Middlesbrough’s popular Dorman and Captain Cook Birthplace Museums are set to reopen for the May half-term holidays, with an exciting programme of events.
The Dorman Museum will reopen to the public on Tuesday, May 21. The museum temporarily closed in December 2023 for repairs and upgrades, thanks to a grant from the Museum Estate and Development Fund.
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum at Stewart Park will reopen from Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2. The museum is currently opening for holiday seasons as long-term running options are considered.
The Dorman Museum is running the following programme:
Pirate Jungle Adventure VR Ride, running from May 25 to June 2, 10.30am-3.30pm and can be booked here.
The museum’s popular VR ride is back, with a brand-new experience: Pirate Jungle Adventure. Seating up to six people, visitors are transported into a virtual jungle boat tour using HD VR headsets along with a realistic range of motions, giving a fully immersive 4D experience.
The Big Science Show is on Friday, May 31 at 11am and can be booked here.
The spectacular Big Science Show is a must-see for curious young minds. Full of demonstrations, attendees can expect fire, smoke, foam and dry ice.
‘Ornithology’ exhibition, running May – August 2024
The ‘Ornithology’ exhibition is a collaboration between the Dorman Museum and the Northern School of Art. First year textile and costume students have created textiles, print, costume, and fashion responses to taxidermy explored within the museum’s Nelson gallery.
Teesside Archives exhibition, currently running
Teesside Archives continues to celebrate its 50th birthday with a refreshed exhibition of new documents and books from our archive, and a small display of some of the specialist materials that our Conservator uses when carrying out repairs to collections.
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is running the following family-friendly activities during the May half-term holidays:
Big Science Workshop, running Thursday, May 30 at 10am and 2pm. Tickets can be booked here.
Following sellout shows in April, two Big Science workshops exploring various areas of science through sweets will run at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum. Participants can carry out their own guided experiments, as well as viewing exciting demonstrations.
Family Crafts, running throughout the half-term holidays during museum opening hours
Self-led crafts are available in the museum’s learning area. Families can make maritime-themed crafts like Seahorse Puppets.
Councillor Philippa Storey, Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor and Executive member for Culture & Education, said: “Our museums are major draw for people from across Middlesbrough and beyond, so it’s really important to have them open over the half-term break.
“Many families are struggling at the moment, so these activities are a fantastic value option that will be both educational and great fun.”
