Museums & Exhibitions

A number of museums and libraries have special exhibitions for HAF. Details and opening hours of museums open during the festival can be found by clicking here.

If you are coming from a distance, phone to ensure opening hours. After each title, there is a code for the region: AR = Argyll, BS = Badenoch & Strathspey, CA = Caithness, IN = Inverness & area, LO = Lochaber, MO = Moray, NA = Nairn, RC = Ross & Cromarty, SL = Skye & Lochalsh, SU = Sutherland

Special Exhibitions during Highland Archaeology Festival

Landseer's Legacy [BS]

Special exhibition bringing together rarely seen works by Sir Edwin Landseer, exploring how the Highlands have been shaped by his enduring imagery. Exhibition open until 30th September

Mon - Fri 10am-5pm, Sat, Sun 11am-3pm 

Adults £5, under 16s free. Wheelchair access

Grantown Museum
Phone 01479 872478
Email info@grantownmuseum.co.uk
www.grantownmuseum.co.uk

Adventures in Costume [BS]

Experience life in the past - grown up dressing up! Grantown Museum presents costumes from its unique dressing up experience.  On display will be over 20 exquisite, handmade replica costumes in sumptuous fabrics. 
If you would like to try on any of the costumes, book an hour in the museum with our expert dresser who will take you on an adventure through time. Take home a video and souvenir photographs and feel what it was like to be dressed in the finery of the day.

Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 10am-5pm; Sat, Sun 11am-3pm

Adults £5, under 16s free. Wheelchair access

Grantown Museum
Phone 01479 872478
Email info@grantownmuseum.co.uk
www.grantownmuseum.co.uk

Pictish Stones at North Coast Visitor Centre [CA]

A collection of carved stones dating back as far as the 6^th century offers insights into the mysterious culture of the Picts. 

Aside from the Pictish Stones Room there are seven more display cases on another floor containing archaeological artefacts from the Stone Age all the way to the Middle Ages, mainly featuring Picts and Vikings. The museum also has a theatre playing a twenty-minute documentary movie about the history of Caithness. 

23^rd, 26^th – 30^th September, 3^rd – 7^th and 10^th – 13^th October, all 10am – 5pm

Free / donations welcome. Wheelchair access. Cafe

North Coast Visitor Centre, Thurso
Phone 01847 805020
Email ncvc@highlifehighland.com
www.highlifehighland.com/north-coast-visitor-centre/

The Christopher J. Uncles Collection

Highland Archives was recently gifted 13,000 postcards and photos collected by Christopher Uncles over 50 years, and published in a number of books. Staff at the Archives have selected some favourites for this display which is located in the Archive search room in Inverness. Free to visit when the Archives are open.

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Friday 10am-4:30pm
Wheelchair accessible

Highland Archive Centre
Tel: 01349 7881130
Email: archives@highlifehighland.com
www.highlifehighland.com/highland-archive-centre/

Ornament: A Selection from the Stores [IN]

Ornaments are familiar objects that play a fundamental role in personal expression and communication, connecting us to our ancestors and showing us how they adorned themselves. We have curated a selection of objects from the stores for this special display for the Highland Archaeology Festival.

23rd, 26th – 30th September, 3rd – 7th  and 10th – 13th October, all 10am - 5pm

Free / donations. Suitable for wheelchairs. We have a café, with highchairs and baby-changing available. There is no parking at the site, but there is a dedicated blue badge space.

Inverness Museum & Art Gallery
Tel: 01349 781731
Email: inverness.museum@highlifehighland.com
 www.highlifehighland.com/inverness-museum-and-art-gallery/

Strathglass Clearances Exhibition

Another chance to see this comprehensive exhibition created by Strathglass Heritage Association. It will be Beauly Bowling Club for three days only: 13th - 15th October, 11am to 4pm.

Strathglass Heritage Association
Email info@strathglass-heritage.co.uk
www.strathglass-heritage.co.uk/

Trove of Treasure Trove [MO]

Display of some of our latest allocations of Treasure Trove in addition to our permanent archaeology displays and celebrating 180 years of Elgin Museum

23^rd, 24^th, 27^th September – 1^st October, 4^th – 8^th October, 11^th – 13^th October, all 1- 4pm

Free / donations welcome. Partially suitable for wheelchairs (ground gloor only). Cooper Park parkling free after 1pm; Sats £1 in Moray Council car park opposite. Sundays - free parking.  Disabled parking behind the museum. 

Elgin Museum
Phone 01343 543675
Email curator@elginmuseum.org.uk
www.elginmuseum.org.uk

Capturing the Castle: Stories and Legends from the Great Houses of Nairnshire [NA]

Read about fascinating histories and stories from a dozen castles of Nairnshire, with images, paintings, artefacts and drone footage. Artefacts include a large 15th century jug found by archaeological divers at Lochindorb castle.

