a man with his two sons looking through a display cabinet in the museum

Visiting with your Family

We love Dudley’s Den. We are so fortunate to have a great, free place to play.

Illuminate visitor survey

North Lincolnshire Museum is a great place to visit with your family! There is lots to get involved in, we have free, fun trails, regular craft activities and a calendar of events throughout the year.

Entry to the Museum is free, no need to book a ticket.

Opening Hours

We are open every day.

Monday to Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sundays 1 – 4pm

If you prefer to visit when it is quieter, it would be best to visit after 2pm.

Events

We host an exciting range of family events throughout the year. This includes:

  • Free weekend make and take craft sessions – 10.30am – 3.30pm Saturday and 1.30pm – 3.30pm Sunday
  • School holiday activities
  • Term time play sessions for under 5s In Dudley’s Den
  • Archaeology and History Club (for 8 – 12 years old)
  • Youth History Group (for 13 – 16 year olds)
  • Science Family Fun Day and Living History Family Fun Day (March and July)

See What’s On for more information

Family Facilities

We offer a range of practical facilities to help your visit be as comfortable as possible, including:

Dudley’s Den

Our dedicated play space for the under 5s. Explore, play, pretend and discover in our space for children under five. Handle objects in the museum wall. Relax in the Under the Sea themed area. Crawl into the book nook.

Buggy Park

We have a secure buggy park in the Courtyard Garden. Visitors can lock up a buggy or pram under cover and enjoy the Museum without having to push it around. Collect a free token from Reception to operate a lock.

Breastfeeding Welcome

Breastfeeding is welcome throughout the Museum but if you would prefer somewhere more private there is a dedicated seat in Dudley’s Den which is out of the way.

Exhibition Interactives

Our Learning Team ensure the Museum displays appeal to families by including interactive elements for children. Friendly bright and colourful interpretation at accessible heights, opportunities to touch, feel and hear throughout.

The Courtyard Garden

Visit the Courtyard Garden and its seating area, an ideal place for a picnic or a snack during your visit. Please note that food and drink are not to be consumed anywhere else in the Museum.

Please note there is no café on site. We can recommend the following Council venues the Café at 20-21 or The Pods.

Accessible Toilet and Baby Changing

There is an accessible toilet for customer use which includes a baby changing area. The disabled toilet is near the main entrance doors in Reception. Within this toilet there is also a toddler training toilet seat and step, to help reach the sink.

Sensory Backpacks

Visitors of all ages are welcome to pick up and use resources such as torches, magnifying glasses, puppets and fidget toys. These can support you in engaging with the exhibition spaces and provide stimulation and entertainment too.

Simply collect a backpack from Reception, fill with items you find interesting, use it during your visit and then return to Reception as you leave.

We also have a Sensory Backpack. This is already full of resources that support people with sensory needs, including a visual timetable / now and next board and ear defenders. If you want a backpack that’s ready to go, you’ll find this alongside our Pick n Mix station at Reception.

Wheelchair Access

We have two lifts in the Museum to enable visitors to access almost all display areas. Please note, there is a single step down into the front room of the Ironstone Cottage.

The lift to the first floor is in the reception. Staff can help you on its use. The second platform lift provides access to the different levels of the first floor. This lift is between the Archaeology Gallery and the main Exhibition Gallery.

Both lifts can be used by visitors with access needs, those in wheelchairs and people with pushchairs.

Gift Shop

We have a range of fossils, dinosaur and exhibition related giftware starting at pocket money prices, treat yourself or your little ones, and support the Museum. We aim to stock environmentally and responsibly sourced gifts that relate to the Museum, with as little plastic as possible.

Accessibility

To find out more about accessibility, please see our Accessibility page.

Car Park

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The free visitor car park is behind the Museum, off Vicarage Gardens. The postcode for a Satnav to the car park is DN15 7BD. The car park is open 10am to 4pm.

Site Map

Our Site Map is available online click here to view our Site Map.

Virtual Tour

Have a look round the Museum without leaving your home, our Virtual Tour is available online, click here to view our Virtual Tour.

Awards

In February 2025 we achieved the Autism Friendly Award, the UK’s leading accreditation programme that helps make businesses Autism friendly.

We were also awarded the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award and Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards 2024.

Stay in Touch

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We also post about our events on social media, if you would like to follow us, please click on the links below.

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