Excellent history of manufacturing in Cov. Great bike & auto historical models…read more Enjoyable walk and a coffee after in the museum shoppe

It is a very interesting place to visit. Lots of things to…read moresee. Hope to be able to go in there again in the New Year.

What an amazing place! We happened to see this museum as we…read morewere walking by and were intrigued by their moving signage. Inside there are plenty of machines that whir and perform small tasks or even make music. Lots of interactive things to see and do, buttons to push, pedals to press, even a magnetic marble track you can build yourself! It's a treat for young and old and definitely worth the small entry fee.

The opening hours are stated for October to March. Opening hours from April to September are a…read morelittle longer (10:30 to 18:30 daily). A friend recommended this place to me thinking that my boys would like it. My friend was right! We did all enjoy the interactive displays. The extent of the interactivity is mainly pressing a button though but it's still good. There is an interesting range of mechanical art and my boys and I were fascinated by the mechanisms. It is quite a small place. It cost £19 for the four of us (2 adults and 2 children) which isn't too bad but, considering we spent less than an hour in there and saw everything, it does seem a little expensive. There are two floors. One very small room on each floor displaying different pieces of art. It can get rather crowded due to the small size, especially downstairs where the entrance/exit is the same. In the same small area, there is a counter where there is a single member of staff who both admits people and serves the gift shop. The gift shop is basically a small portion of the wall within the ground floor of the museum. Many items are over-priced and the selection is very limited. We did enjoy ourselves there and would recommend it but it could get claustrophobic and the upstairs can be noisy (although it does state this on the signage).

How fortunate the world is to have had Frank Whittle. It's really wonderful that this museum…read moreexists to capture the historic significance of Frank's ingenuity and perseverance for the turbine jet engine. Through so many disappointments and financial turmoil. He continued to push his ideas. What a wonderful documentary the film inside too. For aviation enthusiasts, this is a must!! Thank you for preserving and holding all of this legacy !!!

This privately-owned aviation museum is a too-little known "hidden" gem in Coventry. Staffed mostly…read moreby volunteers, with access to many cockpits and absolutely stuffed to the brim with aircraft (including many rare marques), memorabilia, design drawings, components and information, it's not to be missed by aviation enthusiasts. Had a fantastic day out.

It's an interesting place, depending on your age and knowledge of space. Plenty of interactive…read moredisplays about various aspects of space: planets, stars, basic physics, and history. Be prepared for a lot of school children, and don't expect much when it comes to food or beverages. Just bring your own snacks. Parking is £3 for the day and the wifi is free.

Very good place to go if you like space and want to learn about it. There are a lot of family…read morefriendly things to do there as well

Now that I live (temporarily) in Leamington, it was definitely worth a look at the Royal Pump…read moreRooms. The Pump Rooms use to house the water therapy bathing facilities for people. But now that the bathing facilities are gone, the Warwick District Council converted it into a different areas: an Art Gallery and Museum, Library, Visitor Centre, Cafe and Assembly rooms. For simplicity sake, I will talk about each area separately. **Art Gallery and Museum** Admission is free. The Art Gallery is located on one level and the Museum is on two levels. I didn't expect too much from the Museum but I did like reading about the history of Leamington and town's birth. The Leamington artifacts, and the old pump rooms paraphernalia is worth a look. Lots of hands on activities for children, too. **Library** The library is quaint and holds quite the book selection. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and I was able to get a library card quickly without issue. Please be aware that you do have to show proof of address before getting a library card. I also like that their electronic checkout machines! Wow, super easy to use! BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio are also located inside, right near the entrance. They make it easy to get books on loan from other libraries on line, or asking the librarians. **Visitor Centre** Pretty much as its name implies there are loads of pamphlets of the surrounding areas, along with some cute gifts. I grabbed some "To Do" booklets about Cambridge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and the Cotswold's from here. I also seriously considering buying a few British things to send back to the family in California. **Cafe and Assembly Rooms** The Cafe is open everyday, but with shorter hours on Sunday. It's directly across the Visitor Centre and Library you can't miss it. I've tried their organic green tea and Mediterranean pannini which is quite nice, all for under £8. I wasn't too impressed with their coffee, but I'm a bit of a coffee snob. There is also a menu board with their specials and typical British cuisine like Yorkshire pudding and cakes. The large assembly room holds local events, one that we got to visit was an amazing wine tasting! Aside from food in the cafe, everything is free to explore. Check it out!

Originally, I thought that the Royal Pump Rooms probably concentrated on the spa that gives…read moreLeamington its name, but it seems I was mistaken. This is, in fact, an art gallery, tourist information centre, cafe and library. I haven't been in the art gallery (though it is free and they do a guided talk on a Friday), but the library is very good. It is open long hours, including Sundays, and the staff are very helpful and friendly. The selection of books is good, and they can get other titles from other libraries if you can't find what you are looking for. They also have a large number of computers that you can use to access the internet. Once a month they run a 'bounce and rhyme' session for babies and toddlers, which is very successful and enjoyable.

