Dorset Museum & Art Gallery — Attraction in Dorchester

A museum within a museum. The building itself is beautiful, so look up at your surroundings as well as the exhibits. The gentleman at the admission desk who took the time to talk us around the museum was fantastic. 5 stars to him. He made us feel so welcome and made us laugh too. 5 stars also to the older gentleman at the top of the 1st flight of stairs, by the entrance to the gallery around the victorian hall Dippy exhibit. He was a lovely chap too. 2 stars though to the ladies in the tea room. Their website says a pot of tea for 2 is £2.80 or a mug of tea £1.40. When I asked for a pot of tea for 2, I was told that they weren't doing pots of tea at the moment and our ONLY option as 2 recycled paper cups of tea, with cartons of milk and we were charged £3 for this. Not sure if the tea itself was a cheap brand or if the flavour was tainted ny the coating on the cups, but it wasn't nice and I couldn't finish mine (usually unthinkable for me to leave tea!). The museum itself was interesting and I loved the area with a layout of a dorset labourers cottage, especially as we could actually walk around it and touch the items, rather than view from behind a rope. Coming proudly from a very long line of dorset labourers ourselves, it was 5 stars here all the way. The fossils were fascinating but as there were school trips here, the whole upstairs was full of screaming (yes truely screaming) coach loads of school children. Their teachers had their heads stuck in their mobile phones and there was no teacher interaction with the kids. It was so loud it made trying to read the exhibits ourselves impossible. It was a struggle to think with all the noise. At NO point did any of the lazy teachers think to say "now remember that you are in a museum and there are other visitors to be mindful of. Don't crash into people and use your indoor voices. This isn't a place for a screaming match or fight". Of course they were all there (as were we) to see the wonderful Dippy on Tour. Dippy was world class and in a fantastic setting. Well worth the ear damage. So my advice is find out first when there are no school trips, and go then. Failing that invest in a BIG roll of cotton wool or ear defenders and you...

I have walked along this museum countless times over the years, and not given it a second thought until this morning. But this morning I was thinking of a nice day out to do with my 2 kids, and this came up. I thought why not, it's something to do for an hour or 2.

I did think on the way there and prepared myself for an hour 2 of complaining from my kids, that it's boring and when can we go yet. And if I'm honest I didn't hold much hope for myself personally, that I was going to have a good time. But........

The time we had at Dorset museum was amazing, for many reasons. The first reason was my surprise on how big the museum actually is. From the outside it doesn't look overly large, but the museum building itself goes quite far back, laying out all the different exhibits in different rooms on various floors.

2nd reason is the quality of the displays, in each room they showcase varies themed topics, from fossils and prehistoric models, to a whole section dedicated to Thomas Hardy. The artifacts and models in every room are very interesting, made better with interactive and attractive screens showing you that topic in more detail.

3rd was the various interactive things that my kids could get their hands on. From the microscope, victoriana dress up ( Thomas Hardy room) to the full body pin wall that my kids were obsessed with.

4th the staff. The staff their from the get go were lovely. Very friendly chatty and informative. They are dotted around the whole place, so if you are interested in something you want a little more information on, they are very happy to answer your questions.

And lastly the architecture and new renovations that have been careied out on the building, makes all of the above that much better.

To round things up for anyone and everyone this is a great place to go on your own, take your other half and even your wild feral children, their is something for everyone and we'll worth a visit. And if you gift aid you get to go back for free all year. Plus 0-15 year...

I want too go to a museum haven't been in years . And I've chose Dorchester.. So in the next few days . I be up.. county have spent a fortune of my rate money .on redecorating. And for who . The last one I visited was staid,no noise what so ever.and was full of dusty old exhitibs,and even more dustier attendants , spouting rubbish,fed too then like parrots, fake smiles.when they pause,as you find on somebody working in a national trust establishment. Telling a lie. The castle at Portland. The guide was a wee Scot,who liked a dram,and he hid small bottles around the tour,and would disappear for a nip. By the time you reached the end... He was parallelic... But he put his heart and soul into the tour . Being Scottish he realised the gusto of the men standing on the battlements waiting for the French too appear over the horizon. When you come from suburbadider,you have never really experienced the hardships of life of a man on a battlefield or a painter like van Gogh living in a squat on the south bank of the seine in Paris.. That is why I'm making a special trip too the museum at Dorchester too see whether they actually know what they're talking about.. I doubt very much..!

Just had a reply.. From said museum. Puzzled about my review... I ,in the first sentence said I haven't been yet. ( If they bothered too read it, by the looks of it they didn't ,it's as plain as day and night) But am intending too in the next week . A surprise visit.. I actually live here. And was a councillor. Be it ,a humble town councillor,and believe the rate money could be better spent. But I will be up like I said in the next week..

I'm more interested in the dinosaur museum around the corner ,which I think gives more entertainment for money.. And the good fish and chip ,shop down by the river.. But thankyou for taking the time out too reply . I didn't...