The National Football Museum, Preston

At Easter we visited my parents in the North and the weather was wet. No surprises there really, but what was a surprise was how much fun we all had at The National Football Museum. Grandad North is not renowned for his interest in visiting museums, but he does enjoy watching football and Preston North End is the winning team, so when we were looking for a place to visit that would keep us all dry, warm and happy The National Football Museum was the obvious choice.

The museum could so easily have contained very little to interest two toddlers but there was a brilliant mix of displays and information for the football enthusiast, interesting facts and information to engage those of us less interested in football and a wealth of interactives aimed at all ages to provide a fun afternoon for the whole family, football enthusiast or not.

There was a trail for toddlers that helped focus our Little Museum Visitors on the displays. They were asked to look for things of a certain colour, or choose the football merchandise they would most like to take home with them and it was useful to have something to help liven up the exhibits for the children. However, the museum really came into its own with the additional bits they had added for children. There were a number of backpacks around the museum filled with objects for them to discover, from football shirts to rattles and balls to gas masks. They loved opening the bags to see what was inside and enjoyed the opportunity to handle objects. The rattle was a big hit with Garden Boy and they both loved the story of Pickles the Dog. There was lots of colouring in to do, jigsaws and a little game of table football neither of them could play but which they both enjoyed having a go at.

Upstairs Garden Girl made her own film as a Match of the Day presenter while Grandma and Grandad North enjoyed a game of table football. For toddlers there was also a play corner, complete with a football net and ball, dressing up, tent and tunnel, jigsaws, musical instruments and toys. We were only there for a few hours and if I am honest this is all I expected we would be able to manage in a museum dedicated to football but we could easily have spent a whole day there. Our Little Museum Visitors wanted to return the next day and are both eager to visit again next time we are in Preston. The museum has obviously put a lot of thought and effort into attracting younger audiences and the museum should really be commended for this.

Practicalities 

• The entire museum is accessible with a pushchair and wheelchair, however the viewing platform which overlooks Preston's football ground is only accessible to wheelchair users via a lift which must be operated by a member of staff. With no staff nearby to operate the lift and no prior warning that assistance is required a wheelchair user would have to make a trek back down to reception to gain access here. 
• There are numerous activities throughout the museum for toddlers and a free trail which can be obtained from reception, although you need to ask for it as it wasn't just handed over when we arrived. The trail is divided into two parts with different tasks and questions aimed at younger and older children. 
• There are toilets onsite as well as baby changing facilities but be warned, the toilet cubicles are very narrow and fitting myself and a toddler into one cubicle at the same time was a feat worthy of Houdini. Luckily I had grandparents with me who were looking after Garden Boy but had it been the three of us visiting alone, I could not have got in and out of the toilet with two toddlers.
• There is a well priced cafe by the museum entrance offering basic food and refreshment which we didn't try but looked worthy of a visit. 
• There is ample free parking in the football ground car park.
• The number 19 bus from Preston bus station takes less than 10 minutes to reach the museum. 
• There is a museum shop.
• Visit the museum as soon as possible. The museum will soon be moving to Manchester, a poor decision in my opinion. I only hope that the excellent facilities that are provided for toddlers will be recreated when the museum relocates but a move will mean changes so take the opportunity to visit now, just in case.

Admission Prices

• Museum entry is free to everyone.

Opening Times

• Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
• Open Sundays 11am - 5pm
• Open Bank Holiday Mondays 10am - 5pm
• On Preston North End match days the museum closes just before kick off so it is worth checking the fixtures on their website before a visit.
• The museum is closed on Mondays, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Easter Sunday.

Learn More

To find out more or to check for updated information prior to your visit, have a look at the National Football Museum Website


Little Museum Visitors Rating
*****

The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

The Fitzwilliam Museum is a treasure trove of art and antiquities. It is a place of discovery, not just for the children but for any visitor. It is filled with curious things, beautiful things, big things, ugly things, fun things, familiar things and just more things. We started our visit in the European Pottery gallery and spent over an hour in here. One of the best things about this museum is that most of the galleries have display cases containing artefacts at toddler eye level so both our Little Museum Visitors were able to wander about the gallery peeping through the glass for things that interested them, while I was able to wander around the gallery doing the same, free from having to keep lifting them up to see. They pointed and shouted 'Look' at each other and at me, drawing attention to things I had missed and which had caught their eye.

