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.

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

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.

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.

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!

I went to Glasgow Uni for four years and I didn't notice this place until 2014, eight years after…read moreI'd graduated! It's hidden away inside the Zoology department but is open to the public Monday to Friday. The museum one large room full of taxidermy, insects, birds, shells, coral and lots of other things. Like a giant sea turtle suspended from the ceiling. There are also a few live specimens so look out for those. I can imagine this being a great setting for a B movie about an escaped tarantula. It does look and feel like nothing has changed since the 50s! Definitely an interesting place for a look around if you're nearby or visiting the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery and of course if you have an interest in natural history.

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.

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

Did you know that in Glasgow we have the tallest tower in Scotland? And that it's also the only…read morebuilding in the world capable of fully rotating itself? (#Guinessrecordandall) No? Me neither. That is, before I had a science-loving friend from Poland visit this weekend and he insisted we go check this tower out. At first, we thought it was closed. To be fair, it does look closed from the outside. The reason is, of course, there is a secret passage from the Glasgow Science Centre. Whoa, I know. We managed to find this passage and got to go up. We were quite lucky, because it was a sunny bright day and the last day of the tower being open before it closes for winter. Good timing, huh? As I wasn't really expecting much apart from a pretty view, I was pretty impressed. A tower that can fully rotate? And it only takes a single 6kW motor (equivalent of 6 microwaves, ha!)? Cool! The view from the top was great and we were able to see quite a lot, due to the nice weather. The staff was really nice and ready to answer all of our questions ("What are those rotundas on each side of Clyde for? And "Why isn't the tunnel between them open anymore?" - Learning new exciting facts about Glasgow every day!) and seemed to really enjoy their job. I'm so glad I went, I love to explore new places!

Like so many people, I thought the tower was still closed. This is due to when it first opened…read moremany years ago they had to close it shortly after due it being built on ground that was subsiding. Thankfully that's sorted now. It was a lovely sunny day so I decided to head up. You can pay to just go up the tower, I thought you could only do it as part of the science centre ticket. You head in through the science centre, get your ticket and head towards the cafe. You then head down a ramp to the base of the tower. I had booked my ticket but only had to wait about 5 minutes before my tour began, there was lots of info to read up on whilst you waited. The tour started, the tour guide explained all the the facts about the tower and how it is the only free standing tower that can rotate 360 degrees in the world (Guinness book of records certificate in the wall to prove it) the tower is 127 metres tall. After all the information, we entered the glass lift, the lift is small and can only fit 6 people at a time. The lift takes about 2 minutes to get to the top. Once at the top you get out into the pod. The views are amazing and on a clear day you can see as far as the hills. As it was sunny the pod heats up quickly, so you don't want to hang about too long. I'd say that the full trip takes about 30 minutes and is well worth a visit.

For me, the Kelvin Walkway is the highlight of the West End and one of the main reasons I love…read moreliving here. It's just a wonderful corridor of greenery to wander through and transport yourself away from traffic noise and pollution. Mind you, it wasn't always like this - in Victorian times and before the Kelvin was very much a working river and was extremely polluted, and it's only really in the latter years of the 20th Century that it was properly cleaned up and transformed into a walking route. The Kelvin is Glasgow's 'other' river and I recommend the book of the same name by Alex Matheson if you want to know more about the history of the river. The walkway is great for accessing the Botanic Gardens or Kelvingrove Park, and a pleasant walk into town is to take the walkway round the back of the Museum & Art Gallery then cut through Kelvingrove Park and along Clairmont Gardens and Woodside Place, which brings you out nicely at Charing Cross without encountering much traffic. I live within a mile of its downstream efflux into the Clyde, and I just adore the fact that I could step out of my front door and end up in Fort William by following the Kelvin Walkway to Milngavie and then joining the West Highland Way. How does Bilbo's song go? The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way, Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. Definitely on my bucket list - I may not make it as far as Fort William but Milngavie station is a definite possibility!

A simply gorgeous part of Glasgow to explore - I only knew of a small part of this walkway until…read moreSara T took us on a west end wander further north from Inn Deep up to Queen Margaret Drive. What a delight the walkway is - leafy, lush and somewhat like a rainforest. You'd never knew you were in the middle of a city when you're wandering along. There's some delights to discover along the way, including the mills and at the right time of year, loads of wild garlic. If you've never been before, it's a must for any Glasgow resident for a lovely weekend wander.

I've been promising myself a visit to Scotland Street School Museum for what seems like forever and…read moreit didn't disappoint. I thought it would be interesting on two levels, one being the architecture and designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh who designed the building and whose trademark touches are everywhere. The second being the museum which showed what school was like way way back in the good old days. While I don't see myself as particularly ancient, it was a shock to the system that much of the school had a familiar feel, including the cloakrooms, the desks complete with chewing gum, and yes even the ink wells! I remember getting in quite an inky mess with those wood and metal quill pens and open ink pots back in the day. We quickly upgraded to fountain pens thankfully. The domestic science room was vast and well equipped and made me want to crack open a cook book and start baking immediately. A cookbook lay open on one of the tables and I wondered aloud if it was the famous Glasgow Cook Book. It was, and whats more it was open at a page of entirely vegetarian friendly recipes. Huzzah! The Glasgow Cookery Book started its life in 1910 as the textbook of The Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science and is apparently a much loved and often reprinted tome. I plan to buy one for myself. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and would recommend it to everyone. The building is stunning, the museum is fun and there was a fabulous wildlife photography exhibition running in one of the upstairs rooms. A nice bonus. Entry was free (donations welcome and well deserved), the staff were enthusiastic and welcoming, and the parking unexpectedly turned out to be free! We had parked across the road in Shields Road Subway Park and Ride. A voucher from the museum staff allowed us to get our parking ticket validated free of charge at the station. Afterwards we caught the subway into Glasgow city centre and only had to pay for the travel and not the parking. How lovely!

As mentioned by a previous reviewer Scotland Street School Museum is a favourite for day trips with…read moreprimary schools. I always found it a little bit eerie as a child but now that I'm older I can appreciate it more. Architecturally this building is beautiful and was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh between 1903 and 1906 and is Scotland's' only museum dedicated to the countries educational history. The main attractions are three classrooms which have been set up exactly how they would have looked during Victorian times, WW2 and the 50s/60s. When you see these dull and dingy little classrooms it certainly makes you appreciate the airy contemporary classrooms of modern times! You can listen to former pupils who attended the school over different decades talk about their time at school covering areas such as discipline, playground games (such as hopscotch and skipping games which you get to have a go at yourself), school uniform and evacuation during WW2. This is a great day out for kids as it is very interactive and it is made very easy for them to imagine what being at school was like for their ancestors. Adults will enjoy it too but will have the added pleasure of appreciating the beauty of the building itself which will most likely escape the attention of the kids!