The National History Museum at Tring is a great free museum near Milton Keynes. It’s a museum that houses 4000 dead animals, spread over a couple of floors. I have lovely fond memories of days out with my dad here, we always used to go here if my mum wasn’t around – I later found out that’s because she thought a museum of 4000 dead animals was a bit weird. Yes, The National History Museum at Tring is a little bit weird, but it’s a great free day out.
The animals were collected by Walter Rothschild from when he was a child and then opened a private museum in 1892 to house them all. After he died the museum was gifted to the public so that everyone could visit. The museum is spread over a couple of floors, and there are lifts – but it’s not easy to navigate around with a pushchair.
There are 6 galleries to visit in the museum – when we visited gallery 2 was the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Highlights, which was included within our entry to the museum. Each gallery is packed with different animals, most of them behind glass. There are also a few drawers you can open with different insects in. My two-year-old spent most of her time running around pointing out the different animals that she saw – she had a great time!
There was also the Rothschild Room where you could learn more about Walter Rothschild, explore with interactive maps and see the life-sized replica of a giant tortoise.
There are lots of things to do for kids around the museum. You can buy a trail for £1 from the shop to find different things in the museum, and we found several boxes of dressing up as animals around – which Ivy loved! There was also a quiet corner upstairs with a few kids books on animals that we enjoyed sitting and reading through.
There is a cafe at the National History Museum at Tring that’s open 10am – 4pm, as well as an outdoor picnic area with a small assault course. The museum is also a short walk into Tring town centre where there’s a range of cafes and restaurants.
I really loved our visit to The National History Museum at Tring, it’s always been one of my favourite days out since I was young. My 2-year-old was too young to really take in much of the information, but she still loved it all the same and enjoyed seeing the different animals and pointing out the ones she knew. I was amazed at all the different types of species, and especially how big some of the animals were! It’s a great day out, especially if you’re looking for an indoor activity or something a bit different to do with the kids.
How to Find it
The National History Museum at Tring can be found at Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP – use the map below for directions.
Good to Know
- The National History Museum at Tring is open Tuesday – Sunday (and bank holidays) 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm) – apart from 24th – 26th December when they are closed
- Entry is free, although to keep numbers down you need to book a timeslot here
- There are a number of walk-up spaces each day – but the only way to guarentee entry is to book online
- There is a small car park next to the museum – but during busy times this can fill up quickly. There is another car park in Dawes Park with 50 spaces, or there are car parks in Tring town centre
- If you can avoid brining a pushchair do so – it’s not the easiest museum to get around with one.
I’ve Enjoyed The National History Museum at Tring, Where Can I Go Next?
If you’ve enjoyed the museum you can head over to Tring Park, about a ten-minute walk from the Museum. Tring town centre also has a variety of shops, cafes and pubs, plus the Tring Local History Museum. A short drive away is the Wildlife Trust reserve, College Lake.
