Hands down a must visit in Glasgow! Free admission!…read moreLocated in Kelvingrove Park, West End. This is a popular museum and art gallery with the likes of Dali and more. It's a large space and it's divided up by fine art, natural history, etc. I wandered through all of the rooms and believe that I saw almost every exhibit. I spent hours and just took my time taking it all in. Stopped by the cafe' for a cuppa tea too. Fantastic museum.

The museum is one of the top attractions in Glasgow. It was established in 1901- 125 years ago. The…read morearchitecture of the building itself is a marvel. I'm not much of a museum person, but entrance is free. The expansive museum's west wing focuses on "Life" (natural history/prehistory), while the east wing focuses on "Expression" (fine art). There are 22 galleries with 8,000 objects. Salvador Dalí's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross" is one of their most famous works of art. I was most interested in "The Floating Heads" installation by Sophie Cave. We spent most of our time viewing Scotland's Wildlife, where most of the kids were. While we were there, we also enjoyed an organ recital- 1:00pm Monday-Saturday and 3:00pm on Sunday.

Took about 1.6 hrs to walk thru. Has cafe, restaurant and gift shop. Very nice collection of almost…read moreeverything a very rich shipper collected. Shuttle bus runs every 30 mins but was rarely on-time on this day. We noticed signage by the Pollock was not well done since they had construction going at the Pollock house difficulty to get to the Burrell collection from that parking lot.

Free museum (£5 suggested donation) about a 15 min uber ride from Buchanan bus station. It has…read moreclean toilets and lots of artifacts and portraits. They also have a cafe for lunch and is near a playground and pollock park (highland cows). Great way to spend a couple hours in Glasgow without burning a hole in your wallet.

A friend recommended this place and her elevator pitch was simple "it has a wall of vintage cars"…read more A very interesting museum that has transportation displays but also a recreation of a classic Scottish main street, glasgow punk vinyls, and old toys. It was one of the most unique museums we've been to and like all the museums in Scotland it was free! The architecture is interesting and was done by one of my favorite architects, Zaha Hadid. The roofline is undulating and angular and the whole form is extruded backwards toward the river to form the museum. From the back you get a very interesting view with the restored old ship and the modern museum juxtaposing each other. The interior is also distinctly Zaha, with curved lines that seem to guide you and your eyes through your space. The only jarring thing is it feels a bit disorientating, especially when trying to take photos and videos and looking for horizontal and vertical lines to help line you up. The wall of motorcycles and cars are visually stunning though the ones high up are really hard to see so I enjoyed the vehicles on the floor more because you could see everything much better. There is a second floor you can get to with all the interactive displays and a hypnotizing carousel of giant model ships that move in a continual loop.

What a fun, big and FREE museum! We spent four hours here and probably could've stayed a bit…read morelonger. We got licky and made it just in time for a FREE guided tour. The tour guide took us around the whole museum highlighting the more Scottish items. The museum is mostly transportation but also has a section that is a recreation of a 1920's street complete with shops you can walk into. I highly recommend coming solo, with friends, or family! Donations are asked to help keep this amazing museum free to the public and there is a parking lot for a fee

I visited The Hunterian, located on-campus at the University of Glasgow, for the first time on…read moreWednesday 17 July 2019. I was following a geologist on Twitter who worked/collabed with the museum (I have since deleted my account - in the first half of 2021) and decided it would be fun to check the exhibits out. The building was straightforward to find and was marked for The Hunterian. The entrance was located up some stairs and had posted hours just outside the entrance. The admission was free. I enjoyed the different exhibits overall. Workers were friendly, but not nosy. The artifacts were well labeled and contextualized. As well as items of historical significance, such as stone altars from the Romans, exhibits also highlighted different people and their contributions to social and scientific development in Scotland. As a woman who is part Scottish by ancestry, I still find it neat that the term "scientist" was coined for female Scotswoman Mary Fairfax Somerville. I found the informational placards accompanying the displayed items to be easy to understand.

We happened to come across the museum while walking around Glasgow University. It's free, so we…read moredecided to check it out. It's the oldest public museum in Scotland. There were some interesting artifacts.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to actually visit The Lighthouse, and I'm even more…read moreembarrassed to admit that I *still* haven't been up the top to look at the view over Glasgow! Next time, I promise! The Lighthouse is tucked down Mitchell Lane and has a wonderful gift shop on the ground floor. I am a certified museum-gift-shop addict and this one is nearly as good as the one at GOMA. At the moment, they're selling some great stuff to accompany the "Hello My Name is Paul Smith" exhibition and I couldn't resist getting a couple of the pencils, an eraser as well as a nice card from the range. There's a lot of nice Scottish stuff if you're looking for a gift so it's worth a browse even if you're not planning on going to an exhibition. We were there to see the Paul Smith exhibition which is on the first floor and ticketed at £6 per adult. While I think the price is a little steep, it's a fab exhibition which was really interesting, stimulating and thought-provoking - I think we were only there for half an hour or so, but really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be back sooner rather than later for a visit to the viewing platform so I'll update accordingly! But for now, I'm already a massive fan so I can't expect the rating to change for this lovely gallery.

