega cannon . Set in the vast Victorian fortress Fort Nelson which is more than worth a visit itself as a classic example of fortress design . Very good displays . Best of all it's totally free .

This is a great Museum to take the family. The Museum is free and there's plenty of free parking…read more You can explore the ramparts and tunnels, it covers the history of artillery and they have a reasonably priced cafe.

Mary Rose is the most fascinating story presented at the Portsmouth Dockyard. It is done through a…read morevery modern engaging museum, with multimedia introduction and well interpreted artifacts, as well as the huge portion of hull.

This was a highlight of my most recent trip to the U K. My wife and I spent Christmas in London…read morewith our daughter, her husband and our two grandchildren eight and five. My son-in-law and I are history buffs and decided that we had always wanted to see the Victory and Mary Rose so we were going to travel down to Portsmouth, spend the night and see the various ships on display. We all had some misgivings about leaving our comfortable VRBO in London and taking the train to Portsmouth but we did it anyway and we were glad we did. We stayed in the Holiday Inn Express located a short walk from the museum area. You can enter the dock area which houses the Victory, Mary Rose, Warrior, and other museums free but you have to buy a yearly pass to actually visit anything on exhibit. The pass lets you see everything and is well worth the price. The Mary Rose fascinated everyone including the children. The various artifacts give you a real sense of everyday life in the middle of sixteenth century England. The layout was absolutely fantastic. Even the kids enjoyed it. I was less impressed with the Victory. It was not well maintained and the layout wasn't informative. Too bad because the potential is so great. Don't miss the Warrior and the various museums. Our two days there was really not enough time. BTW the new British Aircraft Carrier Queen Elizabeth was there but of course we could not tour her.

A lot of information extremely laid out. A lot of personal stories too. I was not aware of the…read morepersonal sacrifice. A lot of people made in Southampton for the sea let alone the shipyards and the Titanic. All the staff easy to talk to and encouraged us to keep looking around.

We really enjoyed this museum; not only was it educational it was interactive as well. Well worth…read morea visit if you're in Southampton UK!

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a must visit for history nerds and boat lovers...not so much for…read moreeveryone else. You'll get to see amazing historic ships, going back over 500 years of of Royal Navy history. HMS Victory: The Royal Navy's flagship that led the important Battle of Trafalgar, which the French Navy was put to shame during Napoleon's destructive wars. Arguably the most famous warship in British history. It's barely holding together as much maintenance and restoration ongoing work continues, but you still can decks and learn about life onboard during the Georgian era. The Mary Rose: King Henry VIII's flagship, which sank in 1545 and was famously salvaged in 1982. The museum showcases the preserved half hull and thousands of artifacts recovered from the wreck, offering a unique glimpse into 16th-century sailor life. Be sure to watch the 4D video! HMS Warrior: was the world's first iron-hulled, armored warship, built in 1860. Its still incredibly well preserved and structurally sound...as it never saw a single battle! Still very cool seeing how modern it felt compared to the older ships. £46/$62 3 Attraction Ticket: as fun this all was, it is really expensive for what you get, so minus one for that.

Saw Spanish galleon not original but has been made as a replica but still good not quite the victoryread more

Time to let off some steam at the Isle Of Wight. With this Steam Railway no less…read more This is a little old steam railway on the Isle of Wight, so if you're making the Isle of Wight your holiday destination, this would be a great part of it. It's one of the many Heritage Railways in the UK and one of the prettiest. I've loved it for a very long time and probably always will. It's actually a good way to get around the island as well, which is funny because it's not really a method of transportation per se, and yet it is because it's such a small island and a lot of people don't bring their cars over here.

I wonder how many people reading this actually travelled by steam train when it was a daily mode of…read moretransport rather than a novel journey to remind of how it used to be? I ask because I did. Do I miss it heck, yes - the intoxicating unique smells, the noises, the sounds, especially the thump of huge slabs of heavy metal, hitting heavy metal yet staying unmarked and gold, red and black lacquered steam engines, dozens of yards long, breathing and hissing as if alive. Many's the time I got to be up with the driver and coalman as we chugged along - the intense fiery heat, sulphur smells and coal being fed continuously - real men of steel with hands that could crush you. Here at the Isle of Wight is a beautifully preserved railway with lovingly restored steam engines with comfortable period carriages and charming rural stations. It is charming and worth supporting but I suspect with its location it'll rarely ever draw a crowd. The staff are dressed in traditional Southern Railway uniforms from a different era of time that will never return. All that's left is five miles of Steam Railway and an electrified eight mile main line from Ryde to Shanklin from a railway system which once extended over 55 miles of mostly rural Wight. The first line opened in 1862 between Cowes and Newport and in 1900 a second railway delivered a complete island rail service. It's now a revenant to haunt those of us on what we had and stupidly allowed greedy politics to ruin letting them enrich only themselves - those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing; some things will never change as long as we stay stupid and the evidence is right in front of us from 1O Downing Street to Mar a Lago. The price of our stupid is already intolerable and fast becoming incalculable as we lurch toward fascism which is dictatorship lite.