Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life

What it’s like

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

You walk through Miners Row and get a proper feel for what home life looked like for Lanarkshire's industrial workers, then wander round the machinery and displays that explain how the whole area used to run on iron and coal. It's free to get in, which for a day out with an outdoor adventure park thrown in is hard to argue with.

The adventure park with its climbing frames and slides is the bit that'll get remembered, and it's outdoors so you'll want a dry-ish day for the full effect. The museum itself is indoor and accessible though, with a lift up to the gallery and the Ironworks viewing pod, so a wet morning doesn't write off the whole visit.

Term time it's open 10am to 4pm, stretching to 5pm in the Easter, summer and October holidays. There's no need to book unless you're a group of ten or more or coming as a school, so you can just turn up. The Summerlee Cafe does breakfast and lunch, and there are picnic areas if you'd rather bring your own.

Parking on site is small with six disabled bays, and on event days the site itself says to park elsewhere and use Baird Street or Time Capsule car parks nearby, both free. One thing to flag if accessibility matters to your visit: the wheelchair-accessible tram is currently under repair.

Facilities

Need to know

Booking

Walk-ups welcome. Booking required for groups of 10+ or school visits

Parking

On-site small car park with 6 disabled spaces

Food

Summerlee Cafe offers breakfast and lunch

Wheelchairs

Fully accessible exhibition hall, lift access to gallery and Ironworks viewing pod, wheelchair-accessible tram (currently under repair)

Dogs

Assistance dogs only

Getting there by bus or train

10-minute walk from Coatbridge train and bus stops

• It's a 10-minute walk from Coatbridge train and bus stops if you're not driving
• Museum's closed 25-28 December 2026 and 1-4 January 2027
• The adventure park is outdoors, the exhibition halls are indoor and accessible

Plan your visit

Featured in 3 Huddlepin lists

See all Immersive & Touring Exhibitions in Glasgow · Things to do in Glasgow