Sunday, 31st of July 2011
The Riverside Museum in Glasgow has only recently opened to the public and finding a spare day in our summer schedule we decided to take a trip along to see what all the fuss was about.
Based on the exhibits at the old Transport Museum at the Kelvin Hall but with a brand new building and over £60 million spent we werent sure what to expect - one thing we certainly didnt expect was the queues of traffic to get into the carpark
The place looks amazing from outside, very much in tune with the look of the SECC and Science Centre just a little further down the Clyde. With the Tall Ship outside and a load of family and kids entertainment we knew it was going to be a bit special inside too.
Heading on in and turning to the left we immediately got stopped by Colin McRae's WRC winning Scooby, restored (almost fully) to its former glory but with some tell tale forest marks it was the first thing that had crowds attracted. Moving further inside we came to the vintage street recreation mirroring what used to be at the Kelvin Hall but taken way, way further. Instead of a dark street with shop windows the new version features shops you can go inside to see what it was like at certain times in the past. Each shop has plasma screens mounted where virtual shop keeps appear, explain their trade and talk to you. Very impressive stuff!
A furniture store, photographers (appealing to the geek in us), pub and even a subway are there all with information and interactive elements. This has everyone from young kids through to OAPs entranced the only thing that pulled us out of the magic was the green and white fire exit signs
Moving further inside the museum we were greeted by everything from a skateboarding wall to classic motorbikes. Pushing on further and we found offshoot rooms going into specifics on different eras and modes of transport. With a bicycle room full of specialised 2 wheels including tandems and sidecars through to rooms full of vintage and retro technology including 40's and 50's radios, typewriters and even prams. We even found a room complete with a lovely VW Bug which appealed to the Herbie fan in us
Still on the ground floor we found some road safety exhibits showing crash tests on cars plus a motorbike that had been involved in a serious RTA. Further down and we found locomotives ranging from current trains through to steam engined beasts and at the bottom end we found the "wall of cars" which is exactly as it sounds. Classic cars sitting perched on shelves built on to the wall again each with a massive touch screen where you can drag and select which car you'd like more information on.
Another interactive element that had people queued up was the Wheels Of Fortune exhibit complete with Ford Anglia. Using the touch screens and displays visitors can play a TV themed game show and if they win their prize lights up which could be anything from a toaster to the Anglia itself. Its a great way of bridging that gap and making this stuff of interest to younger visitors.
Moving upstairs and we found the sailing and ship rooms complete with models and loads of details on maiden voyages. Along from that and there was airport security complete with fake explosives and retro metal detectors.
The only thing and we mean the tiniest thing that was a let down about the whole place was the souvenir shop. Everything seemed overpriced from the replica Colin McRae die cast cars to the t-shirts going for £26.99 a pop. But they have to make some money somewhere and when you remember that it is completely free of charge to visit the museum and they only charge a quid for 3 hours parking you really cant complain too much at all.
For a place costing tens of millions to create, not even asking for £10 entry is unbelievable though they do accept donations at the exit if you feel like putting your hand in your pocket
A top day out no matter what age you are, if you're going on your own, with your significant other or with kids. Make a note in your diary and get along soon!
Words: Rikki
Photos: Rikki
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