This is an amazing 2 story museum with all kinds of artifacts from old wedgewood to Egypt's tomb…read moreand artifacts Teapots and tea cups old coins to everything in between. 2 nd floor loads of paintings to look at. Entry is free which is always a plus.

The Fitzwilliam Museum offers a well rounded and varied collection. It is sure to please most…read moremuseum visitors regardless of interests. If you're a fan of the work of Georges-Pierre Seurat, you're sure to enjoy the 1884 Neo-Impressionism painting, "The Couple" (original title: Un dimanche après-midi sur l'île de la Grande Jatte). Does it somehow look familiar? This was a study for A Sunday on the Island of la Grande Jatte! "This work is one of many that Georges-Pierre Seurat made in preparation for a much larger painting. The woman's stiff posture is accentuated by her tightly buttoned jacket and the exaggerated bustle of her skirt, which echoes the curve of her parasol. Given that the area of Paris depicted here was known for prostitution, it has been suggested that the woman is a sex worker on the arm of a male client." Give yourself several hours if you plan to take in the entire collection. If you are fortunate enough to live nearby and can visit often, take your time and you're sure to fall in love with one of the many wonderfully curated items found within the museum walls.

This is a wonderful quirky space. Like the attic of your eccentric uncle who travelled widely,…read morebrought back whatever he could carry, then carefully catalogued everything (idiosyncratically) and then left it for you to go through--that is, if your uncle was the entirety of the British empire. Can't say enough. You can spend days here and still be saying "did you see THAT?"

We had a great time exploring the Pitt Rivers Museum! There is SO much on display it's almost hard…read moreto take it all in. If you're an anthropology buff, this is your place. So many neat things to see and everything you can imagine, too many to list. From clothing to masks to weapons to toys all from different cultures and different times. We even saw a Totem Pole! Overall a fascinating place to visit, just wish we'd had more time to explore!

An interesting hour spent studying all sorts of scientific instruments from Babbage's difference…read moreengine, hand held calculators and a cool section of hands on experiments and instruments for kids.

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.

This is a lovely museum. It is full of fossils and alike…read more They run lots of events for children. They are also Very child friendly and dont mind excited children. Its also free.

The collection holds many geological samples collected by Charles Darwin on his voyage of the…read moreBeagle. Quite a few display cases hold personal effects such as equipment and notebooks from the voyage. As for the rest of the museum's collection, most of the rock samples are from the UK, but the most special for me were the Burgess Shale pieces; here the visitor can get a very close view which is a problem at other museums.

This is an excelent museum situated by the beautiful river. They have regualr exhibitions and…read moreduring the school holidays they have lots of activities going on for the children. Most of the things they have there are free, we recently went to a showing of reptiles which our children loved. Access is a drag if you have a pushchair or wheelchair.

What a great experiential aircraft visit in a historically significant place. The displays span the…read morecentury including spitfires, P-51's, B-52's, A-10's, SR-71, U2, and commercial aircraft like the SST. Two major display building with several hangars of planes WW2 operational planes or in process of being restored. For you yanks, this on the quality of the Smithsonian Aircraft exhibit in DC, with out all the outer space stuff.

It had been years since my last visit to Duxford. A Christmas present of tickets and an In the…read moreCockpit Spitfire Experience made a return visit a 'must do'. On arrival, and wandering around, I immediately noticed so many changes. More outlets throughout the grounds for refreshments. Prices are more than reasonable and the food very fresh having been made on site. My last visit there was only one restaurant. Also, it may sound silly, but many more toilet facilities. All a very big plus to this wonderful museum. We decided to start our visit in the Land Based War area at the very furthest point on the runway. Although there is a bus service we decided to slowly stroll the 15 minutes. This idea worked out perfectly as we finished our visit in the main hangar near the exit, tired, but having visited every area on our way back. The whole experience was an education and extremely enjoyable. The aircraft are an impressive display and the planning in setting out these huge vehicles in such small spaces incredible. This, especially, in the American hangar. Seeing the old passenger planes on the runway brought back memories of DanAir, BEA, BOAC, Monarch......all planes and companies I have flown with. Finally, my Spitfire experience was outstanding. An informative talk for 20 minutes before climbing into the cockpit of N3200. Still wonder how those pilots in flight jackets, boots and parachute managed to even move. Shown all the controls in a hands on way. It was so interesting, A fabulous day out and a would definitely advise a visit of a few hours.

