One of the best, small museums in the North. Much of the work is carried out by "Friends of…read moreFalconer". A must when in Forres. Friendly ,helpful, knowledgeable staff.

Inverness is small ("wee" in the vernacular) and no one should expect collections of the caliber of…read morethe Met, Louvre or even LACMA but in addition to temporary touring exhibitions, this facility hosts the Highlander history in art, crafts, music and weaponry. Whiskey will not be found here even though it's tributes are worthy. This assemblage merely hints at the greatness of the Celt, Viking and Highland peoples and encourages further study on your leisure. One item I found of particular interest were the gold neck torcs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torc) ancient warriors wore not only as a symbol of their rank within their community but also a potentially lucky block to a neck-chop sword hack. This is a land with a troubled past. That's probably why they invented scotch. You won't spend much time here but time spent here is time well spent. Dig it? (I was surprised to see I wasn't the first Yelper to review this place so "Cheers" to bonnie Adrienne G!)

Small but perfectly formed,…read more Inverness was my first taste of Scotland and it was surprising and wonderful. Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is a must visit in the city. As it's unlikely to be torrential sunshine it's a perfect spot to wile away the hour or so. A really simple and informative exhibition with some really effective interactive touches marking it fun for all the family. I very much enjoyed the taxidermy. If you're a stuffed beast enthusiast, you'll find yourself right at home here. The Art Gallery was in the middle of a reshuffle so was closed during my visit, so add a bit extra time for some highland art. Go get your learning on and have a visit.

Beautiful old cathedral…read more If you're here and you have time to stop in. See all the other photos posted. It is kept up somewhat but reminds you of a small town old cathedral. Ye tho i kneel Head bowed Yet heart unsealed Lifted high In prayer A moment for me A moment for thee A word of grace In this sacred place Blessed is thee Who takes a moment Prays Word passed A moment of grace Bless us all Blessings

We passed by this on our way to cross the bridge to Johnston's Wool. It's a ruin but still very…read morebeautiful. Feel *free* to stroll around the ground, or if you are a history buff, pay the admission for more info and closer look. The cathedral has been around since the 12th century! The grounds are well maintained.

Adventured to the Gordon Highlanders Museum on foot on Sunday 7 July 2019. I had seen different…read moreopen hours online on different websites, so I decided to walk here and check out if it was open. Approaching walking down the street, I noticed a gate rolled across the driving entrance. Thinking this meant the museum was closed, but wanting to make sure as it was my first time to the museum, I walked down to the street below to see if there was another entrance. On the street below is a walking entrance to the museum grounds with a nature/sitting area. There was not a gate/barricade in place, so I walked up to the museum building. The parking lot was a good size and spots were well marked. The entrance had a sign posted with hours and entrance fees. Turned out the museum was closed both Sunday and Monday, so as I was leaving Aberdeen and heading north on Monday 8 July, I missed the inside of the museum on my July 2019 Scotland heritage travel trip. The grounds were beautiful, well-maintained, and informative on their own.

Wonderfully put together place with plenty of interactive bits for children. We took a tour of the…read moreWWI trench and the tour guide, John, was both informative & enthusiastic - really enjoyed! We also had a lunch at the cafe where they have a selection of sandwiches & soup. Food was tasty and service was friendly. Highly recommend for families, lovers of history & visitors to Aberdeen!

A fun and free way to learn a little more about Aberdeen's maritime history…read more This museum has some cool interactive stuff, to help pull in any age, and the displays are well kept and visually appealing, which makes you want to see and learn more. I didn't spend too much time reading every single word written, but I skimmed most things and lingered longer over the things that caught my eye. It's not a huge museum, so if you're a history buff, you might like to read more and spend a bit longer. Overall, it's a nice little gem tucked off to the side behind Vue cinema, and it's definitely worth checking out if you've got a hankering for understanding the city of Aberdeen a bit better or are looking for a few things to do to avoid a rainy afternoon but still get out of the house. I'd visit again if I had folks with me who were visiting Aberdeen!

Good place to take children. For me, the view of the harbour, looking out of the window, from…read moreinside, was the most impressive. Massive boats from Scandinavia and all over the world. Some good displays in particular one oil painting of a ship battling huge waves, dark and foreboding clouds, stood out. It was ok. Does not even come close in comparison to Scott's Discovery vessel.

