Category: Things to do, Arts and Culture

The Box is a vibrant cultural destination in Plymouth that serves as a social space for people, art, ideas, and experiences. It’s an award-winning museum, gallery, and archive, located just a short walk from the city centre. The Box is full of galleries and exhibitions, each offering something unique for all ages, and it's free to enter. In celebration are hitting one million visitors, here are some of the top things you must do on your visit: 

              

Try your hand at being a TV Presenter  

Step into The Box’s mock TV studio, developed in partnership with BBC Southwest, and experience what it’s like to present the news. Choose from archival BBC news clips to deliver your own broadcast, then watch your clip back to see how you performed as a TV presenter.   

                

Discover family history in the Cottonian Research Room  

Uncover your family’s story or delve into Plymouth’s rich history using The Box’s research facilities. Dedicated computers provide free access to platforms like Ancestry and Find My Past, along with over 2,000 works from the moving image collection. These archives are perfect for exploring your past, finding sources for a university project, and much more. 

                      

Explore galleries and journey through time 

The Box features several permanent galleries that showcase Plymouth's incredible history, well worth a visit. Each gallery offers immersive experiences with interactive displays and fascinating artifacts that bring Plymouth's past to life: 

  1. Port of Plymouth Gallery: Dive into the city’s maritime legacy. 

  2. 100 Journeys Gallery: Learn about historic voyages that began in Plymouth. 

  3. Mammoth Gallery: Marvel at Mildred the woolly mammoth and over 3,000 natural history specimens. 

  4. Media Lab: Engage with interactive exhibits on media and digital heritage.        

                    

Take part in family-friendly sessions  

The Box is perfect for families with children of all ages. Every Friday morning there is Family Fun: Tell me a Story, enjoy half an hour of storytelling under the ship's figureheads - ideal for under-5s and their grown-ups. On Super Saturdays (held monthly), participate in themed workshops, artist talks, film screenings, and more inspired by current exhibitions. 

          

Immerse yourself in exhibitions 

The Box hosts an ambitious program of exhibitions throughout the year. Current exhibitions to explore include:  

Planet Ocean: Exploring humanity’s relationship with the sea (until 27 April).  John Lyons: Carnivalesque: The first major retrospective exhibition of Caribbean British artist and poet John Lyons and surveys the contribution he’s made to British art, literature and art education over the last 60 years (until 5 May). Windrush in the Far Southwest: Explore Plymouth’s little-known links to the migration of people from the Caribbean throughout the mid-1900s (until 5 May). The Triumph of Art: An exciting nationwide performance which explores how festivals are part and parcel of art, culture and civic life, and celebrates the role art plays in our public collections, cultural spaces and museums (until 26 July).  

For further themed Plymouth inspiration, exclusive offers and things to do in the city, sign up to our free Visit Plymouth e-newsletter.

In partnership with GWR, Destination Plymouth’s lead travel partner

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