Museums & Visitor Centres in Dumfries and Galloway

Museums tell the story of our people and places in towns and villages across the region. There are visitor centres dedicated to famous names and faces and, places which share with you the toils and hardship of the ordinary working family.

You can discover how to make beer and whisky, how salmon is smoked and ice cream created.

Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum, Dumfries – Charting aviation history since World War I. Large collection of aviation artefacts and several aircraft of interest. Several aircraft are open for inspection. For more information visit www.dumfriesaviationmuseum.com

Creetown Gem Rock Museum, Creetown – Famous collection of gems, crystals, rocks and fossils from around the world. For more information visit www.gemrock.net.

Cream of Galloway Visitor Centre, Gatehouse of Fleet – It’s more than just an ice cream!Delicious ice cream, daily farm and Creamery tours, superb scenery, picnic areas, cosy tea room, nature trails, adventure playground, 3D maze, playbarn and cycle hire. For more information visit www.creamogalloway.co.uk

For more Museums and Visitor Centres please visit www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk.

Explore the area while staying at The Ken Bridge.

The Ken Bridge, a 10 bedroom Georgian hotel, has a spectacular river bank location close by Loch Ken, in an area renowned for its tranquility and picturesque views. This 18th Century Coaching Inn was originally built to provide food, ale and shelter for travelers and coaches on the Old Edinburgh Road between Ireland and Edinburgh.

The hotel is a superb centre for fishing, golfing, hill walking, cycling on the surrounding quiet country roads, mountain biking on the world famous 7 Stanes routes, bird watching, photography, clay pigeon shooting, field and water-sports or for simply relaxing and taking in the wonderful scenery.

We are on the edge of the UNESCO Dark Skies Park created in 2009, which at the time was the only one in Britain and only the 5th worldwide. The river beside the hotel is a seasonal host to Osprey, Kingfisher and Oyster Catcher, there is also a healthy population of Otter and the hotel gardens receive regular visits from Red Squirrels. Early risers may see deer in the meadows across the river, as well as fox and badger.

The woodland to the west of the hotel is used as a roost by up to as many as 35 Red Kite which frequently soar and wheel spectacularly over the hotel.

The Ken Bridge Hotel is ideally situated enabling you to explore the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

Dumfries and Galloway has so much to offer from Castles and Historic attractions to numerous outdoor activities. Here are just a few to help you choose when planning your holiday.