October Half Term - The Tank Museum

Half Term fun for the whole family to enjoy! Kids’ activities, new exhibition, soft play, and more.

The Tank Museum brings the story of tanks and their crews to life. Experience the biggest day out in history with 100 years of history, 300 tanks, kids activities, and more at Dorset’s largest indoor attraction.

Open daily 10am-5pm
Onsite restaurant, café, parking & free soft play
Free kids trails and dressing up
All indoors – great for a rainy day
Allow 4-5hrs for your visit

Fantastic The whole museum is Brilliant. A day is not enough... read moreThe whole museum is Brilliant. A day is not enough to see everything in depth. Tanks from all ages and all wars superbly shown off. I f possible take the short guided tour the guides love what their doing and are very knowledgeable. If you like history this is the place to come. Ticket valid for twelve months. read less
Richard B
24/01/23

Nice day out Great day out, especially as with a ticket you get... read moreGreat day out, especially as with a ticket you get all year entry. Recommend a visit with plenty to see and do read less
Barry K
07/01/23

Essential visit for military history buffs Outstanding museum of modern military history. The curation is first... read moreOutstanding museum of modern military history. The curation is first rate, with the story of the development of armoured fighting vehicles told through easily accessible snapshots of events and the personal stories of soldiers. The tanks themselves are restored and preserved in excellent condition and the chronological arrangement of advancing technology and historical context makes the experience even more meaningful for visitors. 18yo son and I visiting from Australia both found it an absorbing experience (and well worth the drive down from Surrey where we’re staying). read less
Steve U
04/01/23

Amazing day out. With tanks, Tanks and more TANKS!!! This is an amazing day out. So much to see.... read moreThis is an amazing day out. So much to see. Never ending. It seems you turn a corner and MORE TANKS!!!! he Tank Museum brings history to life. Just under a 500 Mile round trip and i'd be happy to do it again int he summer to see the thanks running. read less
Anthony P
19/12/22

Pay once -go back all year, you'll need to! We have been before, but this time was without grand... read moreWe have been before, but this time was without grand kids, so you actually get time to see more!And there is plenty to see, you need to go several times to see it all.  The WW1 exhibition is great, but the new WW2 exhibition is amazing.As a woman I  am not a tank lover,  but enjoy the personal stories , so I was happy to read about those.The trails for kids are great and the shop always my favourite part was jammed pack with things to please everyone.Staff very pleasant and helpful. read less
Linda R
26/11/22

Amazing experience Good parking, well presented easy to get about Very informative... read moreGood parking, well presented easy to get about Very informative and well presented exhibits Can recommend a visit .Had elderly in group and wheelchair friendly read less
Anthony H
17/11/22

Brilliant! We need to go back! I booked tickets for the whole family as a birthday... read moreI booked tickets for the whole family as a birthday treat for my husband as he is a big fan of everything about WW2 and those sort of things. There were so many tanks in various halls, you can’t see everything with little children. We liked this place so much. I had the feeling that my son would get lost, so I put one of those bracelets with name and contact number and it happened. We lost him, he panicked, but he managed to report to the reception and the staff was very kind to us. The shop had a variety of stuff to check out. We have seen veterans and volunteers happy to give information about the machines. Absolutely brilliant day out. The tickets are valid for an year, so we have to go back 🙂 read less
desito07
10/11/22

An interesting, educational and even moving experience. I'm a car enthusiast and an aircraft enthusiast but I... read moreI'm a car enthusiast and an aircraft enthusiast but I thought I'd probably find a museum about tanks interesting! I was right, it's a great museum and I went from knowing very little about to tanks to learning all about their history, how they operate and all the different types. The museum features detailed information on all aspects of tanks and their history with examples of many different tanks including many foreign vehicles.There's also lots of info and stories about the men who operated them and their role in various wars. Some of this is done showing interviews with the men on video screens. This is a great idea and is extremely effective and is the nearest you can get to talking to them yourself.If you have any interest in tanks, this is a must visit and even if you don't you 'll find it very interesting, educational and at times moving. It's also interesting to see some of the tanks used in the current (at the time of writing) Ukraine conflict and it helps understanding of things that have happened there.Another great museum. read less
Marc W
09/11/22

Great for a wet day. We visited the Tank Museum whilst on holiday in Dorset... read moreWe visited the Tank Museum whilst on holiday in Dorset and it is well worth a visit. It was a wet day when we visited and that was the main reason for choosing that day as everything is under cover. Amazing selection of tanks from WW1 to the present day. Good souvenir and book shops. Food quality at the cafe is okay but not great. read less
Bob
31/10/22

What to See & Do
Soft Play

What to See & Do

Whether your age and knowledge of tanks, there’s tonnes to see and do at The Tank Museum.

The Museum is Dorset’s largest indoor attraction, with 300 tanks in 10 powerful exhibitions – all inside.
There are interactive games and dressing up in all of our exhibitions to keep children entertained and engaged.
Vehicle Conservation Centre open every day .

Soft Play

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

The soft play is open from 10am to 4pm 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.