The Lighthouse is one of Glasgow's wonder free museums/galleries. It was one of the first galleries…read moreI visited when I moved to Glasgow and I've been back a few times since, either for a specific exhibit, a general wander, or to head up the Mackintosh tower for the amazing views over the city. Much of the museum is free to access, including the permanent Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibits and the tower. Architecture is usually the theme of most of what they're showing off, although design in general is also showcased here, especially when it's by local and Scottish artists. On the ground floor there's a fantastic gift shop with lots of Mackintosh themed gifts. Usually they have items related to other exhibits as well. There's a cafe on level 5 too and although I've not visited it in a while I remember it being light and spacious and selling pretty darn good carrot cake. It's a really cool gallery to learn a little about the history of design and architecture in Glasgow, as well as learning about some more modern themes. It's also a great place for those views from the tower to get your bearings (although it's an awfully long way up a spiral staircase, so if you don't like heights it may not be for you). For me, on a sunny day, it's one of the highlights of the city centre. If you're visiting Glasgow or you have guests in Glasgow and you find yourself in the city centre then I'd say a stop at The Lighthouse is well worth the time. It would be a shame to miss out on such a cool place.

The Anatomy Museum is like nowhere else in the city that I have ever been to. Where else could I…read moresee the most surreal collection of pickled human remains from the past? I think we both know the answer. If you like science or you are just interested in the human body that gets you from A to B then this is a must. The most famous item is the 100 year-old pickled penis which is worth seeing and will make you question the science of evolution. On saying that, some of the items are quite hard to look i.e. the pickled, deformed feotous. However if you have a strong stomach and an inquisitive mind then stop by. It's a free museum with a world class of collection. If you have a weak stomach then give it a miss!

Concealed in a corner of one of the university's faculties, the Anatomy Museum is designed as a…read morestudy tool for scientific students (I'm guessing biology) but it looks like it's existed since the Victorian period. It's perfectly preserved - much like the pickled heads and penises of people long deceased. If you've got a weak stomach and easily weirded out then I wouldn't recommend coming here. It's not anatomical models - you will be looking at real remains in various shapes, sizes and forms. There are a number of deformed fetus that may disturb some people. But, I've got to say, it fascinates me. It's a dusty, Frankenstein style lab full of unnerving specimens but you can't say it's not interesting! And it must be useful for biology students because you really get a close up, exact representation of the human body. I took my boyfriend here on a date - shows you what kind of people we are(!) - and he loved it. But if you're a bit of a shrinking violet stick to the art galleries!

A historic building with four floors. Wide variety of contemporary art; and free. There's also a…read morelibrary where there's places to sit and read. Figure about 45 minutes for the art. I was told the exhibits change over time; so I won't talk about specifics.

I'm afraid the most impressive thing about this gallery is the building itself, the art and…read moreexhibitions for me were sparse, dull and boring.

Love it! This is a regular haunt for me in the winter, when it's free, but it's included in the…read moreNational Trust membership if you're there for a summer visit. This is a stately Georgian home that was maintained in the spirit of stewardship--like the earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey. The Maxwell family lovingly and carefully curated the place so that every addition, change, piece of art and situation of the furniture would compliment and reflect upon what already exists. Each room is rich with detail and a wonderful combination of magnificent beauty that still feels like the kind of place you'd want to come home to. The cafe is quite good, if a wee bit pricey. There's also a regular and a food-only gift shop. Definitely make your way over to this other fabulous bit of art, history and architecture when you're in Pollock Park.

As a member of The National Trust for Scotland, my recent trip to Pollok Park inevitably included…read morePollok House. That being said, it is free this time of year anyhow and this was reflected in the high number of people there. It was a gorgeous house, with a maze of rooms and an impressive garden that has been very well kept. Some of the paintings and art inside were suitably impressive, with recent pieces and some vintage paintings on huge canvasses. I couldn't help but feel like I was navigating my way around the house in Cluedo, looking for a candlestick and corpse in the Library. There were some really elegant pianos. The books in the Library were numbering in the thousands, and all concerning historical Scotland. The highlight for me was standing in the very room where initial meetings were held that ultimately led to the formation of The National Trust for Scotland. There was also a packed cafe and funky giftshop that included paper made out of elephant dung. Never seen that before. Not sure if I wanted to though, to be fair. It wont be on MTV Cribs, but it's a nice big house that offers a nice addition to a stroll around Pollok Country Park.

