The Natural History Museum in Tring is a smaller outpost of the larger museum in London. Originally a private museum built in the late nineteenth century by the Rothschild family, it became part of the Natural History Museum in 1937. It’s a short drive up in the A41 from Watford, and a favourite of ours – especially for rainy day trips!
There’s a car park around the back, and a much larger parking area on the grass just north of the museum on the edge of Tring Park. These do get busy, so we’ve found it either best to get there when the museum opens, or towards the end of the day.
The tall cases of stuffed animals are arranged over a number of floors, together with other rooms devoted to natural history learning and galleries. The collection ranges from lions, bears and tigers down to smaller birds and insects. It’s a fascinating place for kids, and there are paper-based activities that children can do as they move around the floors.
There are good baby changing facilities and a small café (with some outside seating) on the car park side. As said, the museum makes a great rain day excursion, though beware that lots of other families clearly think the same – it does get busy!
There’s a picnic area out the back and, if you’ve parked in the Tring Park carpark, easy access to the countryside beyond. Alternatively you might want to make a day of it an explore the rest of Tring – there’s another museum in the town and lots of cafés and restaurants.