Dean Heritage Centre
Museums & Science Centres · Soudley, Gloucestershire
Also outdoor play & adventure playgrounds
No reviews yet
Closed — opens Thursday at 10am
🏠 Indoor & outdoor🌲 Woodland🛝 PlaygroundEducational☔ Rainy-day friendlySchool holiday activities
What’s there
- Café on site
- Free parking
Only facilities we’ve confirmed are listed — anything missing here we simply haven’t checked, rather than know to be absent.
The Dean Heritage Centre sits in a former corn mill beside a millpond in the Forest of Dean and tells the story of the Forest from the Ice Age to the present day. Five interactive galleries cover prehistoric finds, iron and coal mining, steam power and wartime community life, and there is a recreated Victorian schoolroom where younger visitors can dress up and play old-fashioned games. Outside, a five-acre woodland site has a Gruffalo trail, a charcoal burner's camp that is demonstrated each year, and a woodland playground that gives children room to run. A craft hut runs during the school holidays and suits wet weather. A coffee shop and gift shop sit on site, and the grounds are good for a relaxed half-day with a picnic or a walk to the nearby Soudley Ponds.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
- Wellies
- Wristband for lost childrenWrite your number on it before you go in.
- Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
- Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
- Hairbrush
- Blister plastersNew shoes and a long walk are a bad pairing.
- Sit-upon mat
- Spare shoesOne puddle and the day is decided otherwise.
- Zip-lock bagsThe shell collection, the wet swimming costume, the half-eaten sandwich.
- Flask of tea
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links open Amazon in a new tab and never change what you pay. How this works
Reviews
No reviews yet — been here with your little ones? Be the first to share.
Something not right? Tell us — opening hours and prices change, and we’d rather hear it from you.
Do you run Dean Heritage Centre? Claim this listing to keep it up to date and add your own photos.
