The MAD Museum
The MAD Museum
4.5
10:30 - 16:30
Monday
10:30 - 16:30
Tuesday
10:30 - 16:30
Wednesday
10:30 - 16:30
Thursday
10:30 - 16:30
Friday
10:30 - 16:30
Saturday
10:00 - 17:30
Sunday
10:00 - 17:30
About
Stratford upon Avon is most famous for being the birthplace of poet and play writer William Shakespeare, but why not try something completely outside of the box and visit the towns newest most exciting attraction- The MAD (Mechanical Art & Design) Museum.As soon as you step into this quirky attraction you'll be greeted with whirling robotics, churning clogs, rolling ball circuits, ingenious design and crazy sounds! The MAD Museum does what it says on the tin, showcasing an absolutely MAD assortment of Kinetic Art, Automata and Steampunk contraptions, gadgets and gismos. Venture into an eccentric world of moving art; The MAD Museum is a wonderful place to watch and interact with an astonishing assortment of both modern and old fashioned, yet highly innovative and elaborate machines! For the young ones: Dancing lasers, rolling ball machines, roaring mechanical dinosaur heads and whirligigs all with lots of buttons to press! The MAD Museum offers an exciting visit with an educational bias, relevant to curriculum modules such as Design & Technology and Science. We give children an experience that is worthwhile, educationally beneficial and also a lot of fun!
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Alex W
    35 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ingenious and inspiring!
    We spent an hour or two here marvelling at the automata - some wooden, some steel, some simple and some complex. Everything was on view and it was fascinating to see the process by which the cranks and joints allowed them to work. The little film show introduced some other brilliant examples and was great fun to watch. Every single exhibit rewarded close attention and we were surprised at how much time we spent there. The staff were friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. I would highly recommend it.
    Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your recent visit to the Mad Museum. We're thrilled to hear that you had such a wonderful time exploring the automata on display, and that you found the exhibits to be both fascinating and engaging. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the little film show, which showcased some additional examples of automata and provides a fun and educational experience for visitors. It's great to hear that you found every exhibit to be worth close attention, and that you were surprised at how much time you spent exploring the museum. Our staff are passionate about the Mad Museum and the automata on display, and we're pleased to hear that you found them to be friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic during your visit. We strive to provide exceptional customer service and create a welcoming and informative environment for all our visitors. Thank you for recommending the Mad Museum to others. We hope to welcome you back for another visit soon!
    Written 21 March 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 20 March 2023
  • MLRO777
    London, United Kingdom5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun, interesting and recommend for kids!
    Highly recommend this! We spent just over an hour here as part of a visit to Stratford upon Avon. Our kids are 6 and 4. They both really enjoyed it! It’s a little small inside so I think they’d limit capacity. Really fun and interesting visit.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 April 2023
  • Helen T
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great trip out
    My 10 year old loves coming here. He spends all his time watching the various marble runs there, getting excited at all the various moves, especially the balls going down the windy runs. It says you will be there for approx 45 minutes, we are usually there a good 2 to 3 hours.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 10 April 2023
  • Glass half full
    London, United Kingdom142 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wheelchair visit
    Wheelchair visit here at Easter. What a hidden gem! This museum is accessed via a good sized wheelchair lift (500kg max). The staff have concession rates. This was the only place in Stratford upon Avon to ask if my son was a student! It’s full of mechanical models with all sorts of fun and irreverent ideas. A haven for small kids and adults alike as each model is operated by a light sensitive switch that you just wave your hand over! Nearly 100% working. They also have a great gift shop selling many different models. It’s also a break from Shakespeare ! Disabled toilet at the back. Highly recommended.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 12 April 2023
  • Christopher J
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Something for everyone!
    Great little museum for all ages. Our 10 month old loved watching all three moving parts and balls and we as 2 adults in our 30s loved it too. A good way to spend an hour or two in Stratford-upon-Avon and a change of pace from all the Shakespeare history.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 29 April 2023
  • Andrew Dufresne
    Culham, United Kingdom72 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Definitely worth a visit
    A real gem in Stratford. Not too expensive and we bought a combined ticket with Shakespeare’s school room and guildhall. All the mechanical toys are fun and well crafted. It takes about 45mins to go around but you could easily stay longer building your own cog wheels. There is a film to watch about an amazing instrument played with marbles and a car gravity run. Best part was the cat hands slap!
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 29 April 2023
  • LuluT
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quirky. Fun. Entertaining for mix of ages
    Well worth a visit. Entertained both my children (10 and 4) who are usually into very different things! They loved being able to start the mechanical toys (each has a motion sensor to wave your hand past), Great for all ages. There are steps up to the museum but there's also a lift. Nice little shop too with STEM toys etc. Look into buying a combined ticket for entry to the museum as well as the Shakespeare Schoolroom and Guildhall for savings. Would recommend.
    Visited May 2023
    Written 30 May 2023
  • Emma E
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great interactive fun for all.
    Brilliant interactive place, great fun for all. We didn't really know about this place until we notice the Red telephone box at the other end of the street which caught our eye and intrigued us to go inside the museum. Honestly won't be disappointed.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 31 May 2023
  • Stef M
    Coventry, United Kingdom2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interactive Museum
    Great visit on a Sunday afternoon with my 3yo and 5yo girls. They loved how interactive the museum was - having lots of buttons to press to make things move was like heaven for them! And they were mesmerised by the section where you can build your own marble run - they spent ages on it! Would absolutely recommend a visit.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 June 2023
  • Jenni M
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a Wonderful Find!
    On our way to Shakespeare's birthplace, we discovered this little gem! It was absolutely fantastic! We enjoyed the creativity of these wonderful machines and works of art! There were families with children of all ages having a marvelous time. In addition to watching the exhibits, there is a film room highlighting Rube Goldberg machines, and an interactive room where you can build your own marble tracks. It had a terrific gift shop, too! It's fun for all ages!
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 June 2023
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,652 reviews
Excellent
1,204
Very good
347
Average
66
Poor
26
Terrible
10

