Video presentation with no audio showing the museum's galleries and exterior

Home

Connect with 250 million years of Dorset’s stories

Get your ticket!

Exhibitions

New for 2026

Treasure! Lost and Found
13 June – 13 September 2026

An exhibition celebrating the enduring human fascination with uncovering the past — and the visceral thrill of discovering objects that link us to our ancestors.

Find out more

Coming Soon

Dressed For Duty | Fashion, Function and the British Army, 1800 – 2026
17 October – 13 December 2026

Step into over two centuries of military style with Dressed For Duty: Fashion, Function and the British Army, 1800–2026 — the latest temporary exhibition from The Keep Military Museum.

Find out more

You will discover…

Amazing archaeology

People’s Dorset gallery

Explore 500,000 years of people’s history from the Palaeolithic to the present day on Dorset’s key themes of land, sea and community.

Deadly dinosaurs

Natural Dorset gallery

See 250 million years of natural history come alive as the Natural Dorset gallery reveals the secrets of the county’s geology, landscapes, habitats and wildlife.

Literary legends

Hardy’s Dorset gallery

Discover important Dorset writers including the life and work of Dorset’s famous novelist and poet Thomas Hardy (1840-1928).

Creative minds

Artist’s Dorset gallery

View a superb collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, textiles, and fine and decorative art.

Visiting the museum

Information

Everything you need to know to plan your Museum visit.

For groups

Information for special interest clubs, university students and more.

For families

Discover family fun including crafts, trails and exciting events.

Accessibility

Access information, support and resources to help you make the most of your visit.

Talks

Comedy in Hardy
Talk Thomas Hardy Birthday Lecture

29 May 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Comedy in Hardy

In this Birthday Lecture, the chairman and academic director of the Thomas Hardy Society, will explore the use of comedy and comic timing in Hardy’s prose and poetry.
Talk Thomas Hardy Birthday Lecture

5 June 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Thomas Hardy, Clothing and the Natural World

Rachel Worth, Professor Emerita at Arts University Bournemouth, explores the clothing and dress of the rural poor in nineteenth-century England.
Alan Graham excavating the Frome hoard. Courtesy of South West Heritage Trust.
Talk

29 June 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Treasure: Unlocking the Secrets Beneath our Feet

Dr Roger Bland explores the passing of the Treasure Act in 1996 and the impact of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a national network of Finds Liaison Officers that has recorded nearly two million finds, including 19,000 from Dorset.
‎Neil Watkins
Talk

3 September 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Why Did Dorset’s Bronze Age Communities Sacrifice Valuable Things?

Dr Neil Wilkin explores why people in Bronze Age Dorset and beyond deliberately buried valuable and beautifully made objects, often never to retrieve them.

What a fantastic museum! This is one of the best museums we’ve been to. Set over four floors, there was something new to find around every corner…

Tripadvisor

Awards

Click to see the awards detail

Logo for Visit England

1 awards

Logo for Dorset Tourism Awards

8 awards

Logo for South West England Tourism Excellence Awards

3 awards

2 awards

Visit England

  • VisitEngland Gold Visitor Attraction Accolade 2023

Dorset Tourism Awards — 2025/2026

  • Bronze – Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Dorset Tourism Awards — 2024/2025

  • Gold – International Tourism Award
  • Gold – Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Dorset Tourism Awards — 2023/2024

  • Winner of Winners Award
  • Gold – Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
  • Gold – Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award
  • Silver – Business Events Venue of the Year
  • Bronze – Wedding Venue of the Year

Tourism Excellence Awards — South West England

  • Commended – Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
  • Silver – Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award
  • Silver – Business Events Venue of the Year

Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award

  • Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2025
  • Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2024