Oxford
You'll find some of the most engaging, fun and educational museums in the UK here in South East England. Whether you're looking to discover more about the stars or cars, dinosaurs or boats, country or town life, there is a museum here for you. You'll find many free museums, making them a great addition to a budget-busting day out that doesn't break the bank. So if you haven't been to a museum in years, you may be interested to hear that museums in England have been transported into the 21st century.
Prepare yourself for a surprise as the South East has some of the most fun museums in England, with hundreds across the region. In place of stuffy rooms and wardens shushing for quiet, you'll find inspirational and interactive spaces with engaging and accessible exhibits from retro cars to animatronics, the chance to journey to the stars and the worlds beyond, get hands-on with history and walk in the footsteps of famous characters in history. Whether you're into heritage, art, science, maritime, or wildlife, you're bound to find something right up your street.
Car enthusiasts won’t want to miss the world-famous National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire’s New Forest. See one of the largest car collections held by any of the museums in England, with 250 cars of every age including land speed record-breakers Golden Arrow and Bluebird.
The South East is also home to world-famous Bodleian Libraries, Oxford. Not a museum in the traditional form, but the libraries are the oldest in Europe, and are the 2nd largest in the UK, only second to the British Library. Together, they hold over 13 million printed items and today offer the chance to visit and explore them, marvel at their exquisite architecture and dive into their fascinating history with a guided tour.
The D-Day Story and the LCT7074 landing craft, Portsmouth, is the only museum in the UK dedicated to the Allied Invasion in June 1944. Whilst Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is home to not only the world famous Mary Rose but also HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship. Discover Portsmouth's rich maritime history onboard some of the most famous war ships in British Naval history and find out what life was like for sailors in years gone by.
Dive into over 100 years of British transport history at Brooklands Museum, Surrey. Home to the first motor racing circuit in the world, the supersonic Concorde with tours available, simulators, bus rides and a host of other interactive experiences. The 32-acre site makes for a fascinating family day out for all ages.
The featured museums are located in the counties of South East England and demonstrate the sheer variety of interest on offer. A more detailed list can be located through the map at the bottom of this page.
Use the 'Map View' button below to find museums near you in South East England including dozens of local museums showcasing their town's proud history. Check individual listings to see which museums are open today.
Number of results: 93
, currently showing 21 to 40.
Museum
Gillingham
There is something for all the family. Zulu War items, Boer War, World Wars I and II, planes, trains, tanks, bridges, bombs, 25 galleries.
Museum
Maidstone
Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery is an exceptional regional museum housed in the gorgeous Chillington Manor, an Elizabethan manor house.
Museum
Weybridge
Brooklands Museum is on the site of the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit and houses collections of cars, motorcycles and bicycles, particular from the heyday of the track until it closed in 1939.
Museum
WEST COWES
Cowes Maritime Museum displays a selection of objects and images which help to tell the story of Cowes and its important maritime heritage.
Museum
Alton
Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire is the picturesque country cottage where Jane Austen lived. It is the most treasured Austen site in the world. It was here that Jane’s genius flourished and where she wrote, revised and had published all her…
Historic House / Palace
Southampton
Sensitive restoration has returned this house to its mid 14th century appearence steeped in atmosphere. It is easy to imagine the life of John Fortin, a wine trader, and his family who lived here c1290.
Museum
Rochester
Discover the history of Medway from pre-historic times to the present day at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester.
Museum
Chichester
Come and discover rescued traditional rural buildings set in a beautiful landscape, which tell the stories of the men, women and children who lived and worked in them over a 950-year period.
Museum
Gosport
A representational Hampshire village set in the year 1642. Timber and thatched buildings, occupants dressed and speak in 17thC style.
Museum
Paddock Wood
A collection of well-preserved Victorian oast houses, home to the Hop Story Museum and the famous grey and black shire horses. 'Decades experience,' Indoor adventure playground and nature trail.
Museum
Winchester
The Gurkha Museum takes you on a journey of discovery through the history of Gurkhas in British service.
Museum
Southampton
Southampton Stories is an exhibition inside SeaCity Museum, that tells the stories of the city's rich maritime history, its local history, its people, archaeology, and the events and activities that have impacted the city through time.
Museum
Bexhill-on-Sea
It’s curious, it’s quirky, it’s packed to the rafters with diverse objects with a surprise in every cabinet and around every corner.
Historic House / Palace
Edenbridge
Childhood home of Anne Boleyn and later of Lord Astor.
Museum
Southsea, Portsmouth
See the flora and fauna of Portsmouth at Cumberland House - the Natural History Museum.
Historic House / Palace
Milton Keynes
Once Britain’s Best Kept Secret, today Bletchley Park is a heritage site and vibrant tourist attraction. Open daily, visitors can explore some of the iconic WW2 Codebreaking Huts and Blocks and marvel at the astonishing achievements of the…
Museum
Brighton
This fascinating museum houses exhibits that include hundreds of British birds displayed in recreated natural settings, insects from butterflies to beetles, a killer whale skeleton and dinosaur bones
Museums & Galleries
Andover
Housed in a Georgian town house built in the 1750s, Andover Museum tells the story of the town and its surrounding area from prehistoric times to the present day.
Arts Centre
Winchester
A vibrant and versatile gallery space hosting a changing programme of exhibits to celebrate the best of Winchester's thriving arts and heritage scene.
History and Heritage
Witney
Cogges Manor Farm is a living landscape with over 1,000 years of history and 17 acres of open space to explore. The beautiful Cotswold stone 13th century manor house, farmyard and garden pay testimony to the generations of people who have worked the…
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