Situated in an old town house, right on Sauchiehall Street, this is an idiosyncratic, independent…read moremuseum, mostly used by schools for a little bit of army history. With galleries covering subjects like the founding of the Regiment , Soldiering Around the World and The regiment Today, it is dedicated to its theme, somewhere between historical record and modern recruiting strategy. If you enjoy looking at regimental dress, this is the must-see museum. It also has a smart library. Personally, I was a little uncomfortable: after all, this is dedicated to something I am not that comfortable about, and there were not many visitors. However, it did engage me, and the lack of dumbing down makes it feel like a place to learn, not to be entertained, which I completely respect.

the royal highland fusiliers regimental museum is located in sauchiehall street at charing x,…read moreglasgow and covers the history of the various regiments starting from 1678 lots of interesting memorabilia from various campaigns - including uniforms, medals, maps, flags, trophies, and there is an extensive library/archive - also covers the famous HLI (highland light infantry) visited here with family WW1 medals to get some info for my geneaology website open monday - friday or alternative times with prior arrangement - free admission

For a real flavour of how Mackintosh and his wife Margaret McDonald so radically transformed the…read moreart scene, I would recommend a visit to The Tenement House in Garnethill (which will show you what Glasgow tenements were like in Victorian days) before coming here. It is near-impossible to imagine that this interior started out as a typical Glasgow tenement on nearby Southpark Avenue, such is the transformation that they wrought on it. Moving from the typical dark Stygian Victorian décor to this wonderful temple of light that they created was a quantum leap in interior design that still resonates even today. The actual house was demolished as it was thought to be unstable when the University were building next to it - however it turned out to be not as bad as was originally thought and could have been saved, which leaves the University in something of a questionable position to say the least. It is rather ironic then that this specially-built extension to the Hunterian Art Gallery, constructed solely to house the interiors of the Mackintosh house, is now in such a parlous state of disrepair itself that it is going to have to be dismantled and moved to the new Kelvin Hall museum extension where it is not going to enjoy the wonderful natural light and east-facing views that it currently has. Mackintosh's interiors are all about the light - how it can be introduced and channelled into the space. He installed extra windows in the south wall of the house and in the hallway used a mirror to spread the light around the otherwise dark wooden walls. Little arrays of square stained glass pieces (something of a Mackintosh trademark) catch your eye when the light is behind them. In the main living area, the transom in front of the bay window is dropped to just above head height, which seems very counter-intuitive until you see how this matches up with the height of the doors, the dropped picture rail, the new side window, and the opening knocked through to the back room (yes, this is not a modern idea!). It completely changes the proportions of the space and focuses the light where it is needed. The house contains the Mackintoshs' own furniture - all to their design of course - and there are some wonderfully quirky pieces, such as the small wooden chair with the heart- (or buttock-) shaped depression on the seat that looks so inviting. The large high-sided box chair (surely inspired by Orkney chairs) looks as though it would be very cosy on a draughty winter's day. I also loved his personal writing cabinet in the rear space, which with its doors open looks almost like a small Japanese lady in a kimono; Mackintosh, along with several other of his fellow artists, at the time, was heavily influenced by Japanese design that was just starting to make an appearance in the West. I could continue to wax lyrical about the Mackintosh house as I love it so much, but there is also the main Hunterian Art Gallery to consider. Personally I find this rather overshadowed by the Mackintosh house, yet it is a fine collection and there are some notable works by Rubens, Rembrandt and Chardin as well as the Scottish Colourists and Glasgow Boys. It also has the largest collection anywhere of works by American artist James McNeill Whistler. The Art Gallery is free, although they sometimes charge for special exhibitions, but there is a small charge (£5) for entry to the Mackintosh House. Get there early on a sunny morning (it opens at 10am, 11am on Sundays) for the best experience.

I visited today to see the excellent Ingenious Impressions, an exhibition of some of the earliest…read moreprinted books from the 1400s onwards. It's on until 21st June 2015 and I think I'll be back again because it was fascinating and there were so many books to look at. The University of Glasgow has an outstanding collection of paintings, books, artefacts and many many other things. Much of it is from William Hunter's collection hence the Hunterian Art Gallery and Museum but there are many other collectors who have sold or gifted amazing things to the uni. And now we get to see it all FOR FREE! This is what blows me away about the art galleries and museums in this fine city. The Hunterian Art Gallery has a wonderful collection of paintings with many works by Whistler. I'm not very knowledgeable about Art History but I love wandering round here in the afternoon, it's peaceful and interesting. It doesn't attract many children or families in the way that Kelvingrove does so you can get around without dodging hectic toddlers! The Mackintosh House is a must see and they run regular short tours throughout the day. I would quite like to live in the White Room if that could be made possible?! The only thing I don't like about the Hunterian is that the building is a bit dated, I think it opened in the 80s and hasn't changed much since. Other than that it's a great place to visit if you're in the area and interested in art and painting.