Families at The Mary Rose

Planning on bringing your crew to meet ours this May?

Family Fun at the Mary Rose Information for Grown-Ups

The Mary Rose is the ideal fun family day out in Portsmouth this May!

Discover life in 1545 with real Tudor objects recovered from the Henry VIII's flagship. From handling tables and interactive displays to our amazing light show, not to mention our great activities, there's something for children of all ages at The Mary Rose.

The Mary Rose isn't just an ship, it's a time capsule, preserving life in Tudor England. 500 years is just a heartbeat away from a great family day out.

Prepare for adventure from May half term!

Experience the Mary Rose’s miraculous story in a whole new way with a new interactive trail for families.

Sign up as a ‘Shipwreck Explorer’ when you arrive at the museum and you will be issued with your map and clues ready for an expedition like no other!

Meet King Henry VIII

Meet Henry VIII this Half Term!

Find out more about life in King Henry's court from the man himself!

Henry will be in and around the museum

Saturday 25th - Thursday 30th May, Saturday 1st - Sunday 2nd June

Family fun all year round!

There's always plenty for families to enjoy at The Mary Rose.

See the Mary Rose come to life!

Experience life on board the Mary Rose through our amazing light show, showing both war and peace on board a Tudor warship!

Dare you visit the surgeon's table?

The Mary Rose carried a surgeon to deal with all the injuries the crew faced. Get closer to his tools, and discover how they were used - not for the faint-hearted!

Reckon you have the strength to pull a Tudor longbow?

Henry VIII's archers had to shoot 12 arrows in a minute - could you manage that?

Can you Foil the French?

There are plenty of interactive touchscreen games at The Mary Rose, allowing you to feed the crew, fight the French and even listen to musical instruments only found on the ship!

Meet Hatch!

Of the 500 men who served on the Mary Rose, the most popular member of her crew is Hatch, the ship's dog whose skeleton was found outside the carpenter's cabin.

Make sure you say hello when you see him!

Dress like a Tudor!

Our dressing up area is popular with all ages, so why not see how you'd look sat on the throne?

Information for Grown-Ups

Opening Times How to find us Book tickets online

The Mary Rose in 1983

The Mary Rose in 1999

The Mary Rose in 2013

The Mary Rose in 2018

The Changing Face of the Mary Rose

If you visited the Mary Rose on a school trip in the 80s, 90s or early 2000s you may have memories of through sprays and either getting wet or trying to look through misted-up windows at what you could just about make out as a Tudor warship.

We've changed a lot since then, The sprays were turned off in 2013, the artefacts are now in a state-of-the-art museum and the ship is easier to see and understand, with new displays, lights and sounds!

Blue Peter badges.

The Mary Rose Museum is one of over 200 attractions around the UK that Blue Peter badge holders can get into for free.

Find out more on the Blue Peter website.

Blue Peter Attraction Poster

The Mary Rose. 500 years. A heartbeat away.

Please be aware that for the safety of our visitors we have a 100% bag search policy. All bags, buggies and mobility scooters must be kept with you at all times.

The lighting within The Mary Rose is kept low to create a stunning atmosphere and display, as well as helping protect the delicate collection of artefacts within the gallery showcases.

The historic dockyard site and the museum itself are fully accessible to buggies and pushchairs, and the museum has baby changing facilities. Lifts are available to move along the visitor route.

The Mary Rose café offers a wide range of hot and cold drinks, as well as freshly made food. The café has highchairs available and staff will be happy to warm bottles for baby feeding. Nursing is permitted throughout the museum.

If you have any further questions about visiting The Mary Rose please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Maps and trails

We have a number of useful maps, trails and other downloads that can help enhance your visit to the Mary Rose.

Maps and Trails

+44 (0) 23 9281 2931

The Mary Rose
Main Road
Portsmouth
PO1 3PY