✨This February half term step back in time and enjoy a vintage day of fun and games at the museum! Play giant board games, enjoy the fairground, penny arcade, hopscotch and skittles, pub games, and so much more! Discover the wonderful world of games from the past and see why they were so popular during their time!

Step back in time to the Victorian era and experience life as it was back then! At Milestones Living History Museum, you can truly live Victorian life in this totally immersive experience.

From cobbled streets to a seaside pier, teddy bears, vintage vehicles, an operating pub, sweet shop and more, there is so much for everyone to see, do and enjoy at Hampshire’s museum of living history!

In a detailed recreation Victorian life from the 1930s and 1940s, you can travel the cobbled streets of a time before us. Explore life-sized, immersive streets where you’ll find buildings, shops and vehicles recreated and restored as they would have been in olden times.

It’s not just the buildings that will bring back memories either; for those with a sweet tooth, Milestones also contains its own 1940s sweet shop, Abrahams, where you can pick up your ration’s worth of niceties, or if you’re looking for something a little stronger, grab a pint at The Baverstock Arms!

There’s plenty for all ages to see and do, including a charming Teddy Bear Museum and a fantastic penny arcade. Stroll along the boardwalk, learn all about the history of piers and view the traditional seaside scenes. Laugh at your friends in the postcard-style photo opportunities and wacky mirrors just like you would at the actual seaside! There are vintage arcade games from claw grabbers and shove pennies to enjoy, plus Pac Man and table football. 

Teddy Bear Museum

With over 260 bears on display, learn all about the history of teddy bears!

The museum is based on the extraordinary group of teddy bears put together over many years by Mr W Simpson, and visitors will find out why he started his collection and explore the history of teddy bears, which goes back as far as 1905. The bears are displayed alongside specially commissioned animated films and there are lots of fun things for children to do, too. Learn about teddy bear history and how to identify any antique bears you may have at home!

Milestones Pier

Stroll along the boardwalk, learn all about the history of piers and view the traditional seaside scenes. Laugh at your friends in the postcard-style photo opportunities and wacky mirrors just like you would at the actual seaside! There are vintage arcade games from claw grabbers and shove pennies to enjoy, plus Pac Man and table football. The Milestones Pier has something for all the family to enjoy...

Vintage vehicles

The museum is home to an impressive collection of restored vintage vehicles. The Thornycroft Steam Wagon Company Ltd built a huge new factory in Basingstoke in 1898, where cars were also produced from 1903 – 1912. At Milestones, you’ll find a large Thornycroft collection, as well as a re-creation of part of the factory.

During the industrial revolution, nearly every factory and workshop relied on steam engines. Brothers Robert and William Tasker were a visionary pair whose pioneering work was a leading manufacturer of steam and stationary engines and road vehicles, agricultural implements and machinery for over 170 years, these can be seen in the museum.

As well as vehicles from these giants of local manufacturing, during your visit to Milestones you’ll also see many other beautifully restored vehicles, from a Victorian tram, to classic motorbikes, a Romany caravan and even a 19th century steam-powered fire engine!

Please Note:

• Tickets are sent by email within minutes of booking

• Gate-ready e-ticket, simply scan on your mobile

Your ticket includes:

• Day entry giving you full access to Milestones Museum 

Important Information

General & Ticket Information 

• Picniq tickets are DAY Tickets valid for the day of your visit only. 
• Under 5yrs entry is free but do require a ticket.
• Milestones Museum has two lifts and wheelchairs for hire as well. Please take caution when exploring the museum - as an immersive townscapes, some areas in the museum have cobbled floors and curbsides, reflecting the terrain of a real, historic high-street.
• Picniq accept all debit cards, Maestro, Visa and Mastercard as methods of payment. There is no credit card charge or booking fee.
• Online bookings are limited to a maximum of 12 visitors.
• Tickets purchased through Picniq are not refundable. The date of the visit can be amended for a fee of £10 per booking. Terms and conditions apply.
• Picniq Ltd acts as agent for all tickets/bookings on behalf of the supplier/principle ('the attraction'). For Picniq booking terms click here

Map & Directions

Click to activate map

Directions

By car - Exit the M3 at junction 6 or 7. Follow signs for the town centre and brown tourist signs for the Leisure Park and Milestones. Enter the Leisure Park at Entrance B, signposted Milestones. Free car parking is available in front of the museum.

By bus - Number 8 to Kempshott and Number 6 to Winklebury both stop near the museum.

Opening Times

Monday CLOSED
Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 –16:45

Milestones is closed on Mondays, excluding school holidays and bank holidays.

Please note last admission to the museum is 16:00, and the café also closes at 16:00.

Booking Terms