12 museums and galleries to visit across the north and north-east

The Easter holidays are here, but more importantly… Museum trips are back in season. How many of these hotspots will you be ticking off your lists in the coming weeks?

The Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen

Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen. — Gordon Highlanders Museum houses one of the greatest regiment collections in the country. Image: VisitScotland.

Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4.30pm.

Known to be one of the British Army’s most celebrated regiments, the history of the Gordon Highlanders has been unveiled on this family-friendly tour. The collection spans across 200 years, dating back to the Napoleonic times, through to the Victorian era, to the World Wars and straight into the 20th century.

Valued displays and relics include: a WWI replica trench, memorial gardens, original Victoria Crosses, and an armoury.

Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen

Fine art at your feet. Image: Kath Flannery / DC Thomson

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, 11am – 4pm.

Aberdeen Art Gallery is home to a staggering range of artwork created as far back as 700 years ago. The popular exhibit includes collections from Brueghel to Borland, and Guthrie to Gibb, and are complemented by knowledgeable staff ready to answer every burning question.

Castle Gallery, Inverness

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

For the duration of April, Inverness’ Castle Gallery will host its Spring Mixed Exhibition. The gallery itself offers landscapes, and figurative and abstract work by UK-wide established and emerging artists, while this month’s exhibition showcases handmade prints, jewellery, and ceramics.

Peterhead Prison Museum

We won’t be using these facilities anytime soon, that’s for sure. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson.

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm.

Roam the echoey halls of what is commonly known to be Scotland’s toughest prison – and you’ll understand exactly why it came to be. There’s something very eerie about the Peterhead Prison Museum; it could be the stagnant silence, or it could be the turbulent tales uttered into your ears as you re-imaging the details of what went on behind bars.

Either way, you’re bound to find something that will cling to your memory even days after your visit.

West Highland Museum, Fort William

Travel through the Jacobite era. Image: Shutterstock.

Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm; Saturday, 10.30am – 1.30pm.

From archaeology to Commando weaponry, costumes and coins, the Jacobite and Victorian era, these artefacts are safely stored in Fort William’s West Highland Museum.

An afternoon out here will provide you with all the fascinating insights a historian is looking for, and there’s certainly plenty of rooms to explore.

University of Aberdeen Zoology Museum, Aberdeen

The Zoology building recently featured in Apple TV+ biography Tetris. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson.

Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm.

The Zoology building is the place to be for students, staff and visitors alike. It is, in fact, the only international collection of zoological specimens and skeletons located in the north of Scotland, so that alone should get you out the door and raring to go.

Displays are like no other, featuring taxidermy, fluid-preserved specimens, models, and more. This may even be the only chance you’ll have at seeing a Bengal tiger up close too – and visit what was once a blockbuster set.

Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life

Centuries of history before your eyes. Image: Scott Smith

Opening hours: Thursday – Sunday, 10.30am – 4.30pm.

Dating back to 1675, Pitmedden Garden has a whole lot of history to be found upon a lengthy stroll around the area. At the heart of the garden is, of course, the parterres, designed with an intricate precision, made up of stunning, eye-catching colours. And as the warmer season of spring gets underway, we’re starting to see the weather shape up quite nicely for a trip to Pitmedden.

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness

Incredible collections are stored at the museum. Image: Shutterstock.

Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

Both local and established artists are celebrated at this art venue situated on Castle Wynd, Inverness. A range of services and facilities are provided, including permanent and temporary exhibitions, all of which showcase Highland heritage.

Gairloch Museum, Gairloch

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 1oam – 5pm.

Visitors are stepping back in time when paying an immersive visit to this museum. Uniquely tucked inside a converted nuclear bunker, the Gairloch Museum plays host to a number of fantastic relics and artefacts such as the original lens from Rubh Re lighthouse, an interactive gallery, and a croft house replica.

Maritime Museum, Aberdeen

‘Sea’ what you can find. Image: VisitScotland.

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 1oam – 5pm; Sunday, 11am – 4pm.

The recently re-opened Maritime Museum holds a brilliant collection which covers shipbuilding, fishing, offshore energy, and a whole voyage to be discovered. You can easily spend a day here and it still wouldn’t be enough time.

Lael Crafts Gallery and Coffee Stop, Ullapool

Home bakes are waiting for you. Image: Shutterstock.

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 10am – 3.30pm.

Lael Crafts Gallery and Coffee Stop stocks amazing local and Scottish arts and crafts – most of which is handmade. The hidden gem makes for a great pitstop with a cafe full of delicious home bakes and delightful snacks calling out your name.

The Highlanders’ Museum, Fort George

Tales of Culloden will come flooding to you. Image: The Highlander’s Museum.

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.30am – 5.30pm.

The five-star rated museum takes visitors from the battlefield of Culloden through to the present day. It is highly popular with visitors, and for good reason, because it’s also one of the largest military collections outside Edinburgh, displaying a history of the Highland Regiments through a series of artefacts.