Skip Navigation or Skip to Content
The farmhouse and garden of the National Museum of Rural Life.

Things to see and do

Explore life in the countryside at our five-star museum and historic working farm.

There's so much to see and do at the National Museum of Rural Life. Spend a day in the countryside, uncover Scotland's unique rural history and meet the animals on the farm!
Visitors look at a willow sculpture of a cat sitting on a wall

Willow Sculpture Trail

Inspired by the wildlife often spotted around the museum site and the animal residents at our farm, willow artist Anna Cross has created a beautiful collection of willow sculptures for you to discover as you explore outdoors.

Find out more
A child plays with bamboo chimes

Playpark and picnic area

Our ever-popular play park has a musical arbour, basket swing and magnifying posts to help you get closer to nature.

With picnic tables and plenty of wide-open space, our play and picnic area is the perfect place to take a break during your visit.

Top activities to try with kids
The farmhouse at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Visit the farmhouse

Visit the Georgian farmhouse until 16:00 each day and see where Lanarkshire’s Reid family lived for ten generations. See rooms as they would have been in the 1950s and explore the bothy, outbuildings and kitchen garden.

A tractor on display at the National Museum of Rural Life.

In the museum

Learn about the land, people and ways of working that have shaped Scotland’s rural history, and discover Scotland’s largest collection of tractors, combine harvesters and other farming machinery.

Two children run down a hedge-lined path

Explore the countryside

Just a short walk from the museum is our working farm. The walk takes about ten minutes on paths overlooking fields and hedgerows.

A cow inside a pen at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Meet the animals

Our working farm is home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses. With each season there is something new to see, from newborn animals to harvesting. Please wash your hands often when visiting the farm and use the hand sanitiser provided. Please do not pet or feed the animals, including our farm cats.

A table with an empire biscuit and slice of cake on plates next to a coffee cup and milk jug.

The Shielings Café and Shop

Don’t forget to round off your visit with a stop at our award-winning café, the perfect place for some good old-fashioned home baking and visit the shop for those essential countryside souvenirs.

Map

Plan your visit to the National Museum of Rural Life with our map to view online or print at home.

View and download the map
Back to top