Museum of the Broads — Attraction in North Norfolk

This is a totally wonderful first class museum about the Norfolk Broads, it's history and the people that live within them. The museum also offers boat trips which run at set times throughout the day and these boat trips last approx. 50 minutes where you can see and take in the wonderful picturesque scenery of the waterways of The Norfolk Broads and even catch the sight of the wildlife such as The Kingfisher catching a great glimpse of them if you're lucky. The guide on the boat trips provides a wonderful informative history of the Broads and how people have used the Waterways to the modern day and the rules that are in force for boats on the Norfolk Broads along with the wildlife you can see all of which is fantastically insightful and very useful to learn about. There are two boats which are used for the boat trips and these are called The Falcon , which is steam powered and The Marsh Harrier, which is electric powered and both look very magnificent. The museum has a fantastic array of exhibitions including The Origins of the Broads from when people used the land originally for digging up peat primarily for heating homes and how they off the land and made the waterways to what people know today as The Broads and the story of the Broads is also told in a brilliantly informative 5 minute video which is incredibly fascinating and interesting but gives you a great insight into the history of the Norfolk Broads and how people have lived off the land since that time. There are fantastic exhibitions around the museum such as The Oulton Boatshed detailing about yachts being used on in regattas which is very interesting and in the Surlingham Marsh building there are some fantastically beautiful paintings of the different areas of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads all of which amazing detail and attention and these paintings are from a local artist called Phillipa Miller and there is some interesting information about Miller herself in the exhibition. Other exhibitions include The Barton exhibition where there is some interesting information about Windmills how they work etc and also you can see a full 'Wherry' (Norfolk term for a boat)and go inside one giving you an idea how people lived on one which is very insightful and interesting. As you walk around the exhibitions they are well laid out and information is displayed in an easy to understand and there are also lots of brilliant array of different boats on display and all of them are in marvellous and fantastic condition. From your visit you can also learn about the trades of Thatching and process of it and also how Marshman gathered the reed together and also how they lived during the year and also you can also learn how the boats that went on the Broads were made and again this is really interesting. There is a small gift shop on site selling a wonderful array of souvenirs at reasonable prices and a small amount of refreshments at reasonable prices. Overall this is a fabulous and wonderful place to visit and learn about the history of the Norfolk Broads and how people lived within them and the boat trip is tops it off beautifully. Definitely a place worth a visit in the...

We had a wonderful visit to the Museum of the Broads in Stalham. The staff and volunteers were not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also friendly, entertaining, and clearly passionate about what they do.

The electric boat trip was a real highlight. Peaceful, fascinating, and full of interesting facts about the area and wildlife, we saw a Kingfisher! There’s a fantastic collection of old boats, equipment, and tools, all well-displayed with plenty of information to bring the history to life.

It’s also very dog and child friendly, with lots of activities to keep younger visitors engaged. One of the absolute highlights for me was seeing the Wherry “Albion” which was visiting that day. I was able to step on board and hear its history directly from the volunteers, which was a real treat.

Even after two hours, there was still so much more to explore. You could easily spend a whole morning or afternoon here and not run out of things to see and do. I will definitely be coming...

A great spot to visit as trumpeted by many others. Fully concur. A wealth of history both old and contemporary. The volunteer staff are a delight and very eager to help and pass on their accumulated knowledge. Considering the entry fee covers a whole year, the place is a must to return to. The only recommendation is to advance purchase a combined ticket to cover the boat trip if that is one of the key aims of a visit. Today, revisited to make the boat trip on the splendid “Marsh Harrier”. An amazing experience for grandkids who were able to gain an experience on the water in an all electric boat. The trip was under the steerage of Steve, assisted by Lynda. They both gave excellent guidance and commentary as we progressed along, finding nearby Kingfishers, Geese, Ducks and Swans nesting. The weather provided amazing photographic opportunities along the way. A delightful day out for both...