Garden Boy loved anything that resembled an animal, in particular a tea set with all the cups and teapot shaped like his favourite animals. We ignored the slightly grumpy stares of 'quiet' visitors and made all the appropriate noises when we spotted an animal shaped vessel or an animal painting. Then Garden Girl noticed other teapots, shaped like other things and we took a closer look. When they started to run about with a bit too much energy I asked them to get their crayons and paper out of their backpacks and choose their favourite object to draw. Garden Boy chose a lion and Garden Girl a little rectangular vessel with a lid that had eyes.

A little calmer now and starting to feel hungry, we took a quick look at the armoury, where the armoured horse and rider thrilled Garden Boy. Garden Girl was less impressed with the horse and more interested in the curious weapons on display, asking what they were used for and how but it wasn't long before food became the priority and we headed to the courtyard cafe. The food, although not cheap, was delicious and the portions big. I ordered hot food from the children's menu for Garden Girl and Garden Boy and they could easily have shared one meal between them, which I will remember for our next visit. I'm not sure if they have a picnic area for summer. I will look out for one next time I visit and let you know.

After lunch we decided to try one of the toddler storybook trails. These are free and available from the entrance desks and are definitely worth doing. We borrowed the book 'I'm going on a Bear Hunt' which was to be used in one of the art galleries. The book was used as guide for looking at the paintings on display, encouraging our Little Museum Visitors to really pay attention to the paintings on the walls. We looked for a paining depicting swishy swashy grass, thick oozy mud, a swirling snowstorm and so on, each time pretending to go through the particular obstacle as we squelched, tiptoed ot stumbled around the gallery as we looked for the right painting. I have never had so much fun in an art gallery and the children loved it.

We by no means saw the whole museum. We just touched the surface but we can't wait to go back. All of us had a brilliant day out and the museum has really thought about their younger visitors. The only thing that was a little disappointing was that some of the other visitors and a few of the gallery attendents seemed to dislike the idea of noise and fun in the galleries and we were by no means unruly or running amok. We were clearly making use of the exhibits and engaging with displays so I smiled at the frowns and continued to squelch my way around the galleries.

Practicalities

• The galleries are mostly large and easy to move a pushchair or wheelchair through without feeling you are blocking access to exhibits.
• There is good visibility in most of the galleries to allow your toddler some freedom to explore themselves although some of the galleries have breakables on open display, as well as furniture with 'do not touch' signs and some of the gallery attendents visibally tensed when they saw a toddler enter a room so sometimes a closer eye was needed.
• In most of the galleries there are exhibits at toddler eye level or the exhibits are large enough to catch a toddlers eye so it is an excellent museum for self guided exploration.
• The museum has excellent story book trails for toddlers as well as trails for older children and adults. They also provide crayons and paper if you have forgotton to take your own.
• The toilets are clean and there are baby changing facilities and disabled toilets, although they are all located on the Lower Ground floor near the entrances so make sure you plan to visit them during the day if you have a newly toilet trained toddler as you might not make it from the farthest corners of the museum otherwise.
• There is a lift to access all the floors of the museum and almost all the museum is therefore accessible with a pushchair or to wheelchair users.
• If you have left your pushchair in the car, which I often do for museum visits now both our Little Museum Visitos can walk there is a place to securely leave your coats and bags so you don;t have to trundle lots of baggage around the museum with you. These are located near the toilets so is convenient to leave a changing bag and grab it when needed.
• The cafe serves food all day, closing 30 minutes before the museum and is a pleasant if slightly expensive place to eat. Children's menus are offered.
• There is no car park at the museum so if you are driving it is recommended that you use the park and ride. Details can be found on the museum website. Otherwise the museum is walkable from the city centre or buses run from the railway station. We did manage to 'pay and display' on a nearby road although this could be hit and miss and parking is not guaranteed as there are restrictions on many of the roads around the museum. 
• The museum is big so don't expect to see it all in one day. The museum also has a programme of special events and exhibitions so it is worth looking to see what is on before your visit.
• Photography is not allowed in the museum.
  

Admission Prices

• Entry to the museum is free
• Entry to many of the special events and exhibitions is also free although for some there is a charge and for most it is advisable to pre-book so give the museum a ring beforehand to find out more.

Opening Times

• Tuesdays - Saturdays 10am till 5pm
• Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 12noon till 5pm
• Unless it is a Bank Holiday the museum is closed every Monday
• The museum is also closed on Good Friday and 24th-26th December and 31st December - 1st January

Learn More

To find out more or to check for updated information prior to your visit, have a look at the The Fitzwilliam Museum website.

