Came here on a group visit, spent four hours here and was so fascinated I could have stayed much longer! The staff were very welcoming and we could buy a helpful guidebook for £3.50. The art gallery is in a beautiful 17th century town house, worth a visit just to see its fabulous wrought iron staircase and decorative tiles. The spacious modern extension houses the rest of the museum. Very accessible with automatic doors and lifts, toilets on the ground floor and a nice gift shop. The numerous exhibitions cover Carlisle's prehistoric and Roman history, a Viking burial, the Border Reivers, Cumbria's natural history, railways and much more. There's also a lookout with a great view of the castle. I particularly loved learning about the city's Roman occupation, and looking at the exhibition of lovely historic costumes. The galleries are well set out with easy to read printed info, audio visuals and clearly labelled artefacts. Lots for children to learn about and enjoy with fun interactive displays and even a tunnel to explore. Finished an enjoyable visit with a delicious ginger cake and cappuccino in the café. Would definitely come again.