Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
Latest Reviews
This is an unusual building, designed to both blend into the landscape and be 'eco-friendly". There are a number of interesting exhibits i the exhibition area (ideal for children with an interest in mammoths and geology). The cafe provides both main meals and snacks which are cooked and prepared with local ingredients. Meadows lead down to the river and there is excellent dog walking facilities.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Very informative and helpful staff with very good lunchtime menu. We visited at lunchtime and found the food choices to be excellent.There was plenty of information about the area and its attractions.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Its also of course a very good information centre for the Shropshire hills and has some interesting displays. Also a large selection of local maps and books for sale.
Went back a second time for another cream tea.
Went back a second time for another cream tea.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
With a free car park, the centre is a great place to start a walk from. But before heading out, the Desocvery Centre is a fantastic indroduction to the area and it's history. There's a little gift shop, cafe and museum inside, and a wonderful outdoor area to explore. For a minimal charge, the museum area can be explored and enjoyed by all ages. We were pleasantly surprised at a little market out front on Saturday morning when we arrived as well! This centre is definitely worth a visit.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
this is a pleasant place to eat and has lots of space outside to walk.The car park is adequate and the shop area well laid out and inviting to look round.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
When visiting an area for the first time it's great to find a place like the Discovery Centre. Helpful and informative staff and bags of leaflets are on hand to help you plan your stay. You can sit down in the coffee shop and work out where you can go next, however the site has great walks as well
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Great place for a day out. Riverside walks through wild flowers and woodland.You can meet the Mammoth which the children seemed to love. Ideal for families and couples. Great cafe serving hot meals, good coffee and scrumptious cakes. Picnic area. Great if you need to have a meeting as they have a lounge area. Workshops and Cookery courses. Free Parking.Just off the A49.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Free to go in. Extra charge for the museum bit, we are yet to do that. Good cafe and gift shop, we went on a nice walk behind the centre in the countryside near the river
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Wanted to visit a garden locally and the member of staff looked online for me and was really helpful. Loads of local information in the centre and a really relaxed café area with comfy seats. Lovely walks even though raining.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
There are many different paths you can walk around which makes the kids think there on an adventure brilliant place. To go for a nice cooked meal after!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This is a perfect place for all age groups as there are several degrees of ability for walkers. Take your dog for a good run out,acres for them to run round. The visitor centre has lots to see as well as a mammoth. There is an excellent restaurant with home made food from locally sourced produce. When the weather is nice get yourself out there.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Free entry to car park, cafe and shop. Modern building that has a small museum of ecological history with dinosaur bones and a film of the local area shot from a hot air balloon. Small charge for entry to this.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We met at the Discovery Centre prior to a weekend away. We explored the grounds with dogs and children and had great fun. There was some space inside for crafting and an exhibition to see a woolly mammoth skeleton. We made the most of all aspects of the centre and between playing football exploring the fields and structures and indoor section, we were entertained for a couple of hours. All the staff were very friendly and the food in the cafe was tasty especially the cheesecake and milkshakes made out of ice cream. Thank you
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Visited the centre and walked around the Onney Meadow and the oxbow ponds which is a walk which is short but scenic, paths have been laid out for disabled access in parts. Had a lovely Sunday Lunch in the centre's cafe and perused the artwork. (Did not see Mammoth exhibit due to cost, £3.50!)
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A relatively modern and well designed visitor centre which houses an excellent exhibition and information of the Marches, a licensed café producing home-cooked food, a craft room for children (School party in during our visit), the usual gift shop with books and maps, and outside areas to explore along with circular walks by the river Onny. A great place to visit as a couple or with family and friends (don`t forget to include the children who will enjoy this).
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
very disappointed as main part of discovery centre charges admission which seemed expensive for what it was. Basically a tourist information centre that charges.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Stopped by for a nosey and lunch. A very interesting museum, but well worth stopping just for lunch. Lovely choice and good tasting food.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The visitor information includes walking, cycling and orienteering.
There is a lovely cafe that free wi-fi, locally grown/made food, refreshments and cream teas. The exhibition featues a hairy mammoth alongside a look at the hills, history and archaeology of the Marches.
Also plenty of special events on at school half term and holidays to keep the kids entertained.
There is a lovely cafe that free wi-fi, locally grown/made food, refreshments and cream teas. The exhibition featues a hairy mammoth alongside a look at the hills, history and archaeology of the Marches.
