Dorchester’s museums are joining forces to offer a unique night-time experience this weekend.
The Museums at Night event on Saturday will see one ticket cover entry to seven attractions in the county town.
Tickets are reported to be selling well for the event, which will see the museum’s open their doors from 5pm to 9pm.
Museums at Night was run for the first time last year and this time round has the added attraction of the Roman Town House.
The other museum’s staying open are The Dinosaur Museum, the Terracotta Warriors Museum, the Roman Town House, the Dorset Teddy Bear Museum, The Keep Military Museum, Dorset County Museum and the Tutankhamun Exhibition.
It is part of a national celebration that will see museum’s across the country opening their doors after hours.
Tim Batty, from the World Heritage Museums and Exhibitions, said the variety of the various attractions Dorchester had to offer was what made the Museums at Night event so special.
He said: “I think part of the charm of the event is because each one has got something different to offer so people can zip around and get a flavour of each one and find the best bits.
“It’s a great little taster really for all of the museums and it’s not to be missed.
“There should be some cafes and places to eat open in Dorchester so people can make an evening of it.”
A family ticket to all seven attractions on the night costs just £6 in advance or £10 on the night. Tickets are available from all participating museums or from the Dorchester Tourist Information Centre in Antelope Walk.
• The Roman Town House’s doors will be thrown open wide to welcome visitors on Dorchester's Museums Night, allowing everyone to take a closer look at the mosaic floors and hypocaust.
Excerpts from the Town House audio guide will also be playing during the evening.
• Dorchester’s Terracotta Warriors Museum is the only museum devoted to the terracotta warriors – now regarded as the eighth Wonder of the Ancient World – outside of China. See unique museum replicas of the Chinese terracotta warriors, together with imposing costumed figures.
• The Jurassic theme is at the heart of Britain’s original Dinosaur Museum where dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Megalosaurus, Triceratops and Allosaurus are represented through prehistoric skeletons, magnificent skulls, fossils and life-size dinosaur models.
• Dorset Teddy Bear Museum in Salisbury Street is an enchanting museum in an Edwardian-style house featuring examples of teddy bears from throughout the last century. Discover the 100-year history of the teddy bear, and see examples of famous bears such as Pooh, Paddington and Rupert.
• The Keep Military Museum is one of the top ten military museums in the country, and during this Museums at Night special late opening you’ll have the chance to discover its many stories in a different light.
Explore the punishment cell; 25 pounder gun; laser mini battle system and command bunker.
• The award-winning Dorset County Museum brings the past to the present showing 6,000 years of Dorchester’s history with displays on Maiden Castle and Dorset Archaeology.
The County Museum has a Victorian Hall, Roman mosaics, Jurassic Coast gallery and Thomas Hardys study.
• The Tutankhamun Exhibition in High West Street features major treasures meticulously recreated, wherever possible in their original materials, along with an exact anatomical recreation of Tutankhamun’s mummy. In addition, the ante-chamber and burial chamber of his tomb have been recreated.
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