CATEGORY · A HUDDLEPIN LIST
Museums & heritage in Southampton
Castles, caves, windmills and museums that don't feel like homework.
32 places 5 free to visit
FreeArches Studios
Southampton
Free exhibitions and talks in a gallery space, an easy wander if you're near Woolston or Southampton Central.
from £10.50Army Flying Museum
Stockbridge
Wander among more than 35 real aircraft, from helicopters to gliders, with an outdoor play area and soft play to burn a rainy afternoon on.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingBooking required+14 more
Breamore House
Fordingbridge
A timed tour round an Elizabethan mansion from 1583, a thousand-year-old yew tree outside, and a farm shop and countryside museum to wander after.
Café
Carisbrooke Castle
Newport
A hilltop castle where you climb to a Norman shell keep and watch donkeys turn a working water wheel.
CaféGift shopGroup bookingsFood on site+4 more
from £6Chawton House
Alton · ages 6-16
A Jane Austen era house and gardens with self-guided tours, trails and craft days built for kids aged six to sixteen.
CaféDog friendlyGroup bookingsParking+3 more
from £7Chichester Ship Canal
Chichester
A gentle stretch of towpath and water where you can walk, paddle, canoe or take a narrow boat trip.
Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+6 more
Coastal Gallery
Southampton
A quiet weekend browse round contemporary artwork by local and leading artists, open Saturdays and Sundays only.
from £6.50Exbury House
Southampton · ages 3+
200 acres of woodland gardens plus a steam train that runs six times a day, with proper rhododendrons in spring.
Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféCard only+9 more
from £26Haven Street Station
Ryde
A steam train ride out to Wootton and back, with a Discovery Centre where kids can dress up as driver or guard.
Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+12 more
from £4.95Hengistbury Head Land Train
Bournemouth · up to age 1
A land train shuttles you along the headland between Broadway and Mudeford Spit, with harbour and Priory views the whole way.
Card only
from £3.50Highcliffe Castle
Christchurch · ages 5+
A clifftop castle with grounds to roam, craft activities and a scavenger hunt for older kids to get their teeth into.
Bike parkingBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+5 more
from £13.60Hovertravel | Ryde
Ryde
A ten-minute hovercraft hop across the Solent that's the ride itself, not just the way there.
Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingChanging PlacesDog friendly+2 more
from £6.50Hurst Castle
Lymington · ages 5-17
You get here by a twenty-minute ferry across the saltmarsh or a two-mile walk along the shingle spit, then there's a whole Tudor fortress to explore.
CaféDog friendlyGroup bookingsIndoor seating+4 more
FreeIsle Of Wight Observatory
Sandown
Free Thursday-night stargazing through telescopes, with a fixed dome scope alongside portable ones you can look through outside.
FreeNew Forest Heritage Centre
Lyndhurst
Free museum trails and activity sheets on the New Forest's history, with sensory bags to borrow and a dog-friendly café to finish in.
Accessible toiletAllergy awareBaby changeBike parking+14 more
from £8.50Pallant House Gallery
Chichester · ages 0-18
An art gallery in a historic house and modern wing where under-18s get in free and there's a trail to hunt for hidden objects.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+9 more
from £3.90Poole Park Railway
Poole · up to age 2
A slow loop of Poole Park's lake on a miniature steam-style railway, over almost as soon as it's begun but a proper hit with under-fives.
Card onlyDog friendlyPushchair friendlyWheelchair accessible
from £2Portsmouth Natural History Museum
Portsmouth · ages 0-13
A dinosaur, a Butterfly House and an A-Z of natural history under one small Southsea roof.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingFree parking+5 more
FreeRoyal Armouries: Fort Nelson
Fareham · ages 0-15
Free entry to a real 19th-century fort stuffed with enormous cannon, including a 200-tonne railway howitzer, up on the hill above Fareham.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+4 more
FreeRoyal Hampshire Regiment Museum
Winchester
Try on a real uniform and handle genuine artefacts while tracing the regiment's history from 1702 to now, free of charge.
Gift shopGroup bookings
Seafin Luxury Charters
Southampton
A private charter off Southampton for jet-skiing, paddle boarding and swimming at anchor, with the jet skis reserved for over-18s.
Food on siteParty roomsVegetarian options
from £3Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum
Newport
Cabinets full of gold coins, cannon and diving gear pulled from real shipwrecks, tucked inside a craft village near Newport.
Free parking
from £9Solent Cruises
Cowes
Boat trips from Cowes across the Solent, from a harbour tour past naval ships to a full day out shopping in Portsmouth.
Dog friendlyGroup bookingsWheelchair accessible
South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre
Chichester
Sit under an 11 metre dome for a show on the heavens, then get a go on solar telescopes by day or star-gazing telescopes after dark.
Southampton RIB Charter
Southampton
Skippered RIB boat charters out of Southampton for groups of friends or family, booked by the half or full day.
Booking required
from £6The Brickworks Museum
Southampton
A working brickworks turned museum, with a Penny Arcade, a 3D tour and 125 years of brickmaking history to poke around in.
Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféFree parking+3 more
from £6.65The D-Day Story
Portsmouth
A Second World War museum with a family trail on the French Resistance, plus a real tank landing craft to climb aboard on Southsea seafront.
Accessible toiletAllergy awareBlue badge parkingCafé+10 more
The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre
Havant
A theatre, gallery and workshop space in Havant with dance classes, life drawing, comedy and touring shows under one roof.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+1 more
from £4Wight Military and Heritage Museum
Cowes · ages 5-15
Guided tours, an air rifle range and a chance to operate a bomb disposal robot make this a hands-on military museum rather than a look-don't-touch one.
Gift shopFood on sitePublic transport nearby
from £5.50Winchester City Museum
Winchester · ages 5+
A three-floor trip through Winchester's past, from Iron Age trade to a huge Victorian model of the city.
Dog friendlyGift shopSchool visitsToilets+1 more
from £24.75Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium
Winchester · ages 3-12
Two floors of hands-on science exhibits, a planetarium show and outdoor Play Wild exhibits, with explosive live demos thrown in.
Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBlue badge parkingBooking required+12 more
from £5Winchester's Military Museums
Winchester
Six separate regimental museums on one site in Winchester, covering medals, uniforms and military history from cavalry to Gurkha regiments.
Public transport nearby
Good to know: museums & heritage in Southampton
Are any of them free?
Yes, Arches Studios, Isle Of Wight Observatory, New Forest Heritage Centre, Royal Armouries: Fort Nelson and 1 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £2 at Portsmouth Natural History Museum. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Which ones are indoor?
Pallant House Gallery, Portsmouth Natural History Museum, Winchester City Museum and Winchester's Military Museums are indoor, good to keep up your sleeve for a rainy day.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find museums & heritage in Southampton, Stockbridge, Fordingbridge, Newport, Alton and 13 more. Every place we list is in or around Southampton, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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