Museums & heritage in Glasgow

Annan Gallery

Glasgow

A quiet art gallery in Glasgow where kids can wander round looking at paintings rather than touching screens.

artpistol Gallery

Glasgow

A free contemporary art gallery with paintings, prints and photography, open by appointment on weekday afternoons.

Auld Kirk Museum

Kirkintilloch

Free local museum in Kirkintilloch where kids can wander round objects of local and international significance.

Parking

Bannockburn House

Stirling

Guided tours of a historic house mid-conservation, plus garden tours and the odd living history event on weekends.

Blue badge parkingBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings

Bothwell Castle

Glasgow · ages 7-15

Red sandstone ruin on the Clyde with towers, grounds and woodland walks, though the main tower and great hall are shut for conservation.

Dog friendlyGift shopParkingPicnic area+3 more

Citizens Theatre

Glasgow · ages 14+

A backstage tour or a heritage visit for teenagers, built around productions like 1984 rather than younger kids.

Craufurdland Castle

Kilmarnock

A castle estate where kids try high ropes, archery, bushcraft, mud runs and fishing in one visit.

Crossbasket Castle, Hotel & Restaurant, an SLH Hotel

Glasgow · up to age 13

A castle stay near Glasgow where kids under 8 sleep free and you can explore the public rooms, bar and library.

Dog friendlyFree parkingFood on siteRestaurant+3 more

David Dale Gallery & Studios

Glasgow

A small contemporary art gallery in Bridgeton worth a quiet wander if your kids don't mind looking rather than touching.

ParkingPublic transport nearby

Dean Castle Country Park

Kilmarnock

Free castle rooms to poke about in and a country park to wander, with a 400m walk from car to courtyard to soften you up first.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+8 more

Discover Scotland Tours Ltd

Paisley · ages 5-15

Small-group coach tours out of Paisley to Loch Lomond, Inveraray Castle and the Highlands, with a guide talking you through it all.

Doune Castle

Doune

A proper stone castle to explore room by room with a free audio guide on your own phone.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+6 more

Dumbarton Castle

Dumbarton

A volcanic rock stronghold guarding the Clyde, with a genuine Viking sword fragment and 40 steps to earn the view.

Bike parkingCaféGift shopParking+3 more

Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum

Glasgow

Free museum tracing the history of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and its medical breakthroughs, with a small medicinal garden next door.

Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA)

Glasgow

Free Glasgow modern art gallery on Royal Exchange Square - rainy-day contemporary shows.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopToilets+1 more

Glasgow Police Museum

Glasgow

A free look at Glasgow's police history, packed into a small museum with a proper city centre location.

Glasgow Science Centre

Glasgow · ages 3+

Three floors of hands-on science exhibits, a planetarium and an IMAX screen, with the Tower currently shut.

Booking requiredPicnics allowedSensory friendlyWheelchair accessible

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

Glasgow

A working sculpture studio with drawing sessions and studio visits, not a polished gallery experience.

Bike parkingFree parking

Hunterston Castle

West Kilbride

A small-group guided tour round a genuinely old tower house, with the walled garden thrown in.

Booking requiredParking

Jackton Distillery

Glasgow

A working distillery tour and tasting experience near Glasgow, with proper access support if anyone in your group needs it.

Accessible toiletCaféHearing loopQuiet / SEN sessions+4 more

Kelburn Castle and Estate

Largs

A woodland glen estate near Largs with a secret forest, a playbarn and animal fields to explore.

CaféDog friendlyGift shopIndoor play+2 more

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Glasgow

Free West End museum with art, animals and daily organ - Soft Play N never.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+10 more

Kibble Palace

Glasgow

A free glasshouse full of odd plants to spot, plus waymarked trails through the gardens outside for younger explorers.

Blue badge parkingPublic transport nearby

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

Glasgow

A legendary Glasgow music venue where the office picks up the phone from 10am to 6pm if you want to ask what's on.

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

Motherwell

Free museum with a climbing tower and an outdoor play area with a water table, five minutes' walk from Motherwell station.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingFree parkingOutdoor play+2 more

Project Ability Ltd

Glasgow · ages 8-25

Saturday art classes in print making, painting, ceramics and textiles for young people aged 8 to 25, with printmaking workshops for disabled kids too.

Gift shopWheelchair accessible

Provan Hall

Glasgow

Free entry to a medieval house and walled garden, with weekend crafts and a nature trail to keep kids busy outdoors.

Gift shopFood on sitePicnics allowed

Provand's Lordship

Glasgow

Free Provand's Lordship - Glasgow's oldest house Soft Play N.

