Natural History Museum, Portsmouth

The Portsmouth Natural History Museum, housed in the charming Georgian Cumberland House, is a treasure trove for curious minds of all ages. This free museum showcases the biodiversity of Portsmouth and its surroundings. Declared one of Britain’s most wildlife-rich urban areas, the museum highlights local habitats across land and sea, past and present.

Inside, visitors can journey through the A–Z of Natural History, encountering everything from local geological artefacts and fossil displays-including a towering Iguanodon skeleton-to a captivating Butterfly House. Between May and September, streamlike clouds of tropical butterflies flutter around exotic plants; year-round, the Butterfly House still offers plant life and intriguing species for all to admire.

Additionally, the museum’s aquariums include fascinating axolotls named Ebony and Ivory, along with other aquatic life. It also offers gentle early-morning “relaxed sessions” on Fridays for those preferring quieter visits.