Address: Basingstoke Leisure Park, Churchill Way West, Basingstoke RG22 6PG, United Kingdom
Phone: +441256639550
Rating: 4.6
based on 479 reviews.
Accessibility
Pros:
"Very wheelchair - push chair friendly with lifts to every floor and ramps on the pavements."
"Well signposted and easy to find the regular and disabled car parks."
"It is fully accessible and wheelchair friendly, although some of the streets are cobbled so this may be something to take into consideration."
"Very accessible with good parking, lifts and clear pathways."
"The staff are really helpful, there are wheelchairs and a couple of mobility scooters, to help with getting around."
"There are wheelchairs and a couple of mobility scooters, to help with getting around."
Cons:
"To cap it off the lifts stopped working so our disabled friend had to be taken down in the staff/freight lift."
"Tried to visit with my disabled wife who uses a mobility scooter and is claustrophobic, we had to leave after only getting as far as the reception desk."
"The disabled toilets are a little on the small side and there are some narrow alleyways."
"Gents toilet near entrance was also too small with only one cubicle."
Value for Money
Pros:
"Great value for money as you can now visit all year round with the ticket."
"Good value and you can go back as many times as you like for a year."
"Entry price allows you to go back anytime for 12 months - very good value."
"The ticket is very good value to, as it lasts for a whole year."
"Prices are good plus you get in for a year for the price of one entry."
"The tickets last a year, so you can return for a cheap day out, all year round."
"The ticket lasts for a year so it's great value for money if you live in the general area as there are different events throughout the year."
Cons:
"The horrendous price of the food in the cafe, we paid over £40 for what amounted to a snack for 3 people and that is not right!"
"Worth the visit, even if entrance price a tad expensive."
"Slightly on the pricey side and not too engaging for the older audience but I would say it’s good for children."
"It's mighty expensive for what you get but it's a nice day out for the family if you're up in that neck of the woods!"
"But at £18 for an adult and £13 for a child, it isn't cheap."
"I will say I think it's quite expensive for what you get."
"Wow this place is expensive if you are only planning a single visit."
Family-Friendly
Pros:
"Really good place to visit for all the family, lots of games for the kids to play, and a lot of history for the more senior of us."
"The games and interactivity for the kids was unbelievable."
"It's probably the best peaceful place to take kids and explore old Basingstoke."
"Great for kids, my 3 and 6 year old loved it, especially the penny arcade, and the back of the house if you open the out building door!"
"A great place to visit, especially if you have young children, as there are many activities."
"Fantastic for all generations to let time slow down and immerse yourself in a bygone era."
"A lovely place to experience what life was like in the bygone days, kids favourite is the sweet shop where you can use your ration book."
Cons:
"But was lacking in interactive engagement for kids."
"Exhibits were lifeless."
"Deadly dull."
"Exhibits you can't touch and a play area that's not open for playing."
"Very little was interactive."
"Both children enjoyed seeing all the old vehicles but they wished there were more things that they could go on."
"After a little more than an hour, the kids were bored."
Facilities
Pros:
"Plenty of free parking, gift shop and a cafe."
"Good facilities on site. Toilets on entry level and museum level."
"Parking was free and a great day was had by all."
"The facilities and gift shop were very good."
"Parking is free, the shop has a massive variety and the cafe serves up a good selection of snacks and meals."
"Car parking was free and entrance fee not unreasonable."
"Well worth a visit here and parking is easy and free."
Cons:
"An excellent museum but let down by a tiny cafe and outdoor picnic area."
"The cafe was a let down when we were told there would be a minimum 40 minute wait for food."
"Cafe is too small and service slow."
"The queue was very long and I think that it would be more efficient for the members of staff to not ask every single person who attends for their details."
"Understandably, all high contact exhibitions have to be closed, but that means no sweet shop and no penny arcade, which were the things we went for."
"However there were no coins available in the machines to be able to play the old school games."
"The only place to eat it is on a couple of outside picnic benches in the carpark."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"The staff were lovely and the cake in the cafe is worth the admission price on its own."
"All the staff were very helpful. Well worth the visit."
"Staff friendly and the ticket entitles to as many visits as you would like in the year."
"The staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable and welcoming."
"Thought the volunteers were brilliant everyone was so friendly."
"Staff are generally dressed in clothing from the time period and are extremely knowledgeable."
"The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient."
Cons:
"The staff in the cafe seemed in to be in a state of chaos!"
"The women on the front desk who sold us the tickets had a face like thunder."
"Would be so much better with real life staff explaining the history, but this only seemed to be provided to school tours, leaving us feeling a little bit neglected."
"The staff aren't really getting into the spirit of a living museum."
"I was planning a trip to the museum sent an e-mail asking for help and advice on people with disabilities or myself never even got a reply back and it's been like 4 days so I called them up names of times no one ever answered the phones."
"Only downside on this particular visit was the lack of staff in the cafe (not the 2 lads working in there's fault)."
"They didn't prepare for the extra sandwiches, toasties and panini that would be needed and ran out of sensible food by 1pm!"
Experience
Pros:
"So many amazing things to see and do. Steam rollers, steam train, steam engines, trams and so much more."
"The museum itself is really well done, the vehicles are immaculately restored and the attention to detail is stunning."
"Brilliant living museum of yesteryear! .. awesome to see the old steam engines, fire engines, traction engines from Taskers in Andover as well as an impressive collection of Thornycroft vehicles."
"Absolutely fantastic, we had a brilliant day out and loved it."
"A great place to see how the streets of Hampshire looked in years gone by."
"This museum was hands down the best museum I have ever been to."