CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED
Museums in Plymouth
Plymouth's own museum picks are close in and easy to fold into a morning. Devonport Naval Heritage Centre, about three km out, is free and gets you into Devonport Dockyard's story, though it only opens two slots a week so plan ahead. Bridging the Tamar Visitor Centre, five km from the centre, is also free and lets you walk the bridge itself while reading up on how it was built. For something more hands-on, ClayArt in the centre has you painting your own pottery over a two-hour session, from £10. If you want free days out, Devonport and the Tamar centre cost nothing, and Liskeard Museum, a drive out to Liskeard, is free too with a Victorian classroom and dressing-up for younger children. Toddlers do better with the tactile stuff at ClayArt or the Tamar walk, while older kids will get more from Devonport's naval history or a longer trip out to Discovering42 in Bodmin, where a timed two-hour slot covers hands-on science for ages up to 17. Most of these are indoor, so a wet day in Plymouth still works.
11 places 4 free to visit
FreeBridging the Tamar Visitor Centre
Plymouth
Free entry to walk the flat cantilever of the Tamar Bridge and dig into the exhibits on how it was built.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBooking requiredDog friendly+5 more
FreeBrixham Heritage Museum
Brixham
A small, free local museum in Brixham with a fishing and maritime history that's easy to fit around a harbour walk.
from £10ClayArt
Plymouth
Pick a piece of pottery and paint it yourself, with sessions running about two hours.
Birthday partiesGroup bookingsIndoor seating
from £4.50Dartmouth Museum
Dartmouth
A small town museum where kids can be locked in the stocks, hunt through drawers and peer down microscopes.
Gift shopSchool visits
FreeDevonport Naval Heritage Centre
Plymouth
Free naval history museum with guided tours through Devonport Dockyard's story, open just two slots a week.
CaféCash onlyFree parking
from £4Discovering42
Bodmin · ages 0-17
Hands-on science exhibits, from a bike-powered record player to water that runs backwards, in a two-hour timed slot.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBooking requiredCafé+4 more
from £4Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum
Kingsbridge
A quiet browse through Kingsbridge's past, from old photographs to Cookworthy porcelain and farm tools.
Accessible toiletGift shopToilets
FreeLiskeard Museum
Liskeard
Free entry to a Victorian classroom, dressing-up costumes and Cornish archaeology sessions in the heart of Liskeard.
Wheelchair accessible
from £2Museum of Dartmoor Life
Okehampton
Five thousand years of Dartmoor history in one building, from Iron Age hut circles to Victorian farm life, with a ticket that lasts a whole year.
Accessible toiletBike parkingDog friendlyParking+4 more
from £4Port Eliot House & Gardens
Saltash
A Grade-I listed priory remodelled by Sir John Soane, with guided house tours and gardens you can wander on their own ticket.
CaféGift shopFood on siteParking+1 more
from £6Valiant Soldier
Buckfastleigh
A step back into a Victorian pub frozen in time, with a virtual reality tour and local history exhibits in Buckfastleigh.
Gift shopGroup bookings
Good to know: museums in Plymouth
Are any of them free?
Yes, Bridging the Tamar Visitor Centre, Brixham Heritage Museum, Devonport Naval Heritage Centre and Liskeard Museum are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £2 at Museum of Dartmoor Life. 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 museums in Plymouth, Brixham, Dartmouth, Bodmin, Kingsbridge and 4 more. Every place we list is in or around Plymouth, and each listing has the full address and directions.
More ways to plan a day out
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