Booth Museum of Natural History

Amazing hidden gem right next to the station! The Brighton Toy and Model Museum is packed with nostalgic stuffs, from vintage trains to rare collectibles

· via Google

This is a hidden gem for all ages. I have been with my two children many years ago and then I saw in the paper that it's exhibition has been updated so off we went. This time I took my eldest now 18 and my youngest 9. It's free admission which was the first of many wonderful surprises. The place is huge, you don't realise until you're inside how big it is. It is literally stacked to the rafters with animals from every walk of life. There were some amazing displays and our favourites were the cheetah, the lion, the vulture, the snake, the whale bones and in fact the list is probably too long to mention. We had to walk around twice to make sure we saw all the exhibits. Before we realised an hour or so had flown by. There is also a little hands-on bit for younger children to build a skeleton. The 27 bus stop takes you straight there and back to the museum and there is a park and cafe literally across the road from the museum. My one and only draw back is there are a steps. I had a walking frame and this was a little tricky but my daughter managed to get me in. When in the staff did say there was a back exit I could take which meant no stairs but it was a little to far away for me to walk back to the bus stop but at least it is an option. I have enclosed lots of pictures we took. I thoroughly recommend you go and visit this museum.

· via Google

The museum was lively when my friend and I arrived! The animal displays were also varied to show the habitats of the birds, and some included prey. Not all of the animal names were visible in the glass cases portion, and there weren't additional placards providing information about each species, which I would've liked, but I may have also missed a QR code or something that led to an online guide. The back portion was no less fun, and the informational placards there had some humor! There was one about the rhinoceros skull with artificial horns that poked fun at their value-- since they weren't real, they couldn't be used in Chinese medicine or we'd be sick or sold at cocaine-level prices. Anyway, it's a quaint smaller museum in Brighton :) I liked it for an afternoon activity to spend a few hours in.

· via Google

Very good and deceptively large. It’s a relatively small collection but I could have easily spent all day in there because of how many specimens there are neatly packed together. The taxidermy and skeletons are all impressive and well put-together and everything felt very tidy and well up to date. There are plenty of spots to sit, including a cozy Victorian study. Definitely a must, especially if you’re interested in birds and taxidermy.

· via Google