Spring had sprung full of bluebells, snow drops, jonquils and a host of golden…read moredaffodils....thousands of them at Wimpole Hall gardens! A treat too good to miss, so on with the wellies and out into the cold to view carpets of yellow bobbing heads in the wind, so many different varieties - double headed, frilled and ruffled, diverse colours, small and tall - a visual feast. Once we were seeing yellow even when we blinked we moved onto the walled garden area to nab tips on how to overwinter a garden and tend to spring plants. Next was my favourite bit the working farm full of farm animals. The piggies were oinking with delight in the sunshine, tiny piglets tucked into their mum's milky tums, teen piggies squealing and tussling in the hay, absolute porkers stretched out getting some vitamin D. Working shire horses next, all enjoying a Sunday rest in their stables, majestically tall and proud. Goats watched us from their pen as we strolled over to the rabbit area where you can stroke a soft fluffy bunny :) The National Trust are doing an amazing job at Wimpole creating such a stunning environment and still a working farm. Next visit I hope to go inside Wimpole Hall to take a peek at the treasures. Interestingly the cashier at the entrance explained you can join a US based Royal Oak Foundation to gain access to National Trust properties too: https://www.royal-oak.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16989092567&gbraid=0AAAAAojR5xkph6HhxgWwr0TrOTJFbLimN&gclid=CjwKCAjw-J3OBhBuEiwAwqZ_h8aFOrcjYZKrJ52bVVUoAmKQgEiZaZPiklQqW3F1jwx77CamTcpgaxoCIoMQAvD_BwE

Wimpole Hall Estate, now in the care of the National Trust, includes a grand stately home, a…read moreworking farm, lovely gardens and grounds (excellent for long walks), a cafe, shop and bookstall, and also includes an historic parish church. The history of the site dates back 2,000 years, though the Chicheley family who owned the estate from 1428 to 1686 began the core of the house we see today. The estate then passed through the hands of a dizzying array of nobility (the Earls of Radnor, the Duke of Newcastle, the Earl of Oxford and then the Earls of Hardwicke). Philip Yorke (1690-1764), 1st Earl of Hardwicke rebuilt the north and south fronts, but is also notorious for a judgement made while he was Attorney-General, which maintained that slaves brought to the UK remained enslaved while on British soil. The house passed to Viscount Clifden in 1894, before being bought by Captain George and Mrs Elsie Bambridge in 1942. The daughter of Rudyard Kipling, Elsie used her wealth to refurbish and furnish the hall, and is largely responsible for the condition in which we find it today. The hours for viewing the house are slightly more restricted than the rest of the grounds, but it is still well worth a visit. The former stables include a shop and bookshop, and nearby in the Old Rectory (behind the church) is a very nice café, serving usual range of light meals, cakes and teas that the National Trust is well known for. My favourite part of the site is the extensive walled garden, which from spring to autumn is a riot of colour, mostly herbaceous perennials. The church is also well worth a visit; this functions as the parish church, and was largely rebuilt in the late 18th century. However, it retains a 14th century mediaeval chapel (the Chicheley Chapel) which contains an impressive array of monuments of the nobility who have owned the Hall down the years. The estate now (2025) has a large series of car parks and a new, purpose-built visitor centre with toilets, about 250m from the house. Those with accessibility needs are advised to look at the National Trust website, which has details about access.

The Brits plundered many fascinating archeological artifacts from around the world, and the…read moreBritish Museum displays some of the most famous, such as the Rosetta Stone. Admission: free Time budget: minimum 4 hours Free WiFi is available Plenty of clean bathrooms Caution: The museum has no air conditioning. I visited during a rare heat wave, and the museum was a sweat box. Also, if you don't like crowds, you won't like this museum. It gets packed early. Pre-opening tour: The museum offers for UK $35 various pre-opening tours. I took the Greece pre-opening tour. Pros: Small group of 20 before the unwashed masses crowd into the museum. Tour guides are knowledgable. Guides may offer extra time at no charge (e.g. 15-20 minutes extra). Cons: My tour guide did not enunciate or project his voice, so much of the tour was unintelligible.

Late Saturday afternoon in the summer:…read more The Good: *Admission is free! *No cattle crowd lines for security check, I basically walked up. *The new (compared to the original) Grand Courtyard is stunning and a fantastic photo op. *Enlightenment Room 1 is literally the coolest place in the summer. *The Rosetta Stone, Room 4 is a don't miss. *ditto the Tang dynasty figures and China history which was eye-opening in Room 33. Jade story was interesting too in Room 33a. The Bad: *Probably because it's free, the place is super crowded with students, elderly, tourists and large tour groups of all stripes. *The security line was empty because everyone was already inside. *Most of the rooms are hot in summer. I was sweating and clammy. I was surprised people weren't fainting due to the stuffy air. *You have about 10 seconds to see the Rosetta Stone due to the crowd who also don't want to miss it. *Enlightenment Room 1 was filled with people sitting and resting and cooling off in the library-like space. *Special exhibition-Declaring Independence, USA 250 was super small but I guess appropriate given the British lost the war. Room 3. I forgot I had already been to the British Museum 12 years ago. I think I've seen enough but maybe return in the midweek and when it isn't so hot. Sometimes the museum closes early due to the heat.