StephenCross
Dublin, Ireland18,526 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
The Mad museum is located at the start of Henley Street on the right…we walked past the first time. Great concept and super for kids. Prices and opening hours in the attached photos.
Written 18 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julia C
Ipswich, UK22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
An amazing little place An unassuming entrance but so worth a visit. Amazing models and so interactive. No kids needed.
Written 16 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Val750
44 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
We were looking for a diversion and something to do, on a cold, cloudy day.
Stepped into here and felt like children again. We had a really good laugh. It's not a full day's visit, but also not advertised as such. The displays are only in the one floor, so not a massive place. However all the displays are interactive and kept us amused for an hour or so.

Price..?
My one small gripe. At nearly £9/adult it is in my mind, a little overpriced but we knew the price before entering so can't grumble it's just an observation.
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Helen D
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
A great place to visit for the young and old. Lots if quirky gadgets to see and interact with. A really fun place go with the family. Well laid out with toilet facilities.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Goswoppit
England, UK25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Friends
I spotted this while waiting to meet up with a group of friends. My friend and I decided to check out the museum while the others were having lunch and it was fabulous.

There's a lovely flow around the museum with lots of brilliantly designed exhibits by skilled craftspeople for young and old to explore. Press buttons and see many and varied designs in action, a number of which are installed so you can observe the internal workings.

All in all, it was a great way to spend 90 minutes seeing engineering and design and art in action. I plan to bring my teenagers here later this year.
Written 3 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gidi
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
We were grandparents with two grandchildren ages 4 and 5.5 and we all had a great time for about 2 hours from entry. The best part is the room we're you can make your own slides and experiment your engeneering abilities. It is a small museum but well organized. It was really fun!
Written 13 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emma A
3 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
It was great to see all the different mechanical pieces on display, however it was small and only taken 30mins and thought it was expensive for what it is.
Written 28 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

markpage83
Northampton, United Kingdom13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
The contraptions here are wonderful!

There is all sorts for the younger ones to do. Marble runs you can build and lots of interactive models.

Our children are 10, 6 and 3. They all really enjoyed it!
Written 21 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donna W
16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
From aged 7 to 74 (no prizes for guessing who has the shortest attention span!) our whole family group enjoyed at least 2.5hrs of brilliant fun combined learning. We were full of admiration for the designers, mesmerised by the exhibits with everything so accessible and lively!
Not a conventional museum for sure.
Definitely enjoyed ourselves.
Couldn’t recommend a visit more!
Written 20 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neil Barlow
14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
I took my Grandchildren here ages 4 & 7, we absolutely loved it and spent about 3 hours watching and playing. They both had great fun trying to build their own marble runs and enjoyed watching the many moving creations. Situated in a beautiful town so had a short walk to the river when we had finished.
Written 13 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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THE MAD MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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