Facilities for Visitors


Gold Hill Museum will be open every day 10.30a.m. – 4.30p.m. from Saturday 23 March to the end of October 2024, with latest admission at 4.10p.m. Some of our hands-on facilities may not be available and visitors should please observe social distancing. We welcome well-behaved dogs

Gold Hill Museum is free to enter, though donations are welcome

There are six rooms with permanent displays,  on two floors, and two rooms for temporary exhibitions. All our displays are monitored by CCTV

There is a separate Education Room, the Anna McDowell Garden Room, equipped with built-in projector, screen, Hearing Loop, and adjacent kitchenette

All our rooms are accessible to wheelchair and buggy users, as is the toilet, where there are nappy-changing facilities

The lift may be used to the first floor – please ask one of our helpful volunteer stewards

A folding wheelchair is available for use by visitors – again, please ask one of our stewards

The Library and Local History Archive may be used for research purposes, by appointment made in advance

Visitors may browse in the Museum Shop and in our second-hand book corner

Visitors may borrow a double-sided guide to the Museum, which highlights objects and features in each of the rooms. There are an Explorer’s Quiz and two baskets of activities in Rooms 2 and 4 for younger visitors. Basil, Lavender, Poppy, Rocket, Rosemary, and Snowdrop are our Dorset Button Mice; they are hiding in six different display cases and waiting to be discovered by visitors of all ages

The secluded, award-winning garden offers views over the Blackmore Vale and seats for quiet contemplation in sun and shade


Facilities available within a short walk of the Museum

The nearest café, the Salt Cellar, is within 20 yards of the Museum gate, at the top of Gold Hill. Other cafes and coffee shops are less than two minutes’ walk away, in the High Street. Fine dining and overnight accommodation are available at the Fleur de Lys in Bleke Street

It is approximately five minutes’ walk to the nearest [pay] car park. For directions, please refer to Find Us

Disabled visitors may drive to the Museum entrance at the top of Gold Hill, but parking is not permitted on Gold Hill itself