Top 10 UK museums and galleries for families package and tourism this july..

 

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

 
 Expression - Heads by Sophie Cave at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Photograph: Alamy
This much-loved institution is among the most-visited museums in the UK outside of London. With 22 galleries and more than 8,000 objects, Kelvingrove really is the kind of museum in which you can while away a rainy day. Fine art and armouries aside, one of the most popular exhibits is the beehive, which is designed to allow the bees in and out of the building.

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

 
There are plenty of exhibits designed especially for children at this museum, a great place to learn about the natural and human world. Some of the most remarkable objects on display include a gigantic skull (from a whale named Moby), and that timeless museum classic: a life-sized cast of a T rex skeleton that's a whopping 12m long

Coventry Transport Museum

 
You don't have to a be a gas-guzzling roadhog with a Top Gear tattoo to get excited about this museum's collection of vehicles. Not least because the museum has one of the best collections of bicycles in the country, featuring classics from the painfully rigid Boneshaker to the chilled-out Chopper. Of course, motorheads will want to take a look at the world's two fastest cars (the Thrust 2 and ThrustSCC), which are on permanent display.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

 
Anthony Caro, Dream City steel sculpture, Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Photograph: Alamy A bit like an art gallery you can shout in (though maybe don't do it too much), the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a magnificent open-air gallery surrounded by lush countryside. Founded in 1977, and the first of its kind in the UK, the 500-acre park features artworks by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Eduardo Paolozzi. Check the weather before you go – you might need wellies.

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford

 
Pitt Rivers Museum
A cornucopia of curios, the Pitt Rivers museum exhibits one man's (Augustus Pitt Rivers) obsessive acquisitions over a lifetime of exploration and discovery. The sheer quantity of stuff in the building becomes evident once you step inside the main hall, where glass cabinets brimming with exhibits fill the floor. With a collection ranging from Tahitian costumes to African crafts, most visitors end up finding at least one object they wish they could take home with them. If only they needed a clearout …

North Lincolnshire Museum, Scunthorpe

 
Shortlisted for the Family Friendly Museum award last year, the North Lincolnshire Museum is a surprise treat in an area perhaps not that well-known for its attractions. The collection, featuring archaeology and natural artefacts, is full of interactive exhibits to encourage a shared learning experience for families wanting to find out more about the history of the region. The archaeology gallery is fantastic, as is the 1950s-inspired cafe.

Mansfield Museum, Nottinghamshire

  
  The brainchild of a local collector – William Edward Bailey – who gifted his collection to the community, the Mansfield Museum has loads of trails and games to inspire kids. The permanent exhibition displays objects and photographs that illustrate the social and industrial history of the area, including the glass-roofed arcade, where you'll find everything from telephone boxes to penny-farthings. There is also an impressive collection of porcelain, which you can admire while your children enjoy the opportunity to design their own plate.

The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry

Another Guardian Kids in Museums award-winner, the Herbert makes an effort to ensure there are plenty of fun activities and experiences to keep families entertained, with a busy half-term programme. The museum – which recently enjoyed a modern architectural renovation – has a diverse collection to pique the curiosity of visitors of all ages, including local artefacts, natural history and visual arts, with a remarkable collection of shells.

Big Pit National Coal Museum, Torfaen

A former miner giving school pupils an underground tour at Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon, south Wales. Photograph: Alamy The prospect of going to a coal museum might be met with groans from your brood, but the Big Pit has the power to entertain as well as educate. The former coal mine was opened as a museum in 2004 and features displays that detail the hard work and sacrifice involved in getting coal from the earth. After taking part in the underground tour – in which visitors don helmets and cap lamps before being lowered 90m below the ground for a walk around the mine's tunnels – you can also take in exhibitions that depict the story of mining in Wales, in what used to be the pithead baths.

St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff

 
Traditional blacksmith at St Fagans national history museum in Wales. Photograph: Alamy One of Europe's leading open-air museums, St Fagans has 100 acres of parkland in which you'll find more than 40 original buildings from various historical periods. Among those you can explore are a church, a farm, a school and a workmen's institute, which are all regularly brought to life through workshops and demonstrations of traditional crafts. When the weather improves, wildlife fans can enjoy the nature trail through the museum's wonderful beech woodland.