October Half Term: Art-A-Tank

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.

Follow the new Art-A-Tank Museum trail, plus colouring and drawing workshops. Mini-tank fans can let off steam in the free soft play & outdoor play area.

Open daily 10am-5pm
Onsite restaurant, café, parking & free soft play
New outdoor play area
Get inside a Chieftain Tank Tank 23 – 27 October
Free kids trails and dressing up
All indoors – great for a rainy day
Allow 4-5hrs for your visit
Full programme HERE

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Great day out Was expecting to spend a couple of hours here on... read moreWas expecting to spend a couple of hours here on a cloudy day, and ended up spending all day. Good mix of history, exhibits and entertainment for the kids.  Was a great day out with the boys. read less
Go58735715248
24/08/23

Good value and great day out Was wondering if this would work as a day out... read moreWas wondering if this would work as a day out for 2 stroppy 15 year olds. It did. It’s a great place - really well thought out, interesting and interactive. Very clean and friendly staff. Would definitely recommend. read less
smithscrs
24/08/23

Exceeded Expectations What I expected & what I got were very different.... read moreWhat I expected & what I got were very different. I am a history enthusiast especially WWII & I was expecting a rather small & dull museum that would appeal to me but not my wife.

The museum is massive, easily worth the price of admission & your ticket is valid for a year, there is also plenty of car parking space & most importantly my wife enjoyed it! It's split into sections, the main ones are - WWI, WWII, Afghanistan. All are interactive and very informative and split into further sections such as the desert War, Normandy etc. There are what seemed like hundreds of tanks and mechanical vehicles.

There is a couple of cafes and gift shops, both of which could do with some updating.

The outdoor show was great for kids.

We did not get to see everything we wanted, we arrived at 11.30am and left at 4.30pm but as our tickets are valid for a year we shall come back. read less
AvidTraveler12
24/08/23

Fantastic day out! We have a brilliant day here stayed over 6 hours... read moreWe have a brilliant day here stayed over 6 hours and still missed seeing the conservation centre as we had so much fun in the main museum, something else to see another time! 

It is set out in a really interesting way, it’s engaging for everyone with multiple things to do with the kids. 

We didn’t do the tank ride as our daughter was too short, again something to do another time but we did watch the tanks in action while enjoying a picnic in the sun. 

Thoroughly recommend the Tank Museum, my husband and I agree that it’s the best museum we have visited, great value for money. 

Much better than the NH or the Science museums in London, which we always feel haven’t been updated since we were kids! 

Lovely friendly staff and not over crowded. read less
Jo O
23/08/23

Perfect day out for nerds The museum will be bigger than you think so don't... read moreThe museum will be bigger than you think so don't worry about taking your time to go around it all, or even spend multiple days there. All the vehicles have great information attached and allow you to get a real feel of the vehicles and how they would perform! There are some incrediblely rare vehicles there too and I am very happy seeing them in such good condition and well looked after! It also has a very fun track ride which is very worth it aswell as the most immersive and best trench experiences i have been to! The staff are some of the friendliest and excited I have met, all ready to teach you more. James gave me a little personal tour of some vehicles and taught me some hidden secrets about them, I have never met someone more excited and knowledgeable of their job, thank you James for an amazing experience and I wish you many more years of being a cool dude 😎 

(Sensory bags available for free is a perfect idea too!) read less
HungryAndNorthern
21/08/23

Colouring This place has a lot of reviews so I’ll write... read moreThis place has a lot of reviews so I’ll write about something I noticed that set it apart from others for kids.

In the dining area they had a long table set up with a variety of different pictures for kids to colour. A staff member or volunteer has clearly spent some time setting this out in a lovely way. All the pencils were sharp. There were a big variety of colours. There were many pots of pencils spread down the long table. There were large trays for sharpening, each with many pencil sharpeners in.

I take my son to lots of places, and am used to craft/colouring areas having a handful of broken/blunt pencils or crayons, so we usually don’t bother at all. We spent probably half an hour at this table together colouring while I also enjoyed my cup of tea after walking around the museum.

Whoever is responsible for the colouring table, a brilliant job. read less
littlepinkhearts
19/08/23

Tankers I’m no tank enthusiast but my husband and son were... read moreI’m no tank enthusiast but my husband and son were eager to visit. 

I must admit that this place is impressive, the way everything is set out is great and really interesting. 

I love the smell of oil/petrol and this place smells great!! 🤣🤣

The museum offers great value for money and a good day out. read less
HelzR35
18/08/23

Fantastic experience Fantastic experience been here many times now but each time... read moreFantastic experience been here many times now but each time is as fascinating as the last 

Also done the tankfest event before that they hold yearly and a must for any fan of military history read less
Sm2288
17/08/23

Family Fun Brilliant family day out. Don’t have to be interested in... read moreBrilliant family day out. Don’t have to be interested in tanks to enjoy it. Kids loved the shop which has a wide range of merchandise for all ages and reasonably priced! Will absolutely go back again! read less
kirstywS1239OL
16/08/23

Family Activities

There’s loads of family fun at The Tank Museum!

Find artwork around the Museum in the new Art-A-Tank Museum trail.
Make your own paper tank & Tank Museum memory to go on the memory wall.
Learn how to use a lightbox to create pictures for colouring.
‘How To Draw a Tank’ workshop.
New outdoor play area.
Climb inside a Chieftain Tank 23 – 27 October
Take home your own caricature (Saturday 28th only)

What to See & Do

There’s tonnes to see and do at The Tank Museum, regardless of your age and knowledge of tanks!

The Museum is Dorset’s largest indoor attraction, with 300 tanks in 10 powerful exhibitions – all inside, perfect for a rainy day in October.
There are interactive games and dressing up in all of our exhibitions to keep children entertained and engaged.
Vehicle Conservation Centre open every day, timings vary.
A new exhibition for 2023 – Tanks for the Memories: The Tank in Popular Culture

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.