Ipswich Museum

Free day out so get there before it shuts in August for renovation. Check the website for activity days during summer hols. I was surprised by the range of animals including a mammoth and giraffe. Some fascinating information about Ipswich and surrounding areas. Worth a day there and you really don't get anything for free today so you have nothing to lose. We loved it!

This place is a hidden gem. Never been before and lived here for years. Went on Saturday around 11am. It wasn't too busy which I loved as I suffer with anxiety and being around crowds. Going into the museum your greeted with a welcome desk, a lovely little shop and a view of the museum infront of you. The staff are absolutely lovely and really helpful.

Me and my partner wandered around for a couple of hours! I was shocked by how big the place was. So many interesting bits of information.
I took quite a few pictures although it was hard to take some due to reflections and light.

This place has a lot to offer. Very informative and fun things to look at.

I read previous reviews which only gave a few stars and they are absolutely embarrasing. Someone leaving a review saying they fell down the stairs and the place is a bit run down?. What?

The whole of the museum was clean and tidy and very well looked after. The toilets were tidy and clean and even the gift shop looked pleasing.

A few more people did come in as time went on, but it's spacious enough to let people past without being too close.

This museum really was lovely to walk around and I will definitely go back!.

2021: So much has changed since I last visited, approx 2012. It has all been suitably updated and appears modern (as far as a museum can seem modern) and clean. The displays are engaging.

The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. They said we could take as many photos as we liked as long as we didn't use flash. We spent ages in the first big hall with all the animals in. We enjoy going to the zoo, but to see a giraffe, gorillas, wolves, zebras and other animals we see at the zoo, so close, was very intriguing for my children (4 and 6). We used the little magazine they sell for 50p and got a 50p pencil too. My 6 year old enjoyed searching for the animals inside and ticking them off.

All of the artefacts are genuine and the animals are all real animals, beautifully taxidermied (except for the giant mammoth - which a staff member told me has the same hair that Chewbacca has in Star Wars).

The punishment chairs for whipping and dunking were rather disturbing to my children and couldn't be avoided as were on the main route. My only suggestion for improvement would be to have this disturbing area to one side in an offset room with a warning label to parents that children may find it disturbing (so they can choose to avoid it)

We spent an hour inside and hadn't finished but it was closing time. The staff used an old police rattle to alert us that it was time to leave. I liked that touch.

Well worth a visit!!

Very lovely museum a lot to learn from and a must visit museum in Ipswich as well. The museum consists of three levels and separated into different sections too. You can take children as well and they can do some fun activities and learn about history war, nature and wildlife too.

Great old fashioned museum with a real variety of displays but particularly eild animals and birds. There was also a great film on Sutton hoo and a display of a horde if gold coins found in 2008 dating back to Beaudicea. This was a temporary exhibit I think.

Loved it. plenty of activities for younger kids. Exhibitions provide a depth of fascinating historical knowledge of both the local area, as well as a broader but more general insight into history of different cultures around the world.

What an amazing place, and for FREE too
We spent two hours and can spend even more if you want to read up in everything. It's a nice and full of information place. No to know where I live and what history this place holds.

Superb place to visit and gain knowledge about the history of Ipswich and Suffolk along with the connection it had and is having with the world. The animals look very real and that is highly appreciated.

Highly appreciative of the management who are maintaining ​the museum and the artifacts very nicely. Happy to visit the place again.

I visited the museum for the first time in 2019. To be honest I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Especially liked the Egyptian mummy's, very well presented. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area.

Nice museum not big but enough for spending good time and knowledge about anglo sakson culture. Not forget trial map for kids. Clean atmosphere and helpful workers

What an amazing gem hidden in Ipswich.
So many amazing exhibits with so much interactivity for the children.
Most definitely worth a trip to.
And it was free to go Into.

Absolutely amazing museum! Will definitely look forward to when it is referbished and back open, can't wait!

A pleasant return after many years and I can safely say not a lot has changed. With that said, for Ipswich it's a great time filling attraction that with cost you nothing unless you feel like donating. It hosts a heavy selection of preserved animals, Egyptian culture and WW1 history areas. Well worth a visit, but could use an update.

I can't believe we've never been to this museum before! We've had a fantastic time exploring this museum today. There are so many different things to see in here.. From Great Mammoth to items of war, ships, animals from around the world to Ed Sheeran! Its unbelieveable what you discover in here. My 15 & 11 years old children were not very happy when I told them we're going to a museum but I think they've enjoyed their time in there too. 2 hours of exploration would've been easy but unfortunately, we got hungry & had to leave after just over an hour. I would definitely like to return when we visit Ipswich again. & without a doubt will be encouraging people to go & have a look at this gem of a place! By the way, its free entrance which is a bonus. But you can of course put a donation into their box so they can keep this place mantained & going for everyone to enjoy.

Went with my daughter on a school trip. They had amazing items on show. I didnt even know the museum was there. It's free admission and the gifts at the gift shop were very reasonably priced. Gemstones, soft toys and Egyptian themed items. There was 2 mummys and 2 sarcophagus on display. Sea life fossils and there were alot of exhibits covering thousands of years. If you are in the area, definitely go and have a look. Easy and cheap parking, £1 an hour, max 5 hours. Search "Fitzroy Street, Ipswich", as the car park postcode isnt accurate. Friendly staff and were welcoming of my daughter who has ASD. Drink available but food is not. However the town is literally 2 minute walk from the museum. PS...I'm not a museum kind of person and I enjoyed the day there.

Honest David's reviews 12.03.19
Simply brilliant... I loved it.
It's free which is a bonus if you are a large family, the staff were great and friendly.
So you entre and to the right is a gift shop selling all sorts, and the toilets next to this.
But then... You entre and.... There's an enormous wooly mammoth!!!! I don't think they even had one at the natural history museum in London. Then there are loads of other stuffed animals....LOADS.. the place just goes on and on, there's Romans, Saxons, Egyptians, Indian, Buddha... And on and on...there's the war.... There's the navy... There's coins...there's guns.. there's EVERYTHING....it's amazing. And did I mention that it's free!!!
Take the kids, take the partner, take your mother-in-law! Just go there.
Even the drinks are cheap!!
Yep I liked this place. Full 5***** well earnt.

Great old fashioned style museum. Hundreds of stuffed animals, fossils, models etc. Lots of information and things for children to do. Nice little shop. Toilets available and a soft drink vending machine.

Great displays. A proper museum experience. They have taken every protection against covid and have closed a few displays due to tight spaces but still LOADS to see and interact with. Wish I had taken the receptionists name as she was SO friendly with the kids and a real credit to Ipswich museum. Great shop with a good range of priced items to suit most pockets. We will go again.

Although a small museum it really does well at focussing it's exhibitions. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff.... Well worth a visit if you are in the area!

Loads to see, open during Tier 2. Make a reservation online, its free. Takes about 2 hours to see everything. 3-4 hours if you stopped at every exhibit and read each one in its entirety.