Baby changeParkingWheelchair accessible

Riverside Museum

Glasgow

Free Glasgow transport museum on the Clyde - cars, trams and the Tall Ship.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopToilets+2 more

Rough Castle Experiences

Falkirk · ages 8+

A woodland light trail at the Falkirk Wheel with a funfair, Santa's grotto and marshmallows over the fire, plus Segway and axe-throwing sessions for older kids.

Blue badge parkingBooking requiredDog friendlyFree parking+5 more

Royal Highland Fusiliers Regimental Museum

Glasgow

Free museum where kids can design their own medal and pore over real uniforms and memorabilia.

Accessible toiletPublic transport nearbyToiletsWheelchair accessible

Rumpus Room HQ

Glasgow

Free art, garden and play sessions for different age groups, from under-fives to teens, with no cost to join in.

Scotland Street School Museum

Glasgow

Mackintosh school museum in Glasgow - Soft Play N free.

ToiletsWheelchair accessible

Seaforce Powerboats

Glasgow · ages 2+

Fast, bouncy boat rides on the Clyde, with a doughnut-watching trip thrown in if you fancy it.

Seven Lochs Wetland Park

Glasgow

Free wetland park with trails, bug hunts and nature crafts across the Glasgow and North Lanarkshire border.

Food on site

Skelmorlie Secret Bunker

Skelmorlie

A tiny original Cold War monitoring post where veterans talk you through how a nuclear strike would have been tracked.

Booking required

St Margarets Cave

Dunfermline

A free guided tour down into the underground cave where legend says Margaret used to pray, on fixed slots across the summer.

Booking requiredCaféParking

St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art

Glasgow

Free St Mungo Museum Glasgow - Soft Play N.

Accessible toiletBaby changeDog friendlyEV charging+8 more

Street Level Photoworks

Glasgow

Free gallery of photography and lens-based art in the Merchant City, open Tuesday to Sunday with no ticket to book.

Gift shopWheelchair accessible

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life

Coatbridge

Free wander through recreated miners' rows and industrial machinery, plus an adventure park for climbing and sliding.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféParking+2 more

Sweeney's Cruise Co Loch Lomond

Alexandria · up to age 5

Loch cruises from Balloch that run from a quick hour out to a two-hour island hop, with under-5s sailing free.

Bike parkingCafé

The Falkirk Wheel

Falkirk · ages 5+

A boat trip up and over the world's only rotating boat lift, with a visitor centre and café either side of it.

Blue badge parkingCaféDog friendlyGift shop+2 more

The Glasgow Art Club

Glasgow

A working art club where kids can wander gallery rooms full of work by working artists, then try a sketching workshop.

ToiletsWi-Fi

The Govan Stones Museum

Glasgow

Free entry to see early medieval carved stones in a Govan church, with guided tours if you time it right.

Toilets

The Hunterian

Glasgow

Glasgow University museum - anatomy, science and art without Soft Play.

Accessible toiletToiletsWheelchair accessible

The Lemond Gallery / Gailearaidh Lemond

Glasgow

Free contemporary Scottish art exhibitions in a small Glasgow gallery, open 11 to 5 during show periods.

The Majestic Line (Scotland) Ltd

Dunoon · ages 12+

A small-boat cruise round the West Coast and Hebrides, with meals cooked on board and days ashore to explore.

Food on siteRestaurantWi-Fi

The Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume

Kilwinning

Costumes from the 1770s, old farming gear and a riverside walk to stretch legs after the cases.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+2 more

The National Piping Centre

Glasgow

A bagpipe museum that puts on a Santa disco, a Santa breakfast and a Hogmanay do for kids each winter.

Group bookingsParty roomsRestaurant

The Steamship Sir Walter Scott Ltd.

Callander

A cruise on a 126-year-old steamship across Loch Katrine, with bikes, a play area and two lochside cafés to fill the rest of the day.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+9 more

The Tall Ship Glenlee

Glasgow

A real Victorian cargo ship on the Clyde that kids explore deck by deck, with a free app guide and sensory backpacks on hand.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféEV charging+7 more

Timberbush Tours Glasgow

Glasgow · ages 4-16

Coach tours out of Glasgow into the Highlands and islands, with loch cruises you can bolt on if you fancy.

Group bookings

Waverley Excursions

Glasgow

A trip on a genuine paddle steamer down the Clyde, with under-fives sailing free and kids five to sixteen for just £1.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBooking requiredDog friendly+2 more

World of Wings

Glasgow · ages 0+

Flying displays of birds of prey plus hands-on owl and hawk walks, open Thursday to Sunday.

CaféGroup bookingsIndoor seatingFood on site+1 more