Step back in time: Living history museums for fun family days out
Travel through time and immerse yourself in the past at these living history museums across the UK.
Looking for things to do with kids over the Christmas holidays? Living history museums make great family days out, offering lots of fun activities to keep everyone entertained – and with the added bonus of learning a thing or two about history along the way.
All of the museums on this list offer immersive, educational experiences for all ages, with many featuring actors in period costume to truly bring history to life.
Whether you want to learn about traditional skills and crafts, interact with historical characters or coo over cute farm animals, these museums promise engaging, entertaining days out for families.
Psst… with a National Art Pass, you’ll get great offers at every venue on this list, so don’t forget to pack yours. Taking young ones? Make sure to add Plus Kids to your Art Fund membership so you can enjoy great savings together.
Discover family days out over the Christmas holidays at these history museums with a National Art Pass
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
Step into Christmas past at Beamish, where Georgian homes, a 1900s town, a 1940s farm and a 1950s street are brought to life with period decorations and seasonal displays. Explore shops and homes, try hands-on activities, and follow the Christmouse Trail. Families can browse sweet and toy shops or take a period-style photo. With festive music, food and decorations throughout the site, it offers an engaging and varied day out for all ages this festive season.
Blists Hill Victorian Town
Walk like a Victorian at Blists Hill Victorian Town and discover what life was like at the start of the 20th century. Highlights include browsing the unusual remedies on offer at the chemist, climbing aboard a train to the mine, or taking a ride on traditional fairground attractions. Along the way, meet the town’s residents, dressed in period costume, who will guide you and demonstrate their crafts. Over Christmas, the streets are brought to life with festive decorations and seasonal entertainment.
St Fagans National Museum of History
Discover the stories of everyday life through time at St Fagans, one of Wales’s most popular heritage attractions. Explore more than 40 original historic houses and buildings from different periods, including a Tudor merchant’s house, an 18th-century woollen mill and a 1920s tailor’s shop. Watch traditional craftspeople demonstrate skills in their workshops, from clog makers to blacksmiths, and enjoy festive displays and seasonal activities across the site.
Milestones Museum
Stroll along cobbled streets lined with historic buildings, visit a 1940s sweet shop, admire vintage cars or explore the amusement arcades on the boardwalk at Milestones, Hampshire’s museum of living history. Discover what life was like in Hampshire from the Victorian era onwards, explore the historic shops and homes, and take part in seasonal events at the Christmas Market. Visitors can enjoy festive treats, live music and a range of family-friendly activities across the site.
Ulster American Folk Park
Learn about life in rural Ulster and discover how thousands of local people embarked on the dangerous journey to North America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Climb aboard a replica of the Brig Union ship that emigrants travelled on, hear stories from costumed guides, watch demonstrations of traditional crafts, and sample Irish foods of the time. During the festive season, the park is brought to life with Christmas decorations, seasonal foods and family-friendly activities.
Leicester Guildhall
Marvel at this Grade I listed guildhall with over 600 years of history, one of the oldest civic buildings in the country. Walk through the Great Hall and trace the steps of Richard III and, reportedly, William Shakespeare. Peek through the prison cell bars where notorious local pickpockets Crankie Gemmie and Emma Smith were held. In the Medieval Galleries, visitors can dress up and explore the medieval town’s streets. At Christmas, enjoy a programme of seasonal events.
National Mining Museum Scotland
This award-winning visitor attraction tells the story of the mining industry and is home to one of the finest surviving collieries in Europe, where more than 120 pit ponies helped produce 40 million tons of coal. Take a guided tour led by an ex-miner for an authentic experience of the noisy mines. During the festive season, visitors can enjoy a programme of seasonal events, while children can pop into Santa’s Grotto.