Go back in time :) (Beamish North of England Open Air Museum)

Member Name: Kayteehee

Product:	Beamish North of England Open Air Museum
Date:	05/07/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So much to see, family friendly, fun, educational

Disadvantages: Can get really busy and is a little pricey

**What is it and How do I find it?**

Beamish Open Air Museum is located in Country Durham, near to Beamish village, Durham and Chester-le-Street. It is signposted from the A1 by the brown tourist signs. Set in 300 acre grounds, Beamish is unlike any other 'traditional museum', instead it is set out in fields as clusters of attractions, with things such as the old village, a school, a church and a mine. This means that visitors can get a real taste of history whilst having an enjoyable family day out. It is set in two important times in the history of the people of the North of England, 1825 and 1913.

**My Visit**
**Entering the museum**
I visited with my partner towards the end of May. We went on a weekend so it was fairly busy. We easily found Beamish with the help of my Sat-Nav, and parked up in the gravel car park. Upon entrance there was no queue as it was quite late in the afternoon. We paid our entrance fee, which was £13 as we both had student ID. For adults it is £16, Children £11 (5-16 years) Children under 5 are free, and OAPs (60 Plus) are charged at the same as student price. It is worth noting you can save money by buying a family ticket, and at the time we went they had a promotion where if you bought one, you could turn this into an Annual Pass FREE of charge!! Not sure if this offer is still on but it is worth enquiring. During the winter the prices are almost half that of the summer, however most of the attractions are not open. Inside the main building there is a large gift shop that sells toys, nostalgia, novelty items, locally made food, and other souvenirs. There is also a café, which we did not visit.
To get to the main part of the museum you walk through the building and out, where there is a tram stop. You can choose to catch the tram to the next part of the village, this is highly recommended especially if you're brave enough to climb up to the open top part, it feels a little rickety so is quite exhilarating. There is also a very old style bus that is covered in old metal advertisements. It makes a great photo opportunity. You are given a map upon entrance, which is very useful as everything is quite spread out.

**The Attractions**
There are various areas you can visit. The School is fantastic, you can go inside, sit down and write on your slate with charcoal and experience a lesson, 1925-style... take that interactive whiteboards!! There are costumed staff that play a role and explain the history to you, they are really friendly and happy to answer questions. Outside in the playground you can play with the metal hoop things that you spin around, (forgotten what they are called!!) no I-pods in sight here!
In the town, set in 1913 there is a dentist, a solicitors, a printers shop, a tearoom (that sells hot and cold snacks and afternoon tea) a clothes shop, a bank, a Masonic Hall, a sweet shop (where you can buy old fashioned sweets and watch them being made). My favorite part was the dentist's surgery where one of the staff/actors spent around 15 minutes explaining what a trip to the dentist was like back then. It was interesting to hear how people bought second-hand false teeth, yum yum! I also liked the bank where you could go down to the vaults and see how all the money and records were kept. There is also a village green where a brass band were playing which added to the atmosphere. For the Dads and car fantatics, there is a garage with a collection of vintage cars and tractors.
Outside of the town there is a mine that you can go underground for a tour, however we ran out of time for this so cannot report on it. There is also a series of miners cottages where you can see people crafting materials for their home as they would have done back then. All the furniture, fixtures, settings, costumes etc seem very authentic and well executed.
'Home Farm' is a place where you can see and pet the animals; there are also some Shetland Ponies in the fields who are gorgeous and very friendly. There is a railway station that has traditional steam trains. There was also a blacksmith who showed us how he made horseshoes.
There is a fairground as well though this was closed when we were there, I have been to this part a few months previously. The carousel is fantastic, and there is also wooden-rope-ship-swing-things for children. You should note that it does cost extra to ride on the fairground attractions which can add up on-top of the entrance fee.
It costs no extra, however to ride on the coal-trucks, the tram or the bus. The countryside is beautiful around the museum grounds, so if you're fit enough I'd recommend walking at least one way.

**Facilities**
There are toilets around the site, which you'll be pleased to know do not replicate the ones of 1825! There are also baby changing facilities and disabled access etc. See website for more details: www.beamish.org.uk The tearoom has a range of things to purchase though you could always take your own picnic.

**Tips**
Make sure you choose your times to visit the café, sweet shop etc, as it can get VERY crowded.
Also make sure you are wearing good shoes; there is a lot of walking involved! Don't wear your heels ladies ;)
All the typical outdoor stuff, make sure you're prepared for all weathers, waterproof coat, sun cream etc, you know what British weather is like!
I recommend carrying a little bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel with you because there are farm animals etc that you can pet but it makes it easier than worrying about hand-washing facilities.
Give yourself enough time for a visit, you can definitely make a full day out of it but you really can't go to Beamish for less than 2.5 hours, I'd say around 4 hours is probably the best time to go for.

**Overall**
Beamish is fantastic for a family day out, there is so much fun to be had but at the same time is a highly educational trip. I'd say I feel the ticket is a little on the pricey side though you have to take into account this is not your average museum with dusty artefacts behind glass with do not touch signs, this is fully interactive. The staff are fantastic and there are so many photo opportunities to be had. To make the most out of the ticket price, make a full day of it if you can. There are also special events that runs at certain times so keep an eye on the website.

We had a fantastic day out, particularly as my partner is not from England originally so she found it even more interesting to see the way of life here in the North East from the Victorian era and even earlier. The only negatives I have to mention is the queue in the shops, especially the sweet shop, it can feel claustrophobic so just choose your times and route carefully.

Summary: Plan your visit carefully to make the most of it :) Fab day out