Excellent experience learning about the history of Douglas and the Isle of Man. Enjoyed seeing the…read morehistory of the famous Isle of Man TT race and seeing the trophies

A great little museum and its Free. All you need to know about IOM divided into pleasing little…read morespaces. There is a nice film on Tynwald and some great costumes from war campaigns. The wildlife section is right at the end and has the best comfortable chairs to sink into just as you need them before attacking the gift shop. We did an hour and half and were well tired after an hour. God love the Vikings for making IOM what it is today.

Visited the Mill on the Fleet today and thought it was awesome. The surrounding area is stunning…read moreand the building with the old mill wheel turning is lovely from the outside. The Mill building houses a little shop and cafe on the ground floor. When you head up to the first floor (with lift access) there is a museum detailing the history of the Mill. There are lots of information boards and interactive displays. Great for engaging kids. Plus there is a dressing up section for the children. But the magic really happens when you reach the top floor. There is a little gallery space with local art which is great to wander round. However, the show is really stolen by the 'book shop'. I have never seen so many books piled up. It is like a labyrinth of nooks and crannies with walls of every type of book you could imagine. I am not articulate enough to find the right words but it is like something out a story book. The staff are very friendly and helpful and never moaned once as we spent ages wandering round looking at everything and touching lots of books! Unfortunately I had not take my purse as there were lots of little treasures I would have loved to have bought. All very reasonably priced too. Plus, there was a children's section with big cushions on the floor. I will definitely be back. Gatehouse of Fleet is one of my favorite places and the Mill just adds to it's draw.

This place is brilliant…read more Gatehouse is where my parents live, and its really beautiful. The Mill on the Fleet is an old mill, as the name suggests, inside theyve got a pretty good little museum, but the real treat I found was the awesome bookshop at the top floor. You will never have seen a bookshop quite like it! It is chaos, piles and piles of old books form corridors of, yes you guessed it, books!! If you've got time to burn and you're a book fan, this is an absolute must!!!!!

Definitely more suited to children and teens. The videos felt old and tired and Manannon's voice…read moredreary. We were in an out in 30 mins. Good to do while waiting for Peel Castle to Open. The highlight was the Longboat that had sailed down a few years ago.

The second big Tourist Attraction in Peel is the House of Manannan. This large and detailed museum…read moreis the ideal place for a rainy day on the island - but even if the sun is shining, it is worth to come here and have a look at the very good exhibition. We came here on a sunny day and stayed much longer than intended because it was fun exploring the different rooms and stories behind the objects. The museum shows the history of the Isle of Man more or less in chronical order, but instead of using big boring signposts, the curator chose a more interesting approach. Each room depicts scenes from the life on the island. For example you can explore the interior of a Celtic roundhouse or a Viking longhouse, all with different scenes depicting everyday live. Some figures tell stories about how life was at this time and if you touch some of the exhibits there are short films about the history of the person linked to it. One of the most interesting exhibits is a real Viking ship. It was built in Norway and a crew of adventurous Norse and Manxmen sailed the ship down to the Isle of Man to commemorate the Millennium Year 1979 of the first Tynwald in 979. You can walk round the whole ship and read all about the 1500 mile journey and how the crew had to learn to live and think like real Vikings to brave the seas and overcome storms and even a capsize of the open boat. We really enjoyed our visit here and would recommend this place to anybody coming to the Isle of Man. You can learn so many new things about Celtic, Viking and Manx history and even have a lot of fun - perfect!

Cradle of Christianity Whithorn is famous as the site where…read moreSt Ninian founded the first ever Christian Church in Scotland. Traditionally, the White Church here was dated to 397 AD, and the archaeological evidence supports the existence of a very early Christian community, sophisticated, literate, and importing goods and ideas from Europe. Later, Whithorn became the centre of a network of pilgrimage routes, leading from all over Scotland and the Irish Sea; by the High Middle Ages, St Ninian's (http://www.qype.com/place/479679-St-Ninians-Priory-Newton-Stewart) healing powers drew Robert the Bruce in search of a cure for his leprosy and, every year, James IV, right up to the Battle of Flodden, 1513. Whithorn's Georgian buildings have respected the old mediaeval layout of the town, narrow at both ends to house the burgesses' cattle and markets. Whithorn is still a centre for the South Machars, retaining many small shops and family businesses. More recent, surprising celebrities are marked by a series of plaques, which you can follow round the town, including one of the founders of Esso, the Scots poet J.K. Annand, poet and Spanish translator, Alastair Reid, and a Spanish Civil War veteran. Many visitors will recognise film locations used in the cult Wicker Man film, with local residents as extras.

