7 Best Sights in The West Country, England

In a refurbished transit shed on the harborside, this museum is dedicated to the city's history. The collection comprises three main galleries—Bristol People, Bristol Places, and Bristol Life—that focus on everything from the slave trade to scientific inventions to recent cultural innovations associated with the city. Check out the artifacts, photos, and sound and video recordings of and by Bristolians, all jazzed up with the latest interactive technology. Don't forget to take in the magnificent harbor views from the top-floor terrace.

This family-friendly museum is housed in a recently refurbished Victorian building. The centerpiece is the extensive Making History gallery, a giddy mix of objects imaginatively illustrating the city's history and covering everything from Roman pottery to memorabilia from World War II. The geology section is thrillingly enhanced by the latest video technology, and there are also excellent ethnography and archaeological collections, natural-history displays, and works by West Country artists.

Occupying a Victorian farmhouse and a 14th-century abbey tithe barn, this museum tells the story of life in Somerset throughout the ages. Exhibits in the six galleries illustrate farming practices and daily life in the 19th century using sound recordings and projections as well as an array of tools and domestic objects. The barn, more than 90 feet in length, once stored the one-tenth portion of the town's produce that was owed to the church and now holds exhibitions. Soups and crusty sandwiches are available at the Grain Store Café, which has tables in the yard. The grounds also contain an apple cider orchard. For a good walk, take the scenic footpath from the museum that leads up to the Tor, a half mile east.

Consisting of a museum, galleries, and an archive, the Box opened in 2020 as Plymouth's state-of-the-art exhibition space dedicated to all cultural and historical aspects of the city. Local themes are explored in the linked Port of Plymouth gallery and the 100 Journeys gallery, which focuses on the city's long relationship with the sea and the various voyages that began from Plymouth (including those of Sir Francis Drake, Captain Cook, and various slave-traders). Both are designed to engage visitors of all ages. More than 3,000 natural history specimens are displayed in the Mammoth gallery, while, upstairs, the Photo Album gallery and Media Lab provide visual images from the past. This level is also the best place to view the 14 giant wooden ship figureheads dating from the 1800s that are suspended above the café area, each with its own story told via interactive touchscreens. The art collection, including works by artists associated with the West Country such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, Stanhope Forbes, and Barbara Hepworth, is currently dispersed throughout the museum, and there are regular temporary exhibitions upstairs and in the annex, a deconsecrated church.

On three floors, this interactive exhibition narrates the story of Plymouth, from its beginnings as a fishing and trading port to the modern industrial city it is today. Along the way, you'll take in the stories of various expeditions that embarked from here to the New World, including the Mayflower itself. The city's tourist office is also in this building.

The three floors of this informative museum contain historical artifacts, domestic knickknacks, traditional agricultural and mining tools, and fascinating insights into the lives of ordinary folk living on the moor. The museum also provides tourist information for Dartmoor and the Okehampton area.

Occupying a 17th-century Dutch-style merchant's house beside the river, this museum has period-furnished rooms and displays on local and maritime history. One room has memorabilia belonging to the late actress Vivien Leigh, who spent much time in the region. Just note that the museum opens at 2 pm and closes at 5 pm.