5 great local museums to visit without a car

With two trains an hour on the Cornish main line, which of these will you visit this summer? Check out our top picks for local museums you can visit car-free!

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1. NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM

FALMOUTH

Currently celebrating its 20th birthday, The National Maritime Museum is a great day out for the whole family. They currently have a major pirates exhibition, RNLI-focused art exhibition and over the school holidays a Treasure Island Trail.

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2. THE BOX

PLYMOUTH

Visit Plymouth’s award-winning museum and art gallery, The Box. Meet the towering woolly mammoth (pictured at the top of this blog post), check out the huge Victorian naval figureheads and lots more at Devon’s Best Family Attraction according to the Devon Muddy Awards. Entry is free.

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3. ROYAL CORNWALL MUSEUM

TRURO

Visit the Royal Cornwall Museum to discover Cornwall’s heritage and its links to the wider world. Visit by 6th July to explore the Marvellous Mechanical Museum exhibit (see video above).

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4. PENLEE HOUSE GALLERY AND MUSEUM

PENZANCE

Penlee House’s museum was founded in 1839, and its collections cover 6,000 years of history in West Cornwall. The gallery also celebrates the skill and craftsmanship of local people from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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5. SHIPWRECK TREASURE MUSEUM

CHARLESTOWN (bus from St Austell)

Visit The Shipwreck Treasure Museum and weave your way through 8,000 finds from over a hundred wrecks. See the only intact barrel of coins ever recovered from a wreck, feel the weight of a cannon ball and imagine the devastation it wrought in battle at sea

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Top tip – Get a Devon & Cornwall Railcard!

Live locally? Don’t miss out on great savings with a Devon & Cornwall Railcard (just £12 a year and now available online). Save a third on many fares for you and a friend. You can also bring up to four children for just £1 each.