I thought Lunt Fort would be really boring but was surprised when we actually managed to spend a…read morecouple of hours there. The staff are friendly and, despite the small size of the site, there were a few activities for kids in the Granary museum. When I took my boys (aged 9 and 4) they did a scavenger hunt looking for different things around the grounds. There was a small prize as a reward. The place cost only £7 for the whole family to get in with no hidden extras as all the activities were inclusive. I don't think it's somewhere you could have an entire day out but there are other things in the area such as Ryton Gardens and the Midland Air Museum so it's easy to combine activities.

This site is run by the City Council, and boy have they done well, making what is essentially a…read moreseries of old ditches interesting ish. The ditches are all that remain of the fort, which was once a Roman horse-training centre. Wooden structures show how the site 'may have looked', most impressive of which are the gate that you enter by and the old catapult, which is sadly not operational. There are also foundations of other strutures marked out in gravel. While it is commendable that the Council has gone to so much effort, I am at a bit of a loss at who this site is really aimed at. If you don't like history, there's nothing here for you. But if you have any interest in the Roman period, you have probably visited many far better sites. Which only really leaves the schoolkids - although I seem to remember my visit was the highlight of my primary school career!

I do seriously love this place, and even though some of the exhibits are looking a bit tired,…read morethere's still a lot there, and new things coming in. There is a lot crammed in here, which, although it means the information on each subject is a bit watered down and lower quality than a specific museum, it's great for sparking the interest of kids and finding out what they love and keeping attention with varying material, the human body, forensics, machinery, industry, recycling, building, space, robots, computers, medicine, even a lighthouse bulb, it's got a lot going for it. The science garden is great, but filled with pushy children and parents who've given up caring after a full couple of hours inside, the planetarium was excellent. Our favourite bits were the planetarium and the beating heart that beats to your pulse, and the vehicles. Obscurely a lot of it seems to high up for kids, but there are loads of activities for them to get stuck into.

ThinkTank is a slightly sprawling science museum spread over 3 (and a half) floors. It can be…read morepricey for a family visit, but there's a lot to do and there are often good offers available. I'd recommend turning up early as on arrival you are given a timetable of talks, events and planetarium showings. You get a wristband on entry so you can go in and out as you please. (I recommend coffee from 6/8 Kafe, next door, or a well priced pub lunch at the Woodman, opposite Millennium Point.) The ground floor showcases huge bits of machinery, including car-manufacturing robots, traction engines, a lovely tram and.. A Spitfire, a Hurricane and the 1939 City of Birmingham Locomotive. A huuuge steam engine, one of the most powerful ever used. The main theme being Birmingham made, so it's a great Brummy experience. Just a shame you can go on any of them to explore. (Especially the Spitfire ;)) Other floors have sections on the human body (with videos of the digestive system.. Best not viewed near lunch), forensic crime scene investigations, how recycling works etc. There's a good little area called Kids City which has a doctor/dentist surgery, a cafe, a garden shed, and a big water play area (with aprons). It's really good for little ones. Upstairs is the space section, with a great 360 degrees planetarium which has a range of shows for different age ranges. The science garden wasn't open when we went, but in spring and summer it's another sciencey play area for kids. And grown ups.

The owner of this shop/museum is one of THE most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes…read moreto all things Sgt Bilko and Phil Silvers! You will see things at this museum that can never and will never be replicated anywhere. If you're a fan, this place should be on your life long bucket list! Coventry is very lucky to have this gem of a place in its' city. People come from all over the world to visit this one of a kind museum! Plus, it's located inside FarGo Village, where there's plenty to see and do and eat... so schedule a day of it! And be sure to sign his guest book on the way out. Your name will be along side celebrities and royalty. ;)

Visited the museum while in Oxford for the day. Lots of history and neat exhibits to visit. We…read moresaw insects, fossils and tons of other things, almost too many to list. The day of our visit, there were a few schools visiting but everyone we encountered from the staff to the young preschool students were friendly and considerate. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Oxford.

A museum of natural history would generally be on my list of "museums I don't wish to visit" but…read morethe Oxford Museum of Natural History proved that I barely know myself. First, it's free of charge which automatically makes it attractive. But though free may get me in the door it won't guarantee I'll enjoy it. This museum isn't just free but it is also gorgeous and interesting, a real home run. And, in the event that Natural History isn't your jam even here, this place contains the portal to the almost indescribable Pitt Rivers Museum (also free). One of these is bound to be your happy place.