Portland Museum

Portland Museum is set in two old stone cottages in the village of Wakeham, overlooking Church Ope Cove on the Isle of Portland. Its displays cover the island's dinosaur fossils, shipwrecks and smuggling tales, Portland stone carving, quarrying and prison history, and the story of its founder, Marie Stopes. Children tend to enjoy the fossils, including dinosaur bones and giant ammonites, and the shipwreck maps. There is a sheltered cottage garden where families can picnic, and ice creams and water refills are sold from the shop. The museum is staffed by volunteers and is run as a charitable trust. Rufus Castle and the cove are a short walk away, so the visit pairs well with an afternoon outdoors on the island.