Head outdoors and see how many brilliant birds you can spot with the help of some bright binoculars! Learn how to make them here!

This compound microscope belonged to Charles Peach (1800 - 86), a highly respected naturalist and fossil hunter.

Download our family trail to help you plan a structured visit to the National Museum of Scotland.

Discover the classic Ruston steam excavator, and find out how our conservation team restored it to its former glory.

What is it like to hold your own brain? John Scott, a Lothian Birth Cohort participant, was lucky enough to find out

National Museums Scotland launched its first national strategy in 2006 and since then our work across the country has gone from strength to strength.

Make unlimited visits for 12 months with your National Museum of Rural Life ticket.

Find out about life in the trenches from a selection of letters from the First World War by Captain William Bennet-Clark.

Archaeological finds from Rome's invasions of Scotland can be found throughout the country, from the Solway Firth to Moray. Three of the most prominent sites are Trimontium, Traprain Law, and the Antonine Wall.

This contemporary piece by sculptor Michael Eden celebrates the architectural styles of the National Museum of Scotland.

Discover how this traditional Scottish instrument was commissioned for the Performance and Lives gallery in the National Museum of Scotland.

This display highlights a small selection from our Scottish History & Archaeology collections, showing how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland in the past, and reflecting the Scotland of today for future generations of museum visitors.

The National Museum of Scotland is full of fun for kids of all ages!

See behind the scenes of the work carried out in the museum’s Conservation hangar with these free talks.

Celebrate the life and legacy of Robert Burns in a series of films focussing on key objects associated with the bard.

This fascinating collection of scale models provides an invaluable source of information on life in 19th century India.

Museums are great places to uncover stories. Build your own story, inspired by our amazing objects.

National Museums Scotland’s internationally significant ancient Egyptian and Sudanese collections comprise around 6,300 items. Explore its rich treasures here.

Find out more about the only giant ibis skeleton owned by any museum in the world.

Make your own bird spotting Blue Tit buddy with these instructions!

This revolutionary pneumatic tyre was donated to the museum by its maker, John Boyd Dunlop, in 1910. But who really invented it?

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland showcasing artworks created in response to the climate crisis in Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Inspired by our exhibition, Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life, our expert panel discussed the modern approach to anatomical study and body donation in this online event.

In 2013, National Museums Scotland acquired one metal sculpture and one work on paper by contemporary Australian artist Danie Mellor.

A variety of objects relating to the life of Scotland's bard can be found in National Museums Scotland's collections.

In the early 18th century, natural history was an increasingly popular pastime and many people visited fields and ponds, often bringing a microscope, to investigate the flora and fauna.

Join curator Margaret Maitland for a guided virtual tour of our Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery.

Explore the National Museum of Flight with your class using our themed trails.

This splendid reconstruction brings to life an Iron Age chariot discovered at Newbridge, near Edinburgh Airport. Chariot burials were very exclusive, and this is the oldest in Britain.

Preparing for the Art of Glass exhibition at National Museum of Scotland.

This 13-metre-long handscroll shows the bustling life in the theatre district of Edo (today's Tokyo) around 1700. It shows people enjoying a range of entertainment, from puppet shows and Kabuki theatre to comic skits and private parties.

From Samurai treasures to tiny netsuke, the National Museum of Scotland has the largest Japanese collection in Scotland.

Tamworth pigs are well suited to the Scottish climate and are one of the oldest surviving pig breeds.

One of Britains's most distinctive, and best-known breeds, with a long, thick, flowing coat of rich hair and majestic sweeping horns, the Highland cattle have remained largely unchanged over the centuries.

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw a King Penguin from our collection.

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw an Egyptian Coffin from our collection.

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw the Hunterston Brooch from our collection.

A huge range of different elements are used to make up the components of a mobile phone. But did you know that many of them can be found in minerals you can see on display at the National Museum of Scotland?

The story of how specimens make their way into a museum’s collection is often a peculiar one.

This Victorian scale model of a printing press was made in the Museum's own workshop.

Explore the National Museum of Scotland with your class using our themed trails.

Can you complete our Selfie Safari challenge? Find all the animals and take a family portrait with each one!

The National Museum of Flight is open and tickets are available to book online.

Learn more ahead of your visit to the National Museum of Scotland.

Explore the future of flight with fun, family activities at the National Museum of Flight.

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. A stunning pair of Hawk wings with the iconic RAF Red Arrows livery are on display in the new Explore gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.