Explore life in the countryside at our five-star museum, farmhouse and historic working farm.

Our beautiful Clydesdale horses are one of the star attractions at the National Museum of Rural Life

The Wester Kittochside Farm at National Museum of Rural Life was owned and run by the Reid family for more than 400 years.

At the National Museum of Rural Life we have a significant collection of 20th-century harvesting machines in our large machinery store.

The National Museum of Scotland is housed in magnificent buildings. Find out about its striking architectural details below, and explore them further on your next visit to our Museum.

From the early 20th century, the tractor helped to transformed farm life in Scotland. There are several examples on display in the collection at the National Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride.

Plan the perfect trip to the National Museum of Rural Life

The National Museum of Scotland has become the first museum or gallery in Scotland available for exploration online via Google Arts & Culture’s Museum View experience.

Discover our new trail on a walk to the farm.

On 16 and 17 March, the National Museum of Flight is taking part in the National Lottery Open Week.

Your journey of discovery starts here.

Within the walls of Edinburgh Castle, the National War Museum tells the story of Scotland at war.

Wing your way to one of Scotland's top days out at East Fortune Airfield.

Explore the highlights of the museum and our working farm with this family trail.

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

Explore inside the National Museum of Rural Life with your class using our themed trails.

The Wester Kittochside Farm at National Museum of Rural Life was owned and run by the Reid family for more than 400 years. Find out how the tenth laird and his family celebrated Christmas and New Year on the farm.

Purchase an e-gift voucher, which can be used for tickets to paid exhibitions and events at the National Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Flight and National Museum of Rural Life. Our e-gift vouchers can also be used to buy National Museums Scotland Membership to allow free, unlimited entry to all our museums and exhibitions.

Learn more about what’s changed to help you plan your visit to the National Museum of Rural Life.

Tractor Tots is a bookable series of playful sensory singalong sessions for under-fives and their adults at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Our Spring Explorers school holiday activities are back at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Celebrate all things cattle at the National Museum of Rural Life.

Join us for a weekend of all things woolly at the National Museum of Rural Life.

The history of the Reid family and farming on the Wester Kittochside farm National Museum of Rural Life.

More than 10 million objects make their home at the National Museum of Scotland. Discover the secrets of our treasures with this unique five-part series.

This exhibition explored the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.

In 2016, we celebrated 150 years since the magnificent building that houses the National Museum of Scotland first opened to the public. Explore the Museum’s history here.

Our working farm at the National Museum of Rural Life is home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses.

Discover the life of the National Bard through the collections of National Museums Scotland.

Join curator Lydia Prosser for a guided virtual tour of our Kingdom of the Scots gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.

Discover objects on loan to the new Trimontium Museum in the Scottish Borders

The Scottish Life Archive is open to everyone. It aims to collect, record and preserve documentary and illustrative evidence of Scotland's material culture and social history.

Explore the museum galleries with Lewis the Highland bull in Lewis’s Scottish Adventure Trail, available in English and Gaelic

Explore the museum with Sue the sheepdog! Use the trail to find out about our bee's and fun facts about our animals in the farm

Explore the museum with Sue the sheepdog! Use the trail to find out about our bee's and fun facts about our animals in the farm

Inspired by the wildlife often spotted around the museum site and the animal residents at our farm, willow artist Anna Cross has created a beautiful collection of willow sculptures for you to discover as you explore outdoors.

Come and meet lots of animals out on the farm!

Visitors discovered some of the treasures within the National Museum Scotland's significant collection of oracle bones, the second largest in the world outside of China.

Long before the French Revolution, the Scots had invented and were using the beheading machine known as the Maiden. It was used to execute criminals and political opponents of the crown from 1564 to 1710.

National Museums Scotland are delighted to welcome back the University of Edinburgh Short Courses – a great way to explore our collections and their wider history with experts.

After 4,000 years the plough is still with us and its development has been at a slow and steady pace but the basic technology has remained the same. Discover more about this essential tool through ploughs in our collection.

Discover the story of National Museums Scotland, from our 18th century beginnings to the present day.

Forts were not just military bases, they became the heart of communities

Make the most of your visit with our museum highlights. Your rural adventure starts here!