Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is a great museum which is only a short walk from John Lewis (and a perfect place to duck into for an hour or two on a rainy day!
It has a huge collection of artifacts from all over the world and the local area. There are some activities for younger children as well.
Its a very nice place to look around and its free!
Museum of Classical Archaeology
The Museum of Classical Archaeology is a museum of plaster casts and one of the largest in the world. It is a bit out of the city centre but still a nice walk. But you can see some of the most famous statues around the world without leaving Cambridge! It is also free!
Museum of Cambridge
Jane and I attended a talk here and I was able to walk around and take a look. The Museum of Cambridge is often overlooked as it stands on the corner of Northhampton Street and Castle Hill. It is a bit out of the way for the main tourist track. Its a small and cosy museum depicting what life was like in Cambridge. It is very child friendly and they have events for the children. If you are sick of packed attractions but still want a bit of history, this might just be what you are looking for. They hold other events and exhibitions so check up repeatedly so that you won’t miss a thing! This is a hidden gem.
Museum of Zoology
There are so many great and free museums in Cambridge, its hard just to know where to start.
I had a chance to pop in the Museum of Zoology and take a look around. I was surprised at the amount of displays that they had and the information available.
I don’t think that the museums in Cambridge will be like anything you expect but they are definitely worth the visit. This museum is great for those with children with an interest in animals and history. It was very cute to overhear the sounds of a little boy who guessed and elephant based on the skeleton of and exhibit.
One of the best things I thought was Darwin’s bug collection.
A perfect place to start to go to when the weather starts getting cold.
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, is a museum full of valuable collections of beautiful paintings from all over the world. It has paintings, furniture and old armour from all over the world. Even if you are not an art lover, its worth a walk through plus the admission is free. They have podcasts available to guide you for your visit.They also have a cafe inside or if the weather is nice you can sit outside and have a nice cup of coffee.
I really love the Fitzwilliam Museum. However, I suggest you save this for one of your rainy day or winter activities so that it allows you to enjoy the nice weather at other places like the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens in the sun.
The Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences
The Sedgwick Museum is another great place to take the children to get them interested in science. It contains over 1.5 million fossils, rocks and minerals. You can use step stools and magnifying sheets to look at sample and there are some that you can touch.
It is a free museum as are most of the others in Cambridge. It has great displays and also has items from Darwin’s collections. It is organised so that you can take a walk through time. It is also located right by the Grand Arcade so it’s easy to mix some shopping up with some learning.
This is another idea for when you are looking for some indoor activities.
Scott Polar Institute
A great place to take the kids and peak their interest in science is The Polar Museum in Cambridge. It is also free to visit as is most museums.
It has pictures, equipment and maps about the research of exploring the Arctic and Antarctica. I have a particular interest in this place because I used to work on the life support equipment for aircrew and a lot of our stuff hasn't really changed over the years.
On BBC2 there was a great documentary about this, here is the recap. Very interesting!