We Love Woodhorn Museum

This is an advert for July 2025. Any shares / edits beyond this date have not been asked or paid for.

We absolutely love Woodhorn Museum. It's a place we always buy an annual pass for and visit regularly. Here are just a few reasons we love this place:

FREE for under 18s
An adult annual pass is super reasonable at £11 per year
Perfect all-weather attraction with indoor and outdoor areas
Fantastic multi-sensory playground and sensory garden
It's super accessible with lots of facilities including wheelchair hire and changing places toilet
The museum hosts school holiday activities and special events across the year - most are included at no additional cost
The museum is an important part of our history and share's our mining heritage in a fun and hands-on way
Pet dogs on leads welcome in the grounds, outbuildings and outdoor terrace of the cafe
FREE on site parking
The staff and volunteers are some of the friendliest you will meet

Outdoor Fun at Woodhorn Museum

We love the outdoor areas at Woodhorn and have often just popped in for coffee, cake and a play in the playground.

The Pit Yard Play Area is an accessible play area themed around the region's mining heritage. Expect a multi-sensory experience with matching pairs game, ferrophone to introduce music and sound, a cradle swing and rotating plate suitable for wheelchairs.

A recent addition to Woodhorn is their beautiful Wild Wood & Sensory Garden located at the rear of the playground next to the perimeter fence. It's a beautiful bright area with stunning planting, sights, sounds and smells. Visitors can enjoy the wildflowers and see what insects they can spot here.

Wild Wood has been created by Age UK volunteers and is teaming with life and colour. There is seating here where you can just sit and take a moment to relax too. I do recommend chatting with a volunteer gardener if you bump into one - they are full of knowledge and super enthusiastic.

Visitors can also collect a new Woodhorn Wild Trail sheet and complete the trail around teh museum grounds. You'll discover more about the wildlife that lives here and can use the rear of your trail sheet to create a unique brass rubbing piece of art.

Indoor Fun at Woodhorn Museum

The museum's main permanent exhibition 'Coal Town' shares the history of mining in Northumberland from 1918 up to the 1980s. As you stroll through the museum, you pass through different time periods and may encounter an object or two from your own childhood that is sure to spark lots of memories and conversations.

There's plenty of opportunity for learning through play and interaction with a mangle to try (and song to sing), stage to perform on, mining tunnel to crawl through, games to play and more. It's a fab exhibition and really well done with something to appeal to all ages.

And don't miss 'Follow the Banner' - children (and some adults) can never seem to resist marching up to the top.

Woodhorn also includes access to some of the site's original colliery buildings which are fascinating to walk around. You can listen to the stories of those who lived and worked here, stand directly over the (capped) mine shaft, visit the stables which have been home to over 200 pit ponies over the years (and learn more about them) and more.

It's such an interesting place, especially if you're interested in local history.

If you're visiting with small children, don't miss the Mini Museum Activity Trolleys upstairs. They're packed with age-appropiate games to play, story prompts, puppets, arts and crafts and museum objects which are safe to handle. There is seating next to the trolleys too making this a fab spot to just sit and chill for a bit.

Art at Woodhorn Museum

Art has always played an important role at Woodhorn Museum and you'll find a range of permanent and temporary galleries and exhibitions (we love the Northumberland Open Exhibition each spring).

Explore the Pitman Painters, Coal Town and the recently opened Mik Critchlow gallery which all showcase different aspects of our region's history.

If visiting with kids, I usually ask them to walk around the gallery and pick their favourite piece then let me know why they like it so much.

Alongside the galleries and exhibitions, there is usually always some kind of art or craft activity running where you can use inspiration from the galleries to create your own piece - quite often in the Learning Room, Ashington Hut or just on the tables upstairs near the Museum Activity Trolley.

Check the Woodhorn website to see what's on or ask on arrival.

Special Events & School Holidays at Woodhorn Museum

Example Wild Wednesdays Activities

Alongside all of the permanent fun to be had at Woodhorn, the museum also hosts special school holiday activities and events and most are included at no additional cost.

For example, Wednesdays across the 2025 summer holidays are 'Wild Wednesdays' where you can get involved in Bug Hunts (our kids loved this), Wild Crafts, Wild Activities such as Seed Bomb Making & more. No need to book and all included at no additional cost.

You can watch a video of our visit during a Wild Wednesday and get an idea of what's involved here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMmbPJDNqM1/

The Ashington Group Hut also hosts different activities across school holidays. In Summer 2025, these will change every two weeks. All materials and instructions are provided and as an adult, I always like to get stuck in too. These activities are not just for kids!

On our most recent visit, we created our own Football Pendants and upcoming activities include 'Build a Victorian Cooking Range' and 'Create a Meal for a Hard Working Miner'.

All included at no additional cost! I love that the activities change across the summer meaning you can return and try something different.

Check what's on here: https://museumsnorthumberland.org.uk/woodhorn-museum/whats-on/

Fantastic Facilities at Woodhorn Museum

The facilites at Woodhorn are fantastic and include:

A reasonably priced cafe (they cater for most dietery requirements) with free water station and book corner for kids
Wheelchair & mobility scooter hire
Baby changing facilities
You can bring a picnic - there are covered (in bad weather) and uncovered picnic spaces
Accessible toilets including Changing Places Facilities
Bicycle rack
Free car park (charges may apply on some big event days) with blue badge spaces
Quiet hours

Pet Dogs at Woodhorn Museum

And finally, one reason I love visiting Woodhorn Museum is that pet dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds, outbuildings and outdoor terrace of the cafe. Dog water bowls are available and if you're caught short, dog waste bags are available from the welcome hut.

Fozzy and Ollie love visiting and I always feel like it's a lovely sensory experience for them with lots of new sights, sounds and sniffs for them to explore.

Need to Know

Woodhorn Museum is open daily during Northumberland School Holidays 10am-4pm and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during term time
No need to book in advance - simply drop in and show your annual pass or sign up on arrival
An adult annual pass is £11 for a year (concessions available), under 18s and carers go free
Woodhorn Museum is a charity and any donations are welcome
Group visits for care home residents can be organised with FREE admission
Woodhorn is just off the C1 National and Coast & Castles Cycle Routes with Cycle Racks and Luggage Storage available
Ashington Train & Bus Station are around a 20-25 minute stroll from the museum
The cafe has a 5* food hygiene rating and can cater for most dietery requirements (or you can bring a picnic)
Address: Woodhorn Museum. Queen Elizabeth II Country Park. Ashington. Northumberland. NE63 9YF
Find out more and view access statements, cafe menus and more: https://museumsnorthumberland.org.uk/woodhorn-museum/