💷 Free entry
Museum in the Park
Free award-winning museum in Stroud's Stratford Park with dinosaur bones, natural history, local collections and interactive displays for all ages.
✦ We visited
The fossil and geology room tends to hold children long after other galleries have lost them. Adding the park, the play areas and a picnic on the lawn turns the museum into a proper half-day.
Museum in the Park occupies a Victorian mansion at the edge of Stratford Park in Stroud, and holds over 4,000 objects on permanent display covering the natural history and social history of the Stroud valleys. The collections range from dinosaur bones and geological specimens to fine art, costume, archaeology and one of the world's earliest lawnmowers. Throughout the galleries, cases are set at child height with peepholes worked into the design and interactive elements embedded in the layout, which makes a real difference for younger visitors who can engage with the objects rather than just looking up at them.
Entry is free and the pace is unhurried. Regular family activity sessions run through the school holidays on a drop-in basis, with a small charge per child for craft and activity days. The year-round events programme includes storytelling and themed days tied to the collections, and the museum's deep connection to local schools means the displays are explained with care and context that works for children as well as adults.
The surrounding Stratford Park adds considerably to what is on offer. Two children's play areas, a lake, woodland paths and a miniature railway are all within the grounds, which makes it straightforward to extend a museum visit into a half-day out without spending more than a few pounds. The free car park in the park makes logistics easy too.
Good for: history, dinosaurs, arts, rainy-day. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
Is Museum in the Park Stroud free to enter?
Yes, entry to the museum is free. Some drop-in holiday activity sessions charge a small amount per child; check the website for what is running.
What else is in Stratford Park near the museum?
Two children's play areas, a lake, woodland walks and a miniature railway are all within the park grounds, making it easy to combine the museum with outdoor time.
Is Museum in the Park suitable for toddlers?
Yes, the interactive displays, low-level cases and peepholes are designed to work for young children, and Stratford Park's open lawns and play areas are right outside.