At the IOM Steam Railway's final stop, Port Erin, you'll find the lovely railway museum…read more You will find retired steam engines and a souvenir shop, along with one-of-a-kind items like the carriages Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother rode in on visits to the Isle; a steam train simulator (just £5 for 15 minutes and a load of fun); old maps; train sets; memorabilia; and other train ephemera. I recommend going on -- of all times -- Sunday morning ... that's when you will find the museum experts on duty and available for guided tours. We missed it the first time to Port Erin, but not the second time .... awesome! The incredible part, to me is it only costs £2 for adults and £1 for kids. Two weeks in the UK, and this is by far the least expensive museum we've been to. And worth every penny.

The Port Erin railway museum is directly at the end of the tracks for the Isle of Man steam train…read moreline in Port Erin. The museum is a great place to pickup railway souvenirs and post cards as well as Isle of Man themed post cards or gifts. They also have a nice collection of Thomas the tank engine items which we may have purchased a bit too many for my son. The museum itself is definitely worth seeing, especially for the low trivial cost of 1 GBP. The museum has two retired locomotives as well as a few of the actual railway cars used through the years. It has an interesting history of the trains on the Island. I would highly recommend a stop to visit this museum if you are in Port Erin.

great place to take kids that love rocks and crystals! very good cafe too! highly recommend!read more

Great fun for familys. A mueum all about the finding, extracting and uses of gems. There is even a…read morelittle lab that you can overview persons at work making jewellery with many gems. The best part of this museum is the interactive tunnels where you see many gems, and get the feel of gem mining. Go Go GO...its a great wee find. Cafe for eating.basic but good food.

I'm a bit conflicted on this. I came here with a group of US students. For them, the Burns museum…read morewas a bust- even after I tried to prepare them. For Scottish children- and maybe young Scottish children- it might be wonderful. For American teens, not so much. I loved it- but I'm an adult and I love Burns' poetry. So it was a great treat for me. There's a little tram you can ride if you have a disability that gets you between the home/museum and the visitor center/cafe/shop. I really, really, liked the visitors center- the food was great, the museum had lovely items, and there are playgrounds out back- perfect for picnics and walks. My teens did like that! And there are maps out there for you, so you don't get lost. The gardens all around are sheer gorgeous. And of course you MUST walk to Brig O'Doon- which is beautiful. My students, of course, had to climb down by the bank and got into something like nettles- so don't let your kids loose near the bank (for many reasons, not the least of which is nettles). Honestly, I didn't expect them to go off the path, but more fool me! Take lots of pictures and maybe read Tam O'Shanter before your visit. We had a guide trying to recite it to our kids while we were there, and that didn't work too well. Read it before hand.

Lovely spot for a stroll around the gardens behind the museum cafe, and then down through the…read moremonument gardens to the famous Brig O'Doon. Loved climbing up into the monument itself for a brilliant view and a lovely spot for a photo opportunity. Well heck the whole place is just one big photo opportunity including the bridge obviously, but also the Auld Kirk where the ghostly tale of Tam O'Shanter is famously set. Best way to experience the place is to park up at the museum (or Burns Cottage) and plan a circular route taking in the poet's path between the museum and Burns Cottage and include the Auld Kirk, monument gardens and brig. There's a big map outside the museum so its easy to figure out. The route is mainly flat and easy to navigate. The Bridge is cobbled and can be a bit slippery. The museum part itself requires an entry fee or National Trust membership. Its small and very engaging but incredibly dark which might not suit everyone especially those with visual challenges. The gardens, cafe and gift shop are accessible to all whether or not you have bought a ticket to the museum. The cafe offers haggis neeps and tatties, including a vegetarian version which is totally yum! Free and charged-for events throughout the year. Check their facebook or website for info. Tip: If you go to the rear of the Brig O'Doon Hotel, open the gate and head down into their gardens you get to walk along the river and get another iconic photo opportunity. Public access is allowed.

What a great little historic village. The people manning the buildings were knowledgable, and made…read moreyou feel Ike you were in the time when the village was in its prime. little details like burning peat in the fireplace,a nod spinning wool from the loghton sheep made it all very real. The buildings are well maintained with actual rope tied thatched roofs. All very interesting. A picturesque village well worth visiting.