The National Museum and Gallery, Cathays Park, Cardiff is opening a new gallery in December, Glan Ely, where traditional display cases are banned and all exhibits, from bugs to fossils, can be handled. Admission pound;4.50 adults, pound;2.65 children. Free for pre-booked school parties. Tel: 01222 573240; website: www.nmgw.ac.uk * Almost 2,000 years in the varied life of Hadrian’s Wall is explored at Tullie House, Carlisle, in “Off the Wall” which runs until December 5. Discover who built it, what happened after the Romans left and what secrets archaeologists have unearthed about it. Tel: Elaine Addington, 01228 534781.
* The Natural History Museum will be making several epic “Voyages of Discovery” until spring 2000. These follow in the tracks of the pioneering explorers Sloane, Darwin, Wallace, Cook and the remarkable 1872 voyage of Challenger, which investigated deep-ocean geology. Tel: 0171 938 9090 to book a free school visit.
* A century of memories, stories and keepsakes from 100 county people, intertwined with local, country and world history events, will be exhibited in “Recollection” at Buckinghamshire Museum, Aylesbury, which also incorporates the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery, December 4-June 4. Children free. Tel: 01296 331441.
* The Works is a new wing at the National Railway Museum, York. It contains three hands-on galleries where visitors can watch craftsmen conserve railway vehicles, discover the technology behind rail safety, and see what goes on in a signaller’s box. Free entry to pre-booked school groups. Tel: 01904 621261; website: www.nrm.org.uk * The Welsh Slate Museum in Cardiff will be exploring the complex process of transplanting heritage buildings at “Moving Buildings”. You can actually see the process in action as a terrace of quarrymen’s houses from Tanygrisiau is re-erected. The fourth house is to be an interactive area for children and families. Tel: 01286 870630; website: www.nmgw.ac.uk * Discover why trees are so vital to life on earth, how they grow and how timber is transformed into furniture at Trees to Treske, Thirske, an interactive exhibition and furniture factory. Eight workshops producing handmade furniture in English hardwoods are available. Discounts for groups. Tel:01845 522770.
* Adders in the vivarium and improved indoor facilities are among new resources at New Barn Field Centre, near Dorchester. During a visit, children can experience Iron Age life, meet chief Veratrix (alias archaeological interpreter David Freeman), build a Celtic round house and make a Roman hypocaust. Week-long residential visits are available. Tel: 01305 268865.
* Wildwood, near Herne Bay, a new woodland discovery park on an ancient forest site, has integrated animal enclosures, play areas, and woodland trails. A subterranean section allows visitors a badger’s eye view of life underground. Other Wildwood inhabitants include beavers, otters, wild boar, red squirrels, foxes and reptiles. Tel: 01227 712111.