Also plenty of special events on at school half term and holidays to keep the kids entertained.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
They are certainly making an extra effort since this place was taken over by a "Grow Cook Learn" a local charity organisation.
Plenty of free parking and clean toilets and a very pleasant walk
before or after good healthy local food.
Plenty of free parking and clean toilets and a very pleasant walk
before or after good healthy local food.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Called for a coffee whilst driving the A49; stayed for ages. Brilliant little place. Had a meal of freshly cooked food which was very good value as was the excellent coffee. Although the cafe eating area is basic, the tables and chairs were nice and clean. Menu choice was very good for a small cafe and a lot better than many places. To call it a cafe doesn't really do it justice.
The exhibition was fascinating and the mammoth is real too; well, although what you see here is a replica, it is of the fully grown and remarkably well preserved mammoth that was found in a sand and gravel quarry not far away a few years ago. It doesn't take much imagination to visualise herds of hairy mammoths walking over the very ground you are standing on!
The small shop sells really nice quality and unusual gifts for all ages, many of which are obviously sourced locally and very reasonably priced. Nothing tacky here and no rip-offs.
Staff were very pleasant, helpful and welcoming.
Lavatories were spotless and smelled fresh and clean - no lingering unpleasantries!
If you have some 'sensible' shoes, and it ever stops raining, take time to walk around the 30 acre meadow.
The admission fee [only £3.50] is for the exhibition only, the rest is free.
This was our first visit, but it won't be our last. Very enjoyable.
The exhibition was fascinating and the mammoth is real too; well, although what you see here is a replica, it is of the fully grown and remarkably well preserved mammoth that was found in a sand and gravel quarry not far away a few years ago. It doesn't take much imagination to visualise herds of hairy mammoths walking over the very ground you are standing on!
The small shop sells really nice quality and unusual gifts for all ages, many of which are obviously sourced locally and very reasonably priced. Nothing tacky here and no rip-offs.
Staff were very pleasant, helpful and welcoming.
Lavatories were spotless and smelled fresh and clean - no lingering unpleasantries!
If you have some 'sensible' shoes, and it ever stops raining, take time to walk around the 30 acre meadow.
The admission fee [only £3.50] is for the exhibition only, the rest is free.
This was our first visit, but it won't be our last. Very enjoyable.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Craven Arms is a strange place, dominated by a retail shed and is looking a little run down. It has yet to reinvent itself after the railway moved on and the Cattle market closed.
The Discovery Centre is a "new" build to draw in tourists. The building is a great piece of architecture, with a museum, café, gallery, shop and a centre for local walks.
We couldn't stop long but did enjoy a coffee in the café, whilst drooling at the wares on offer. The gallery was mostly empty and assume between events. What was hanging was good, varied local work, adding to the local community feel the place has.
I would prefer to give 3.5 points, as 4 seems just a little high but certainly deserves more than 3. We will be back.
The Discovery Centre is a "new" build to draw in tourists. The building is a great piece of architecture, with a museum, café, gallery, shop and a centre for local walks.
We couldn't stop long but did enjoy a coffee in the café, whilst drooling at the wares on offer. The gallery was mostly empty and assume between events. What was hanging was good, varied local work, adding to the local community feel the place has.
I would prefer to give 3.5 points, as 4 seems just a little high but certainly deserves more than 3. We will be back.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A fine way to spend a morning in Craven Arms. Educational and most informative. The cafe is also more than acceptable.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Visited here with my husband and our 2 sons (ages 3 years and nearly 6 months). The cafe was very nice, lots of choice and tasty food, even if a little on the pricey side! The lady serving was very friendly and informative.
We enjoyed a look around the indoor history displays which were interesting then we had a nice walk. It was very muddy so we didn't go far but would definitely like to return in the summer when hopefully the ground is nice and dry so we can walk more!
We enjoyed a look around the indoor history displays which were interesting then we had a nice walk. It was very muddy so we didn't go far but would definitely like to return in the summer when hopefully the ground is nice and dry so we can walk more!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We had a look in on this place as we had passed several times and were intrigued by the grass roof.The building is very airy and welcoming.The café services lovey coffee and cakes.we did feel that the suggested price for the display was too high.it is a very good place to start a number of circular walks from of varying degrees of capability.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
For a discovery centre, there was a surprising lack of postcards of the area. One of our group enjoyed the mammoth tour, and we all enjoyed the cakes in the tea-roon, which included dairy-free ones.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
