11 Museums to Explore in Dorset

The Bournemouth Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located next to Bournemouth International Airport, near the village of Hurn in Christchurch. It houses a number of aircraft, aero engines, cockpits and a limited number of ground vehicles. The museum contains a number of aircraft, aero engines and cockpits. It has also recently restored a Boeing 737-200 named 'The Spirit of Peter Bath' and it is believed to be the only museum in Europe to include a 737-200 in its collection.

This former brewery site has been converted to a complex including a museum, shops and a public house. The main building dates from 1903 / 1904. Brewing took place on this site from 1252 until the 1980s. There were 3 separate breweries. The building is located at Hope Square, which holds a range of cafes, bars, bistros, while close by is the Tudor House Museum, and facing out to sea is Nothe Fort and its gardens.

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum is a private museum which is owned and run by Palaeontologist Steve Davies and his wife Jenny. The museum contains a spectacular collection of the local Jurassic marine fossils. The ground floor of the museum houses a spectacular collection of 200-million-year-old Jurassic fossils which have been discovered along the local coastline. Exhibits range from the enormous Ichthyosaur to the tiniest fish and ammonites.

The Dorset County Museum is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. There are video displays, activity carts for children, and an audio guide. The collections include fossilized dinosaur footprints, Roman mosaics, and original Thomas Hardy manuscripts.

The Dorset Teddy Bear Museum is Dorchester's unmissable family museum, with Edward Bear and his family of people-sized bears, in Teddy Bear House. Meet all the family and enjoy his wonderful collection of teddy bears that can be seen throughout the house. Bears on display include Paddington Bear, Rupert Bear, and Winnie the Pooh. The earliest bear dates from 1906 and there are also life-sized bears.

Lyme Regis Museum houses some fantastic fossils and is a great place to learn about the long history of fossil collecting in the area. It is built on the site of the birthplace and home of the fossil hunter Mary Anning. The Anning family also ran a shop here.

Located in the heart of the beautiful market town of Wimborne, visitors can discover the story of East Dorset with stunning Roman wall paintings, the fascinating childhood gallery, and a unique Victorian Valentine card collection. Explore period rooms from a 17th-century hall to the working Victorian kitchen, finding out how life and work have changed in this historic townhouse.

A local history museum situated on the Lower High Street in the Old Town area of Poole. It illustrates the story of the town and its people. The centrepiece of the museum is the 2,000-year-old Poole Logboat, an Iron Age vessel that was found in 1964 during dredging work in Poole Harbour. there has been an exhibition showcasing finds from the Swash Channel Wreck, one of the most important shipwrecks found in British waters and so more to see inside.

Portland Museum is a museum on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England. This annual exhibition showcases the incredible work produced by K-12 students throughout the state, representing a wide variety of youth perspectives and artistic practices in Maine. The museum has four distinct themes; the history of Portland stone, the Jurassic Coast, shipwrecks around Portland's coast and famous people linked with the island. It also displays examples of the island's archaeology from the Stone

The Keep is the Military Museum of Devon and Dorset. Housed in an extraordinary castle-like building, the collection spans 300 years of history over 4 floors. You can walk through a World War One trench, try on uniforms and discover the amazing stories behind the Museum objects, at the end of your visit don’t forget to go onto the roof for amazing views of Dorchester!

The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester was the first exhibition outside Egypt to feature an exact anatomical recreation of Tutankhamun's mummy. The mummy took over two years of research and experimentation to recreate, following x-rays and measurements of Tutankhamun's mummy. Explore the life of King Tutankhamun, and the storied discovery that captivated the world, through more than 150 authentic pieces from the tomb.