Little Museum Visitor Rating
*****

National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum provided us with one of our best afternoons this summer. Garden Girl and Garden Boy were wowed by the large exhibits, thrilling in the opportunity to get so close to the trains, peer through the windows and in some cases climb on board. Garden Boy didn't know where to look first. He stood pointing at all the trains, saying Choo Choo with a huge grin on his face. He had no understanding of the historic value of the trains but was content to run from one train to another, looking at the wheels and funnels. Garden Girl had a better understanding that some of the trains were very old and therefore very special. She was also very impressed with the idea of a train that could travel through a tunnel built under water, when we climbed onboard a Eurostar train.

An unexpected highlight for both of them was the walk underneath a train. We were effectively walking through a tunnel where the roof was the underside of a train and they both walked through with heads tilted upwards, looking at all the workings. I had no idea what we were looking at, so I pointed out the obvious bits like the wheels and explained how complicated it was to build a train and we tried to guess how many nuts and bolts were used to put it together. Does anyone know? The wonder of walking underneath a train certainly captured the interest of Garden Girl, so that when Uncle H joined us at the museum after work she insisted on walking him through this exhibit.

Garden Girl had the opportunity to dress up in Victorian clothes and climb on board a Victorian train. She loved the little dress and the chance to sit in a really really old train cabin, although she wasn't very impressed when the lady at the museum suggested she temporarily swap Garden Cow for a Victorian Teddy. There were no outfits small enough for Garden Boy but he wriggles and squirms a lot when he gets dressed so it was probably for the best.

We rounded the day off with a trip on the mini railway. Garden Girl and Garden Boy both thought this was brilliant. Garden Mum and Garden Dad were a little disappointed that it was not a round trip. Instead the train went in a straight line to a small platform where we all stoof up and turned around so we were facing forward for the return trip and to give the impression to all those waiting for their turn that the train takes a circular route. Our Little Museums Visitors did not mind though and at only 50p per person we shouldn't really complain. The only thing to bear in mind with the mini railway is that it only runs for a few hours in the afternoon and if you do not buy your ticket early enough you could miss out, because once the queue got quite long they seemed to shut down the ticket machine.

The only disappointment we experienced was that the model railway wasn't running which both Garden Boy and Garden Girl would have loved to see. However, with so much else to see and do, this in no means spoiled our day and is something to look forward to next time we visit, which we most definitely will again. We spent an afternoon at the museum but could easily have spent the whole day and best of all museum entry is free for everyone.

Practicalities

• It is easy to push a pushchair around the museum without blocking exhibits or walkways, although it wasn't possible to take them on board the trains, so you must be willing to leave them on the platforms while you look inside. 
• There are steps to climb if you want to peer through the windows of some of the older trains and you must go down steps in order to view the underside of the train which makes a number of the exhibits inaccessible to wheelchair users.
• There is lots of space to toddlers to run about and explore but you must stay very close as there are open platform edges and uneven surfaces.
• Although queuing for the mini railway can take a long time the museum have provided toys in the form of big, soft building blocks, outdoor connect four and hoop throwing to entertain the family while one of you holds your place in the queue.
• There is a cafe/Restaurant where you can get refreshments or a meal, while taking in the trains all around you but if you want to save some money there is a small indoor picnic area equipped with picnic tables.
• There are toilets at various locations in the museum so you are never too far away for a toddler who only tells you they need to go when they are desperate. There are disabled toilets and baby changing facilities at all the toilet locations and within the museum there are two rooms for feeding young babies.
• The museum is a long walk from York town centre, especially for toddlers as some of it is uphill, however there is  Road Train which runs between York Minster and the museum. We were not aware of this until we arrived at the museum and we missed the last train back afterwards as we did not want to leave the museum that early. There is a charge for this service.
• There is a car park beside the museum although charges apply. We used the city park and ride which does have a stop beside the museum which we could have used had we not been visiting the town centre as well. Alternatively if you are arriving by train the museum is very close to the railway station.
• The museum does have a programme of events, activities and exhibitions which we just ran out of time to see. There are sometimes charges for these.

Admission Prices

• Museum entry is FREE to all visitors
• The mini railway was 50p per person
• The Road Train costs £2 each way for adults and £1 each way for children
  
• Additional charges apply for some activities, temporary exhibitions and the road train

Opening Times

• Daily between 10am and 6pm
  
• Closed 24th-26th December
• The Road Train does not run all year so check with the museum before visiting if you intend to use this service 

Learn More

To find out more or to check for updated information prior to your visit, have a look at the National Railway Museum website.

Little Museum Visitor Rating
*****