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Science & Discovery Centres in Leicester
The National Space Centre is the big one, about two kilometres out with a planetarium and rockets to climb through, tickets from £20. Closer to the centre and free to get into, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery on New Walk has dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt, though some galleries are shut for redevelopment. Abbey Pumping Station is also free but only opens on holiday Mondays and event days, so check the calendar before you set off. For something further afield, a drive out to Nottingham brings Wollaton Hall's dinosaur gallery and deer park (from £18), the free Green's Windmill & Science Centre, and the volunteer-run Nottingham Industrial Museum with its monthly Steaming Days. Conkers, out at Moira, is the one for outdoor energy, with rope trails and a splash park from £7.25. If you fancy a longer trip, Derby's Museum of Making is free, and Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham lets older children see where Newton's apple actually fell.
10 places 6 free to visit
FreeAbbey Pumping Station
Leicester
Industrial museum with beam engines and vintage vehicles - free entry, but only open on holiday Mondays and special event days.
ToiletsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor playPicnic area+3 more
from £7.25Conkers Discovery Centre
Moira · ages 3+
A big woodland day out with rope trails, a splash park, a barefoot walk and an indoor play house for the rainy bits.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBooking required+15 more
FreeGreen's Windmill & Science Centre
Nottingham · ages 0+
Free-entry restored windmill, science centre and garden in Nottingham, climb the mill (when not under repair), try science experiments, and let the kids run round the community garden.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+6 more
FreeLeicester Museum & Art Gallery
Leicester
Free museum on New Walk with dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt and Leicester Stories - some galleries shut for redevelopment.
Blue badge parkingGroup bookingsLockersPicnic area+4 more
FreeMuseum of Making
Derby · ages 0+
Free entry to a museum built on Derby's 300 years of making, with workshops and maker spaces to poke around in.
Bike parkingBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+3 more
Coming soonNational Gas Museum
Leicester
Free gas-history museum with 500+ exhibits - temporarily closed until 13 October 2026 for maintenance works.
ToiletsFree parkingBike parking
from £20National Space Centre
Leicester · ages 0+
A planetarium show, rockets to climb through and hands-on galleries about space, all under one roof in Leicester.
Booking requiredCaféGift shopParking+8 more
FreeNottingham Industrial Museum
Nottingham
Volunteer-run heritage museum in Wollaton Hall's stables, free entry for accompanied kids, five hands-on galleries, and monthly Steaming Days when the engines actually run.
CaféGift shopGroup bookingsFood on site+2 more
from £18Wollaton Hall & Deer Park
Nottingham · ages 0-15
A dinosaur gallery inside a Grade I mansion, plus 500 acres of deer park to walk off the museum legs.
Baby changeBlue badge parkingBottle warmingBreastfeeding friendly+13 more
from £7.13Woolsthorpe Manor
Grantham · ages 5-17
The actual house where Newton watched an apple fall and split light with a prism, plus a hands-on science centre in the grounds.
ToiletsCaféGift shopParking
Good to know: science & discovery centres in Leicester
Are any of them free?
Yes, Abbey Pumping Station, Green's Windmill & Science Centre, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Museum of Making and 2 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £7.13 at Woolsthorpe Manor. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find science & discovery centres in Leicester, Moira, Nottingham, Derby and Grantham. Every place we list is in or around Leicester, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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