Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Museums directory
With winter now fully upon us, thoughts are firmly on indoor attractions. Edinburgh and the Lothians are particularly blessed with a wealth of museums, from tiny community offerings for a spare half hour to grand old favourites such as Chambers Street, which can occupy an entire day. And many are free! Here’s our handy guide to many of the museums in the region.
Bo’ness Motor Museum
Bridgeness Road, Bo’ness EH51 9JR
https://www.bonessmotormuseum.co.uk/
Opening times vary – check website
Adults £6.95, Children and Concessions £5, Family £20 (2 adults and 2 children)
01506 827007
A private collection of classic cars including vehicles and props used on TV and in movies such as James Bond and Harry Potter.
Coastal Communities Museum
School Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4JU
Opening times vary – check website
Free entry
01620 894 313
The history and pre-history of the coast is covered with an eclectic range of objects between 3,000 years and a few decades old. Dressing up and school desks are part of the activities on offer for children.
Dunbar Town House Museum
High Street, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1ER
https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210593/museums/11878/museums/2
Opening times vary – check website
Free entry
01620 820699
The 16th century Town House is home to a museum and gallery with changing historical and art exhibitions as well as a local history display. It includes an atmospheric jail cell with original prisoners’ graffiti.
John Gray Centre
15 Lodge St, Haddington, East Lothian EH41 3DX
http://www.johngraycentre.org/
Opening times vary – check website
Free entry
01620 820690
East Lothian’s history and heritage is told through “the land, the sea and the people”. Additional films, audio and artefacts and exhibitions are included through the year. Activity sheets are on hand for children.
John Muir’s Birthplace
126 High Street, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1JJ
https://www.jmbt.org.uk/
Oct to Mar – Wed to Sat 10am to 5pm and Sun 1pm to 5pm / Apr to Sep – Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm and Sun 1pm to 5pm
Free entry
01368 865 899
Explore the life of the father of National Parks in the restored house where he was born in 1838. It includes interactive displays of his childhood and move to the US, where he became one of the world’s pioneering environmentalists.
Kinneil Museum
Duchess Anne Cottages, Kinneil Estate, Bo'ness EH51 0PR
http://www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org/venues/kinneil-museum/default.aspx
Mon to Sun 12.30pm to 4pm
Free entry
01506 778530
Tells the story of Bo'ness town, built on Roman remains, as well as Kinneil Estate, with its house built by the Dukes of Hamilton and its associations with famous names from Scottish history including Mary, Queen of Scots and James Watt.
Lauriston Castle
2 Cramond Rd S, Edinburgh EH4 6AD
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/lauriston-castle
Grounds open Mon to Sun 7.30am to 8pm. Castle tour times vary – check website
Free entry to grounds. Castle - Adults £8, Concession £6 (under 5 free)
0131 336 2060
With views across the Firth of Forth, there are woodland walks and a Japanese garden. The castle allows you to see what life was like in an Edinburgh middle-class home at the beginning of the 20th century.
Military Museum Scotland
https://military-museum-scotland.business.site/
Legion Hall, Wilkieston, Kirknewton, West Lothian EH27 8DU
Opening times vary – check website
Adults £5, Children £3, Family £15 (2 adults and 3 children)
07799 565243
A hands-on military museum covering the Scottish Soldier from the First World War to the present day, including uniforms, flags and pictures.
Museum of Childhood
42 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1TG
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/museum-childhood
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Free entry
0131 529 4142
Edinburgh’s Museum of Childhood opened in 1956 as the world’s first museum dedicated to the history of childhood, it explores everything from play to home life to schooling and fashion from the mid-19th century to the present day.
Museum of Edinburgh
142-146, Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DD
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/museum-edinburgh
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Free entry
0131 529 4143
The Museum of Edinburgh is housed in the historic Huntly House, a maze of 16th century buildings on the Royal Mile and contains, among many artefacts from the history of the city, the collar and bowl of Greyfriars’ Bobby, as well as retro toys.
Museum of Scottish Railways
The Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, Bo’ness Station, Union St, Bo’ness EH51 9AQ
https://www.bkrailway.co.uk/your-visit/museum/
Opening times vary – check website
Adults £5 (£8 annual ticker), Under 16s free
01506 822298
Based at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway three large engine sheds are packed with full size locomotives, old-fashioned railway signs and interactive displays (including working points and a popular mail sorting carriage). You can climb on board many of the exhibits, from steam engines to a vintage Glasgow Subway car.
Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry
Almond Valley Heritage Trust, Millfield, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 7AR
https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/IntroPages/IntroMuseum.html
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Prices vary – check website
01506 414957
Connected to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre, the museum records the history and heritage of the shale oil industry including the mines, oil works and refineries.
Museum on the Mound
The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ
Tue to Fri 10am to 5pm
Free entry
0131 243 5464
Based in the historic Bank of Scotland Head Office, all things money are on display including a million pounds in banknotes and a safe cracking challenge.
Myreton Motor Museum, Aberlady
Aberlady, East Lothian, EH32 0PZ
https://www.myretonmotormuseum.co.uk/
Mon to Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Adults £7, Concessions £6, Children £3
07585 356 931
Myreton Motor Museum has a large collection of cars, bicycles, motor cycles and commercial vehicles as well as advertising posters, enamel signs, petrol pumps and toy vehicles dating from 1899.
National Mining Museum Scotland
Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4QN
https://nationalminingmuseum.com/
Nov to Mar – Mon to Sun 10am to 4pm / Apr to Oct – Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Prices vary – check website
0131 663 7519
Based at the Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange, the machinery needed to get the coal out of the ground and the struggles faced by miners are on display. Includes pithead tours and a chance to drive a massive winding engine.
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-flight/
Nov to Mar - Sat and Sun 10am to 4pm / Apr to Oct - Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Adults £12, Concession £10, Children (5-15) £7, Under 5s free, Family £31 (2 adults and 2 children)
0300 123 6789
Climb aboard Concorde, look round a Red Arrows Hawk or see how a cockpit works. The museum covers the history of aviation from the early 20th century to the present day and includes interactive exhibits to teach children the basics of flight.
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF
https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Free entry
0300 123 6789
From dinosaurs to space flight, the vast range of exhibitions cover every part of the life and history of Scotland and all corners of the world. Interactive attractions for children range from racing a Formula 1 car to dressing up in historical costumes.
Nelson Monument
32 Calton Hill, Edinburgh EH7 5AA
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/nelson-monument
Opening times vary – check website
Entry £5
0131 556 2716
The upturned telescope that forms the Nelson Monument includes a large ball which is lowered when the one o’clock gun is fired from Edinburgh Castle. As well as great views from the top a museum explores the role of Scots in the Battle of Trafalgar and a scale model of Nelson’s flagship ‘Victory’.
Prestongrange Museum
Morison’s Haven, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 9RX
http://www.prestongrange.org/site/
Opening times vary – check website
Free entry
0131 6532904 (Apr to Sep) 01620 820624 (Oct to Mar)
The story of industrial heritage stretching back 800 years includes giant machines such as the pit head winding gear and a Cornish beam engine, structures like a powerhouse and a vast brick kiln as well as coal wagons and a steam crane.
Queensferry Museum
53 High St, South Queensferry EH30 9HP
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/queensferry-museum
Mon to Sun 10am to 1pm and 2.15pm to 5pm
Free entry
0131 331 5545
Showcasing the history and traditions of Queensferry and Dalmeny, with stunning views out onto the Firth of Forth and the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Forth Bridge. Objects within the museum’s collections tell the story of the bridge and what it was like to work on it.
Scott Monument
East Princes St Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2EJ
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/scott-monument
Opening times and prices vary – check website
0131 529 4068
The monument to Sir Walter Scott not only gives great views over the centre of Edinburgh but is also home to a museum with information about the building as well as the author himself, all complimented by four magnificent stained-glass windows.
Surgeons’ Hall Museums
Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW
https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Adults £7, Under 16s and Concessions £4, Under 5s free
0131 527 1711/1600
Owned by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and consisting of the Wohl Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery Museum and The Dental Collection the often gory history of medical treatment is on show, including an interactive dissection table.
The Writers' Museum
Lawnmarket, Lady Stair's Close, Edinburgh EH1 2PA
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/writers-museum
Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
Free entry
0131 529 4901
The Writers’ Museum celebrates the lives of three giants of Scottish literature – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson – and includes Burns’ writing desk, the printing press on which Scott’s Waverley Novels were first produced, and the rocking horse he used as a child.
Tweeddale Museum and Gallery
Chambers Institution, High Street, Peebles, Borders EH45 8AJ
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/10711/tweeddale_museum_and_gallery
Opening times vary - check website
Free entry
01721 724820
Housed in the Chambers Institution, established by William Chambers, one of the founders of the famous publishing house, in 1859. It houses a museum and gallery which present a programme of exhibitions focussing on the Peebles area throughout the year.