Somerset Rural Life Museum — Attraction in Glastonbury

Easy to locate. £17.50 entrance for a family of four. We spent approximately two hours here. Quite a small museum. While I appreciate the museum focuses on rural life in Somerset, the opportunity has been missed to explore the richer, varied history of Somerset pre-1800s. The museum itself is not particularly child friendly, which is unfortunate as opportunities are missed to engage children in the history of the area. Children like to "touch" but most exhibits are hands off, even the tractor in the court yard, which is quite unfortunate. The "education centre" is pleasant for younger children. Our 7 and 8 year old enjoyed the activity and colouring sheets. Would have been nice to have had a visible staff presence in the museum as opposed to the CCTV system in all areas. Unfortunately, while CCTV can monitor activity, it is unable to answer the questions of curious visitors. The cafe was pleasant with a selective menu. The cakes all looked freshly baked and delicious. We had cream tea and a ploughman's lunch. The scones were delicious freshly baked, the ploughman's lunch would have benefitted from three different cheeses as opposed to three slices of cheddar. Not wanting to be predictable however, chips would be a welcome addition to the menu. The highlight of our visit was the stunning barn which could be taken for a Chapel. Unfortunately, we seem to have missed the information board regarding the history of the barn and researched online following our visit. Sadly, not to keen on the kinetic "art" exhibit featured inside the barn however, appreciate the promotion of local people looking to encourage engagement in...

Not child friendly at all! Miserable staff constantly telling young children they can’t play on the old tractor because it’s “an exhibit”… there are no signs, and it’s not behind plexiglass. It’s a tough old tractor, but little’un’s aren’t allowed to sit on it! Feel like we are watched by the staff on cctv as we walk around, as constantly being told not to touch this, not to touch that. The heavy, indestructible cart in the main barn- the only thing regularly in there, is also off limits to children, despite again, no signs. How about put things in there that children CAN play on? If it’s raining, and we’ve bought tickets, what do you want children to do? The cart has stood the test of time and won’t collapse if my child is stood in it with me stood close by- yet again we get snooty comments. The staff really need training, or are in the wrong job. If you want to play on some old “non exhibit” tractors, go to The Newt (near Castle Cary) They’ve got 5, and kids are allowed to play on them...

I loved this museum as a child and am glad to see it renewed and open again. It's lovely inside with the refurbishment and well worth a visit while you're in Glastonbury. There is plenty of history, nicely displayed, plus mock-ups of historical rooms. There was also some art on display when we visited, which hopefully will change regularly to show off the work of local artists. So, all really positive from our visit. Nice facilities, shop, friendly staff, great location, free parking etc. However, since the refurbishment, they now charge an entry fee. That's fine by me, but I wonder what they will offer to keep locals coming back? I wouldn't be certain whether a second visit would be worthwhile. An events calendar, regularly-changing exhibitions and good annual membership deals would be a good idea to keep this going long-term, which I'd definitely like to see as it's a...