Christmas Holiday - The Tank Museum

Festive fun for the whole family to enjoy!

This Christmas, help The Tank Museum’s trusty elf, Frank, on a mission to find Santa’s missing presents – find them all to win a prize!

Explore over 300 military machines, uncover incredible stories, and experience a festive adventure for all ages.

Plus, enjoy interactive exhibitions, games, dress-up, free soft play and indoor restaurant & café.

Key Details

Open daily 10am-4pm
Closed between 24-26 December
On-site restaurant, café, parking & free soft play
Free kids’ trails and dressing up
All indoors – perfect for a rainy day
Allow 4-5hrs for your visit

What to See & Do
Soft Play

What to See & Do

No matter your age and knowledge of tanks, there’s tonnes to see and do at The Tank Museum.

Explore with the Operation Christmas Trail and help Frank the elf find Santa’s missing presents
See what Christmas looked like during WW2 in our festive 1940s house and shop
Interactive games and dressing up in all of our exhibitions to keep children entertained and engaged
Festive photo opportunity outside the Museum – light-up tank with reindeer
Learn about Christmas during the war
The Museum is Dorset’s largest indoor attraction, with 300 tanks in 10 powerful exhibitions – all inside

Soft Play

Kids can let off steam in our free, tank shaped soft play area, situated in our Tamiya Hall.

The soft play is open all day and is suitable for children aged between 3 and 11.
All children must be wearing socks and must be supervised.
The soft play is right beside our café, and has comfy chairs for parents to relax in.

Christmas Holidays

TIME

ACTIVITY

LOCATION

All holiday, all day

Operation Christmas Trail

Search for missing presents around the Museum – find them all to get a chocolatey prize!

Sitewide

Photo Opportunity with Challenger 1

Take a photo outside the Museum with a Challenger 1, festively lit up with lights and reindeer.

Museum Entrance

Outdoor Play Area

Climb on our Centurion & Mark II in the outdoor play area.

Children must be supervised at all times.

Outside the Museum

Soft Play

Children can let of steam in the free indoor soft play, situated right beside our café.

Children must be supervised at all times.

Tamiya Hall

Christmas Colouring Station

Enjoy some festive fun with this Christmas colouring activity, then take your creation home to enjoy.

Tamiya Hall

All holiday, check the 'What's On' screen at the information point for details

Wartime Christmas

Meet the residents of our 1940’s street and find out how being at war changed Christmas for everyone.

Home Front House in WW2: War Stories

The Trenches at Christmas

Follow in the footsteps of a WW1 soldier and learn how Christmas was celebrated during the Great War.

The Trench Experience

24, 25 & 26 December

Museum Closed

The Museum will be closed for Christmas. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and we will see you all again on 27 December!

Sitewide

					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Ticked off my bucket list. This has been on my bucket list for years so while wife was away I drove 250 miles to visit and was not disappointed. Entry price was reasonable and the exhibits were fantastic, thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Highly recommend if tanks are your thing.
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/35/1a/bb/20/caption.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 0" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/35/1a/bb/21/caption.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 1" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/35/1a/bb/22/caption.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 2" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/35/1a/bb/23/caption.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 3" >
<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
ANDYSheffield
02/11/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">day visit Brilliant day out.  6 year old enjoyed it. loved the interactive parts of finding clues & stamps etc. Play area outside was good as well (when it stopped raining) Also found the gift shop to be well stocked & reasonably priced. 

this was our 2nd visit & will be back again when we can.
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
Beechess62
31/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Lots to See! Lots and lots to see at this museum  luckily you have a year pass to come back, offering good value. Best to spend a whole day here. The restaurant is a good size so great for a quick snack for lunch.
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
Flyer47657358707
28/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Engaging passionate staff and lots to see and do Another brilliant day at the tank museum. 

My children love it and as there is a great play area and soft play it caters for younger kids who may get fed up looking at details about the tanks.

The staff are kind and happy to chat and it feels a very inclusive place. 

It was a real treat to chat with the very talented model making volunteers today too.

My one suggestion would be add new action men and lego to the play areas as they have seen better days! 

Thank you for all your hard work team Tank Museum!
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/35/0f/25/06/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 0" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/35/0f/25/07/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 1" >
<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
LadyMadonna8
28/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Something for Everyone We visited The Tank Museum with four children aged 7 to 14, and every one of them had a fabulous time, as did all the adults!



The museum is really well laid out, with something to interest everyone. Plenty of interactive exhibits keep the kids engaged, and the staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and always happy to help. Special mention to Jock, who took the time to share lots of fascinating information and really enhanced our experience.



The café and play equipment were an added bonus, giving the kids a chance to run off some energy and providing a nice break during the day.



We ended up spending five hours there, which is practically unheard of for us when visiting a museum with children! I think that says it all about how much there is to see and do.



A brilliant day out and somewhere we'd happily recommend to families with children of all ages.
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
Gillian M
27/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">World beating collection Fantastic collection, my son and I really enjoyed the insight in to real tankers experiences through the years.  



I have been coming to the museum for many ment years and every time I come I find something new or thought provoking in the displays.
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
James H
23/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Fun for all the family Fantastic day out with the family. So much on offer. We spent four hours here - plenty to do for the kids, including soft play and playground. Recommend booking in advance, we booked the night before, to save 20%. Best part is you get an annual ticket so we’ll be back again soon! Highly recommend.
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
edwyeth
19/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Awesome Awesome place 2nd visit never fails to disappoint
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<img width="32" height="32" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_small_icon.svg" alt="TripAdvisor Logo" class="wprevpro_t1_site_logo wprevsiteicon ">
Darren M
18/10/26
					<img width="100" height="22" decoding="async" src="https://tankmuseum.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-slider-pro/public/partials/imgs/tripadvisor_stars_5.png" alt="5 star rating" class="wprevpro_t1_star_img_file">Best trip of my life Genuinely amazing place, the tanks are awesome, your ticket lasts a full year, the staff are amazing. It's never too croweded either apart from school trips, otherwise you have all the room you need. Must go for anyone into tanks. 

The manager heard it was our last day in England so he let us into the conservation centre and into a tank for free. Will definitely go  again
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/34/ea/aa/ed/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 0" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/34/ea/aa/ee/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 1" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/34/ea/aa/ef/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 2" ><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/v2/photo-s/34/ea/aa/f0/image.jpg" class="wprev_media_img"  alt="media thumbnail 3" >
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JAMIE B
16/10/26