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We started off at the highest point - the Castle Mound in front of Shire Hall - and had a panoramic view across the roof-tops of Cambridge. Bring some binoculars and the Gog Magog hills will seem even closer!
 | | Castle Mound on Castle Hill |
Just a short jaunt from the Mound is the unusual Kettle's Yard House. Not the modern gallery on the street but the original building tucked behind. This was the home of a former Tate Gallery curator and art collector of the early 20th century, Jim Ede. He wanted to create a place where visitors could see that works of art don't just sit in museums and galleries.听 Even the pebbles displayed artistically on the window ledges will inspire you, and Brancusi's minimalist little bronze of a dog is unforgettable. Next, amble down the hill and follow the road until you reach Downing Street where you will find a cluster of some of the best specialist museums in the world. These are places for truly wide-eyed wonder - all of them geared to welcoming children. They offer free entry and often have trail-packs.
 | | Cast of the T-Rex at the Sedgwick Museum |
In the Sedgwick Museum, you'll be greeted by a ceiling-high Iguanadon - but you can take along your own dinosaur bones and fossils for identification! The prehistoric scorpion the size of a dinner-plate tends to linger in the mind but there are plenty of beautiful objects and displays to occupy the squeamish. Seek out the neighbouring 'Arch and Anth' Museum for the vast totem pole. On the anthropology floor are fabulously-beaded costumes of Native Americans but if you're a fan of TV archaeology shows, the ground floor is the place to go.听 Just across the road, head for the Zoology Museum - you can't miss the spectacular whale skeleton, hung on cables and visible through the archway from Downing Street. Inside the museum are gorgeous butterflies, giant beetles - and even a skeleton of the extinct Dodo. For adults and older children, the Whipple Museum is a gem, with its collection of antique scientific instruments which helped shape the modern world.听From the earliest microscopes to telescopes and sundials, these objects are beautiful in their own right.听 And in case you don't notice the aura of genius in the vicinity, you will be just yards from where Crick & Watson theorized on the double helix, and where Rutherford first 'split the atom'!
 | | The 2005 Polar Race |
Still have some soles left on your shoes after all this trekking? Then the Scott Polar Research Institute on Lensfield Road offers a moving display of clothing, equipment, and family letters left by Scott of the Antarctic and his fellow explorers of the polar wastes. This is a place that no penguin-lover should miss and our intrepid Tourist in Town did some early Christmas shopping in the gift shop! Those who can't make it to the sites of the ancient world this summer should make a visit to The 'Ark' - properly known as the Museum of Classical Archaeology.听 It houses over 600 plaster casts - one of the largest collections of Greek and Roman cast statues in the world - and certainly the most famous - so remember to bring your sketch book.听 It's on Sidgwick Avenue so this is also time to take a look at the stunning, award-winning buildings by some of the world's top architects. After a whirlwind tour of this great City triangle, you'll realize that Cambridge is not just a pretty fa莽ade. The University shares many of its wonderful resources with visitors. Take a look at the university's museums website for a taste of what's in store, including special events this summer. |
Find out more about some of the museums in Cambridge:
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