Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Museums and history
in Aberdeenshire.

It’s 20:07 in Aberdeenshire.
Aberdeenshire

Lifeboats, railways and the Turra Coo.

History in Aberdeenshire is close to the surface. Stand in a recumbent stone circle raised four thousand years ago, see the lodge Queen Victoria retreated to on the shore of a mountain loch, or ride a heritage railway along the Dee. Small museums tell the north-east's stories well, in an old lifeboat house, a junction station and a cattle mart. One keeps the tale of the Turra Coo, the cow that started a riot. Most are run by volunteers, so check opening days.

Grampian Transport Museum→
Marischal College→
Marischal Square→
The Gordon Highlanders Museum→
Crime and Punishment Tour→
King’s College→
Mercat Cross→
Union Street→
East Aquhorthies Stone Circle→
The Green→
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses→
Royal Deeside Railway→
Place of the day19 hours ago

Glas Allt Shiel.

Queen Victoria's lodge of 1868 on the shore of Loch Muick, the retreat she called her widow's house, reached on foot along the loch.

Read about it
Free18 hours agoAberdeenshireTomnaverie Stone CircleAttractionAberdeenshireEast Aquhorthies Stone CircleAttractionAberdeenshirePeterhead Prison MuseumAttractionAberdeenshireGlenesk Folk MuseumAttraction

Free to visit.

Beaches, waterfalls, viewpoints and stones: nothing to pay and nobody to ask.

See all the places to visit
From our guide17 hours ago

Royal Deeside Railway.

When this branch route was closed in 1966, it looked to be the end for a scenic line which had been used by the Royal Family – and many others – to make their way to Balmoral. But there’s life in the old rails yet. Now a heritage railway, it gives the chance to travel along part of the standard-gauge track, in steam and diesel-hauled engines.

See the place
Newly discovered16 hours agoAberdeenshireBallaterAttractionAberdeenshireWaulkmill MenagerieActivityAberdeenshireMorgan McVeigh'sRestaurantAberdeenshireTullynessle Deer FarmActivityAberdeenshireGlenglassaugh DistilleryAttractionAberdeenshireHarbour Dunes CaféCafe

Some good places to go, newly added to the site.

The newest places on our pages in Aberdeenshire.

Browse everywhere to go
Lunch15 hours agoAberdeenshireSinclair’s Larder8.3 milesAberdeenshireThe Arch Café and Bistro9.4 milesAberdeenshireThe Seed Store Restaurant10.0 miles

Lunch near Glenesk Folk Museum.

The three good places closest to it: Sinclair’s Larder, The Arch Café and Bistro and The Seed Store Restaurant.

See Glenesk Folk Museum
From our guide15 hours ago

Aberdeen Maritime Museum.

Oil and gas have had a huge part to play in Aberdeen’s story, and this harbourside attraction covers the topic in depth – complete with a replica oil-production platform – while also leading visitors through the fishing and shipping links of the past.

See the place
Stay14 hours agoAberdeenshireGarden Cottage4.1 milesAberdeenshireButler's Lodge4.1 milesAberdeenshireRowan Cottage4.1 miles

Stay near Tomnaverie Stone Circle.

The three good places closest to it: Garden Cottage, Butler's Lodge and Rowan Cottage.

See Tomnaverie Stone Circle
From our guide13 hours ago

Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

The first lighthouse on mainland Scotland, based in Fraserburgh and dating back to 1787, now sits next to a maritime museum telling the story of the country’s iconic sea beacons.

See the place
From our guide12 hours ago

East Aquhorthies Stone Circle.

Northeast Scotland is the only place you’ll find recumbent stone circles – where a large monolith has been laid on its side, flanked by two upright stones – and this site is one of the finest of the lot. It’s thought to have been built some 4,000 years ago and, fascinatingly, some of the stones appear to have been selected for their reddish colour.

See the place
From our guide11 hours ago

Buchan Ness Lighthouse.

The red-and-white tower of Buchan Ness Lighthouse, designed by Robert Stevenson in 1827, is more than just a local landmark. It also marks the most easterly point in mainland Scotland (although some claim the title for the nearby former island of Keith Inch – let the debate rage).

See the place
From our guide10 hours ago

Grampian Transport Museum.

The village of Alford, west of Aberdeen, is the setting for this award-winning transport museum, where the through-the-ages exhibits span everything from steam waggons and snowploughs to Morris Minors and electric Mitsubishis.

See the place
From our guide9 hours ago

Peterhead Prison Museum.

It was as recently as 2013 that HM Peterhead Prison ceased operations, having spent 125 years solidifying a reputation as one of the toughest jails in the country. The buildings have since been turned into a museum that shows visitors the realities of day-to-day life for its inmates.

See the place