The museum is free to enter and you do not need to book to visit us or our exhibitions.

Opening Times
Mondays and Bank Holidays: closed

Tuesdays – Saturdays: 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Sundays: 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Christmas and New Year opening 2024

Closed Monday 23 December
Closed Christmas Eve, Tuesday 24 December
Closed Christmas Day, Wednesday 25 December
Closed Boxing Day, Thursday 26 December
Open Friday 27 December
Open Saturday 28 December
Open Sunday 29 December
Closed Monday 30 December
Open New Year’s Eve, Tuesday 31 December
Closed New Year’s Day, Wednesday 1 January 2025
Open as usual from Thursday 2 January

Please note that the café closes an hour before the museum (3.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday and 2.00 pm Sunday).

We have four galleries:

• The Discovering North Hertfordshire Gallery, which deals with the history of the district from the geological past to the present day;
• The Exhibition Gallery, with regularly changing exhibitions;
• The Living in North Hertfordshire Gallery shows how local people’s lives have changed over thousands of years;
• The Terrace Gallery houses a diverse collection, focusing mainly on people; The Arches, part of this gallery, has small temporary displays of art and heritage.

There are toilets (including accessible toilets) on both floors of the museum.

We are dog-friendly! You are welcome to bring your dogs provided they are well behaved and on a lead.

The museum café
If you need refreshment, our café serves a variety of drinks, savoury and sweet snacks, and light meals.
Here is our current café menu (PDF).

You should not take food or drink into the museum, as crumbs and drops of liquid can attract pests. If they find things to eat, they can set up home in the galleries and cause an infestation. Rather than use pesticides, it is better not to encourage pests into the museum in the first place. Spills can also damage items on open display and even get inside the cases and affect the objects inside.

We ask you not to bring your own food into the café, as table space is limited and paying customers need to be able to find somewhere to sit.

If you are a school group bringing packed lunches, please let us know and we will be able to accommodate you.

If you have any questions about our café, please email us here.

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