Exciting, hands-on sensory play sessions for children with additional support needs.

Our Museum Socials series of events are created for anyone affected by Dementia and their relatives, friends and supporters.

Join us as we kick off the 2024 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival with a day of free pop-up performances and activities for the whole family.

Join author and mindfulness teacher Natasha Iregbu as she invites families to practice mindfulness in a fun and enjoyable way.

Join us for an evening of bright and vivid music from the Scottish Ensemble in the light-filled setting of the Grand Gallery.

Drop-in for some holiday fun and games at the museum this summer.

Calling all inquisitive kids aged 7 -11! Our popular Curiosity Clubs are back for more adventure, discovery and fun.

Join us for a relaxed Magic Carpet session as we explore the museum through interactive songs, rhymes and sensory play.

Exciting, hands-on sessions for curious ASN families.

Join us on the Magic Carpet as we explore the museum through interactive songs, rhymes and sensory play.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.

Join Doug Allan as he shares personal insights from his 40-year career at the frontiers of climate breakdown as a photographer, filmmaker, diver and author.

Celebrate Insect Week 2024 with family friendly activities at the National Museum of Scotland.

Explore the museum through song, rhymes and sensory play with our Magic Carpet activity sessions for toddlers and early years.

Come together with other families in Edinburgh for a cuppa, cake and chat, supported by social enterprise Kin Collective.

Enjoy a 30 minute wander around the museum and discover mindful moments throughout our galleries.

Join artist Kayleigh McCallum and mindfulness practitioner Charlene Duncan for mindful sketching in our galleries.

Our community engagement and outreach work is tailored to support the needs and interests a range of community groups and offer wider access to our objects and resources.

Throughout the year, we run a programme of access events and tours, including BSL tours, Audio-Described tours and Relaxed views and sessions, across the museum and in our Special Exhibitions

Explore our newly refurbished air raid and blast shelters with our costumed guide.

Can you and your family solve puzzles and codes from the Second World War?

Bring the history of the Second World War to live with our summer activity satchels for adults and families.

See behind the scenes of the work carried out in the museum’s Conservation hangar with these free talks.

Find out about our collection of aero-engines and propellers on a curator-led tour of our Object Store.

Go full circle at our brand new big event at the National Museum of Flight.

Celebrate Insect Week 2024 with family friendly activities at the National Museum of Flight.

Join us for an awesome weekend of hands-on LEGO® at the National Museum of Flight.

This thought-provoking display charts the history and influence of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition across the world, including its role in Scotland today.

Uniquely Scottish Silver brings together five distinctively Scottish silver designs: mazers, quaichs, thistle cups, ovoid urns and heart brooches.

Exploring Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War, this new exhibition will tell the stories of the Scots at the centre of this global conflict.

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland showcasing artworks created in response to the climate crisis in Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Explore the largest interactive exhibition of the history and the culture of video games. 29 Jun - 3 Nov 2024. Tickets on sale spring 2024.

Our Spring Explorers school holiday activities are back at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Tractor Tots is a bookable series of playful sensory singalong sessions for under-fives and their adults at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Join us for a weekend of all things woolly at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Celebrate all things cattle at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Explore Wildlife Photographer of the Year with an audio-described tour for those who are blind, partially sighted or visually impaired.

Join us for a relaxed after-hours visit to Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Join us for our monthly Relaxed Morning for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum.

We want everyone who comes to our museums to enjoy their time with us and make the most of their visit.

Our Learning and Engagement Team work to create programmes, tours and resources to engage communities around Scotland with the national collections. Here you'll find more information about recent projects.

A general self-led visit to the National Museum of Scotland is free to book and allows you to explore a wide range of topics.

Help protect remarkable objects and be the first to hear about the stories they hold.

In the early 18th century, natural history was an increasingly popular pastime and many people visited fields and ponds, often bringing a microscope, to investigate the flora and fauna.

Early microscopes were sold by scientists and craftsmen, but by 1660 their production shifted to more commercial workshops.

Forts were not just military bases, they became the heart of communities