Peak District Mining Museum — Attraction in Derbyshire Dales

Fantastic museum which I remember vaguely as a child so took my own children to visit during the Easter holidays. The museum itself is set up really well with so much information and several activity sheets for children to do. I had one finding canaries and the other finding mice which they thoroughly enjoyed. However the activity sheets were trumped when they discovered the mining tunnels throughout the museum that they could climb through and investigate. We absolutely loved our visit and would highly recommend a visit for anyone interested in the history of mining as well as Derbyshire. We were lucky enough to be able to book onto a mine tour later in the day which was so informative. The tour guide was a young guy with an obvious passion for the mine and had so many interesting facts for children and adults alike. The mine tour was then followed by an opportunity for the children to pan for ‘gold’ which they really enjoyed and were able to take some ‘gold’ home. I would recommend booking the mine tour early as we visited midweek on a rainy day when Matlock wasn’t busy at all and managed to just get spaces on the 2pm tour (I think they run 2-3 a day for approximately 20ish people). Overall we all had a fantastic time, the staff were so lovely and brilliant at talking to the kids as well as being so knowledgable for the adults too. I would highly recommend and will visit again (not tomorrow however which is what my 6yo has...

We did the tour of the mine and the museum which for our family of 4 was only £20. Tour of the mine was great (wear clothes you don't mind getting a little muddy, nothing too bad) at the end of the tour the kids get to pan for gold which all the kids seemed to enjoy. Also a couple brought their dog so well behaved dogs seem to be welcome. Get there early as the tours fill up quick, we just got on the tour (only two per day) and saw a number of people miss out. The museum has a few tunnels and shafts for the kids to climb and crawl along, again all the kids loved that. Plenty of old mining machinery and info about the local mines. Loads of different minerals and rocks for any geology nuts out there. There's a small well stocked gift shop with plenty of cheap bits so the kids can get a memento without hurting the wallet. The cafe next door was friendly and had coffee's, soft drinks, beers and a few snacks. If yoy want a bigger lunch i recommend the riverside fish bar about 100 yards up the road. There's a long stay car park just around the corner where you can park all day for £5 as the car park next door is max 2 hours stay, if you're doing the tour and museum you'll need more than two hours to enjoy. Great day out and great...

Wow..... What a great place to learn about the history of the lead, fluospar, galena, calcite, fluorite and barite mining in the Peaks. Great information and representation of this with great exhibits for child interaction, making the learning fun. Staff are friendly and attentive with good knowledge of the history. You can also purchase tickets to go in the Temple mine across the road. This is done with a great guided tour. Currently as of 27/5/21, 11am and 1pm and lasts about an 1hr. You are shown how and what was mined there, along with the history. With plenty of opportunity to ask the knowledgeable guide questions you may have about the geology and operations that you are presented with. Hard hats are provided as the tunnels between the Chambers are low and require you to stoop along them. The mine can be quite wet and muddy and you walk along the rail tracks so good footwear is needed. Don't expect white trainers to be clean......... After outside, there is a chance to Pan for Pyrite (fools gold). This is great for children and adults alike as you get to keep any you find as you are given a little bag to put it in. Great time to be had and a little more knowledge and understanding about what is around you while...