Sheffield Weston Park Museum

Sheffield's City Museum has had a revamp! Now it is full of interactive fun and it is briliant. There are 6 different areas to see which are...

1. Sheffield

About the history of Sheffield . Great exhibit . The re-created butchers shop is great -includes smells . Children are allowed to dress up as butchers and operate the till which is fun.

At the bottom is an area on the Peak Distrcit with Bronze Age pottery and cup and ring marks stones. Next to this is a lovely re-created garden shed completed with hedgehog! There is a toy box. Up the walk there are exhibits on the war and the great flood both of which have videos

2. History workshop

One for kids but still good. Children can open windows from different time periods to find items in them from in and around Sheffield before examining items under a microscope. There is a timeline which includes a cool robot and a lion! Children can dress up as maids and Anglo-Saxons while adults can use the books and computers for research

3. Animals

My favourite bit. Entering past a montage of colours turning to your left is a re-creation of a moor and a kitchen area where you can discover animals that live in your kitchen - inlcluding cockroaches! Next up is the superb oak tree-an excellent sculpture complete with animals. You can walk through it and see the badgers and rabbits. Across is an area on animals which is home to a lot of stuffed animals well displayed with nice videos. There is also a computer game here for kids where they make there own adapted creature before putiing it in the wild. Very popular. In a smaller area like this is a great game 'Push the Poo' (lol!) as well as Guy the Gorilla - he is still as great as he was at London Zoo even though he's dead. Passing the wooly Rhino through the time tunnel with amazingly realistic models showing the ice age, a jungle from millions of years ago (with giant millipede!) and a tropical sea.

Next is a small discovery zone home to some bees and to look out in the park but there isn't much to see to be honest.

4.Artic World

Small and disssapointing - mainly aimed at kids. However, Snowy the Polar Bear more than makes up for it.

5. Treasures

Great. With Anglo-Saxon helmets, Celtic brooches, Egyptian mummies and lost of pottery this is fascinating. My favourite exhibit is the carved elephant tusk-it is stunning with amazing craftmanship

6. Art

Replacing art gallery. Quite nice paintings.

Facilities

Clean toilets, reasonable cafe'. Good sized gift shop but it is overpriced (like all)

Overall

This is a superb museum which is great fun for adults and children alike. If you are in Sheffield it is well worth a visit.