list.co.uk/aroundtown MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
AroundTown
Spotlight: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
This month, Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum present a unique live music event, Victorians After Dark, an evening of ye olde entertainment with a modern twist. Contortionist Iona Kewney is joined by Joseph Quimby (Remember Remember/Take A Worm For A Walk Week), with other performances coming from The Paper Cinema, 85A, illusionist Chris de Rosa and New York’s Thomas Truax (and his crazy- meets-creepy selection of homemade instruments, pictured). Over 18s only, booking essential. ■ Victorians After Dark, Sat 3 Mar, 8pm, £8 plus booking fee. For more one-off events at Kelvingrove, see Activities and Events overleaf.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. Following the redevelopment of the National Museum, two new collection buildings have also been added to the storage and conservation centre at Granton. From vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones – it’s all there.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth.co.uk Wed–Sun 10am–5.30pm; closed Mon & Tue, except Mon 12 & Tue 13 Mar, special opening for National Science & Engineering Week. £10.80 (£9.50; under 16s £7.20; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s thrown from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. ■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection.org.uk Daily 9.30am–4.30pm. £10.75 (£9.80; under 17s £6.50; under 5s free). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace was once home to Mary Queen of Scots and now houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafes within the grounds, as well as high-profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House. A popular weekend destination for families. FREE Science on a Plate Until Sun 15 Apr. Find out where the food on your plate comes from, as part of the Edible Gardening Project. Accompanied by a series of special events as part of Edinburgh International Science Festival from Sat 31 Mar–Mon 9 Apr. ■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 6.30pm & 8pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings, as well as special one off events throughout the year.
■ ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 10am–3.30pm (last admission). £11.75
(£10; under 18s £7.50; under 5s free; family £34). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence (and the naval quarters below) and learn about life aboard the yacht which served the royal family for almost 50 years. ■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.50–£50 (£10–£25; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite.
■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish.parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.
✽✽ FREE Design & Democracy Until Fri 23 Mar. Work by 15 new
designers from Scottish art schools demonstrating how design can alter the ways in which we live. ■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068,
edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 9am–4pm; Sun 10am–6pm. £3. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument to any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city, and occasional exhibitions.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; closed Sun. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £4.25 (£3.75; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture. ■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum.rcsed.ac.uk Mon–Fri noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events. Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister Until Fri 28 Sep. As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of pioneering surgeon Joseph Lister’s death, the museum holds an exhibition of artefacts, documents, instruments and specimens relating to his work.
1–29 Mar 2012 THE LIST 39