At the Battle of Culloden approximately 1,500-2,000 Jacobite soldiers were killed or wounded in…read moreless than an hour. In contrast, government forces suffered 50 deaths. Just hearing that initial description of the place made it a very somber experience. We had a guided tour of the battlefield that provided additional information and knowledge. There were some highland cows and other cattle on the back fields. They were behind an electric fence at the time of our visit but they were a nice sight to see during this visit.

The Culloden Battlefield was run by the National Trust of Scotland which was a different membership…read morefrom the one we had with Historic Scotland. We opted to book a guided tour of the battlefield which was well worth it with the insights provided by a knowledgeable and outgoing guide. The tour walked out as far as the British Line(red flags) but we later wandered out to the Jacobite Line (blue flags) on our own. Do stay on the gravel paths as the site does contain the remains of those who died in the battle. Another tip, dress warmly for the walk outside as the weather shifted while on the tour and it got quite chilly with some rain. The museum presented both viewpoints on the battle and the two sides throughout which was interesting to see and compare. Photos of the artifacts on displays were not allowed and docents would chase you down or stop you since some items were privately owned and on loan. It was ok to take photos of drawings or placards created by the NTS. Overall a stunning defeat for the Jacobites. Next time we're in Scotland I do want to visit the Battle of Bannockburn site to compare the battle that Scotland won over England.

So - in my opinion, plan your visit here solely for the 1700 Scottish village experience and DO NOT…read moreplan this as a place to eat lunch!! The tearoom is super basic, just 6 diff types of indifferent sandwiches like tuna, BLT, egg, prawn etc and a soup (which was tomato basil on the day we were there and was hearty and quite delicious). There are also a good variety of drinks but that is it! Apart from the soup, everything else is cold and the dessert quality was quite indifferent too (specifically the lemon curd cake - would not get this from here). That being said, the actual experience of walking thru the village and seeing first hand how people lived in the Scottish highlands from 1700s onwards was quite revealing. We were lucky to visit on a day the re- thatching of the grass roof on one of the huts was happening and the peat fire was on, so could ask a lot of questions from the re-enactors. Breathing in the peat fire was an especially eye opening experience as I realized first hand how breathing in that heavy carbon filled air in that enclosed space would have contributed to an average life expectancy of around 35 years (never mind if you were asthmatic!). I also loved the gypsy encampment and the tradesmen shops from the 1930s thru to the 50s. Apparently the shops were moved here and so they are not just recreations. There's also video and or audio-visual presentation that create an interactive visit, and for the latter, just look for big buttons to press on the wall while the videos run in a continuous loop. Oh also because it's a fairly big outdoor museum, there is a £1 donation which gets you in a truck which drives you around, so check timings for that if you have a limited time. I def enjoyed my visit, but will eat in town or elsewhere before coming here again.

Wonderful place to visit. The displays are interesting. The docents are friendly and informative. A…read moregreat place to spend 3 or 4 hours. The cafe on site has a selection of sandwiches and a soup of the day; I had a bowl of tomato basil soup with a hummus/ tomato sandwich; delicious. My friend had one of the dessert selections; carrot cake, bar cookie, lemon muffin.

A free museum full of old pict stones pict highlander history and more, Stunning! The volunteer is…read moregreat

What an awesome giant functioning fort!!! I really had low expectations thinking it was going to be…read moreboring but I truly enjoyed the audio guide and being able to see all the historic items throughout the fort. The place was giant and we spent a few hours here so plan accordingly. We didn't get lucky with the dolphins but it was a gorgeous Scottish day and I was thankful for that. Quick breezy at the top.

Google maps originally directed us to drive inside the fort but there was a dedicated visitor…read moreparking lot out in front. Inside the fort we decided to head to the back to start our visit. A small and beautiful chapel was located there and well worth a look inside. The demi-bastions were the highlight with panoramic views of the water, Moray of Firth, and Inverness in the distance. Not all of the buildings in the fort were accessible to visitors and were marked accordingly. Highlights for us included the following: Historic barrack rooms were setup to show conditions and how soldiers (and those lucky enough to have their families) lived. A museum delved into the history of the Seaforth Highlanders and even had a room where one could try on traditional Scottish wear such as kilts. The Lego mini figures with their unique Scottish clothing were a hit with the kids but they were all sold out in the gift shop. The Grand Magazine held a huge display of rifles, satchels and swords. Eventhough it was a little bit of a drive to get there, the fort was in very good condition and accessible to visit.