Press Releases

So if you don't know your Owen from your Gerrard and you've no interest in metatarsal bones, why not escape from it all, get out of the house and visit one of Wales's seven national museums?

There's something for everyone at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. Whether you're interested in wool, dinosaurs, Romans or miners, you'll always find what you're looking for at one of our museums. And it's free to get into all seven sites, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

National Museum Cardiff is home to Wales's national art collection, which includes works by Monet, Renoir, Rodin and Cezanne. When the noise of football chants on telly get to you, escape to the tranquillity of this impressive building in the heart of Cardiff's civic centre for a few hours of quiet contemplation. However, if you're looking for some peace, you'd better avoid the ground floor at National Museum Cardiff, home to the natural history and sciences collections, including an impressive array of dinosaurs, all roaring noisily to attract your attention!

Enter St Fagans: National History Museum and you'd never believe that you're only a few miles away from the centre of Cardiff. It's like stepping into another world, a world which traces the history of the people of Wales over the past five hundred years with a collection of re-erected houses from all areas of Wales dotted around the hundred acre lush woodland site. There's also a brand new Italian-Welsh themed coffee shop at St Fagans – the perfect place to meet your friends for a bite to eat on the weekend. So if you've given up on trying to ‘get' the off-side rule, why not come over and spend the day with us at one of Wales's best loved museums?

Caerleon is home to the National Roman Legion Museum, a one stop shop for all matters relating to Romans. Find out everything you needed to know – and more – about how the Romans lived, worked and died in Wales. And if scantily clad gladiators fighting in a field are your thing, join us for the Military Spectacular, which takes over the Roman amphitheatre at Caerleon for a whole weekend on 1-2 July.

If you've ever wondered what it's like down a real coal mine, come and spend the day at Big Pit: National Coal Museum in Blaenafon in the south Wales Valleys. Travel 300 feet underground with our fantastic miner guides and see for yourself how coal has been mined in Wales for generations. It's an unforgettable experience. If going underground isn't for you, don't worry – there's plenty to see and do at the award-winning Pit Head Baths.

Our newest museum, the National Waterfront Museum, opened its doors at the end of October and it's already fast becoming a firm favourite. Situated in Swansea's Maritime Quarter, the museum uses the latest techniques and technology to tell the story of industry through the eyes of the peoples of Wales. Designed with the concept of free entry in mind, you can dip in and out of the National Waterfront Museum. So whether you've got a whole day to yourself, or if you need to get home by the final whistle, you'll be always be able to make the most of your visit. And if you're interested in sport but that the football's just the wrong shaped ball, you'll love That shirt – Gareth Edwards' Grand Slam shirt – worn when Wales were at the top of their game!

Keep on travelling west from Swansea and you'll soon reach the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire, home to the smallest of our national museums, the National Wool Museum at Dre-fach Felindre. Although it may be small in size, this museum definitely has a big personality and is a great favourite with visitors. Situated in the small west Wales village of Dre-fach Felindre – once dubbed the Huddersfield of Wales thanks to the bustling woollen industry in the local area, the museum tells the story of the industry in Wales and is also home to the impressive national textile collection.

The National Slate Museum lies in one of the most picturesque areas of Wales. Nestling at the foot of Snowdon in Llanberis, this busy museum tells the story of the slate industry in Wales. The museum is housed in the old Victorian workshops which formed part of the huge Dinorwig Quarry, one of the largest in the area at its peak, which exported slate to all parts of the world. Come and see the craftspeople at work – there's slate splitting demonstrations every day, and find out how the exquisite and delicate slate fans are produced from huge slabs of slate.

If you want to find out more about anything while you're at any one of our museums, our guides and museum assistants are always here to help and to answer all your questions, from basic site-based questions to wide ranging information on the collections currently on show. There's also great shops, cafes and restaurants in our museums, so make the most of your visit and have a great day out.

If you'd like to find out more about events and activities at our national museums, why not sign up to our newsletter. Contact our marketing department to get the latest news and guide to all our events free of charge.

Galleries at National Museum Cardiff are currently being redeveloped and renovated. Some galleries will be shut to the public temporarily while building work is taking place. The museum remains open to the public throughout the refurbishment, with a diverse public programme of exhibitions, displays and events during 2006 and throughout our Centenary in 2007. For more details on our centenary, go to our . For day to day enquiries regarding the galleries, please ring 029 2039 7951. The refurbishment programme is supported with additional funding by the Welsh Assembly Government

Free entry to all the national museums is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Notes to Editors

For more information on this press release, contact Siân James, Corporate Communications Officer, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales – 029 2057 3185.

For more details on the developments at National Museum Cardiff and the centenary, contact Gwenllïan Carr, Head of Press and Public Relations, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales – 029 2057 3175.