To 1st Oct: 10am-5:00pm. £4; Concessions £3m Children free.

Nairn Museum
Tel: 01667 456791
Email: manager@nairnmuseum.co.uk
www.nairnmuseum.co.uk

Archaeology Exhibition at Cromarty Courthouse Museum  [RC]

Cromarty Courthouse Museum has a display of archaeological items. This includes a range of medieval items that were retrieved by metal detectorists from the ancient fair site, some of the pottery from the Medieval Cromarty Archaeological Investigation from 2013-2016, as well as two Roman coins that have recently been allocated from Treasure Trove.

23rd September - 1st October, 12-4pm.

Free / donations welcome. Not suitable for wheelchair access. Public parking nearby. Accessible via public transport.  

Cromarty Courthouse Museum
Tel: 01381 600418
Email: courthousecromarty@gmail.com
www.cromarty-courthouse.org.uk 

Dingwall Station [RC]

An exhibition about Dingwall railway station, researched and produced by an ARCH community project in 2012 on its 150th anniversary. Venue: Dingwall Community Library.

Mon, Wed, Fri 9am-6pm; Tue, Thu 9am-8pm; Sat 10am-5pm

Free/donations welcome. Wheelchair access.

ARCH /  Dingwall Library
Phone 01349 869869 (Library); 077888 35466 (ARCH)
Email dingwall.library@highlifehighland.com ; archhighland@googlemail.com
www.highlifehighland.com/libraries/dingwall-community-library/  www.archhighland.org.uk

Old Photos from Easter Ross [RC]

An exhibition of old photos from Easter Ross, part of the collection of Dingwall Museum. The pictures are on continuous loop in Dingwall Library, able to be seen whenever the library is open.

Organised by Dingwall Museum and Dingwall Library

Tues 9am-12:30pm, 6-8pm; Wed & Fri 2-4:30pm

Free / donations welcome. Wheelchair Access.

Dingwall Museum /  Dingwall Library
Phone 01349 869869 (Library); 01349 865366 (Dingwall Museum)
Email dingwall.library@highlifehighland.com ; enquiries@dingwallmuseum.co.uk
www.highlifehighland.com/libraries/dingwall-community-library/  www.dingwallmuseum.info

Tracing the Celtic Knot [RC]

A journey through Celtic art from the Rosemarkie Pictish stones to the work of Celtic artists and craftspeople today.  Join us to explore the creativity of Celtic art and its role in Scottish identity through artefacts from our Nationally Significant George Bain Collection and interactive activities. 

Mon-Tues 1-4pm; Wed-Sun 10:30am-4pm

Free/donations welcome

Groam House Museum
Tel: 01381 620961
Email: curator@groamhouse.org.uk
groamhouse.org.uk

Archaeological Finds from Across Skye [SL]

Exhibition highlighting archaeological finds from across Skye

25^th, 28^th, 29^th September and 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th, 6^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th 13^th October, 10am-1pm and 2-4.30pm

Free / donations welcome. Suitable for wheelchairs. Car parking and toilets available at Portree Community Library (we are all part of the Portree High School campus)

Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, Portree
Phone 01478 614078
Email Skyeandlochalsh.archives@highlifehighland.com
www.highlifehighland.com/skye-and-lochalsh-archive-centre/

The Pictish Story: uncovering the story beneath our feet [SU]

In January 2021 AOC Archaeology undertook an archaeological survey of the land on which Strathnaver Museum’s annex now stands. Over the course of that summer, they discovered evidence of past occupation on the site from the late Iron Age (2,800 years ago) to the Early Historic (600 years ago) period.

A fascinating array of objects were discovered from worked bone, bronze and iron working, midden material, and a beautifully preserved pin. A special exhibition in our upper gallery will display images of some of the objects found, consider what they may be able to tell us about those who came before us, and share the next steps in our quest to discover what may be a site that has significant potential to enhance our understanding of the Pictish world.

23^rd, 25^th – 30^th September (free entry on 30^th September), 2^nd – 7^th  and 9^th – 13^th October, all 10am-5pm

Adults £5, under 18s free. Suitable for wheelchairs (ground floor only). Disabled parking to rear. Cafe situated immediately to the south.

Strathnaver Museum
Tel: 01641 521 418
Email: info@strathnavermuseum.org.uk
www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk

Museums and Archives open during HAF: 

(£ = entry charge; F/D = Free or donations)

Note: This list is only museums and archives which have confirmed details or have posted details on their websites. Others may be open as well. Some places have last entry times: contact them for details.