The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life

One of the Best Places To Visits in Kimmeridge Frequently mentioned in reviews: Top-rated.online cuts through the clutter, highlighting only the reviews that are most helpful, earn the most likes, or come from the most active contributors. A very inspiring place. Discover its secrets yourself! The ticket is valid 12 months. Parking is free. Small but unique of prehistoric marine fossils. Friendly staff on hand to answer questions. Free parking on site. Most of the exhibition is upstairs but there is a lift available for disabled access. Tickets valid for 12 months. Excellent restaurant/cafe located opposite. A small but incredible of prehistoric marine collected over decades by Steve Etches and with other donated by other fossil hunters. The displays are well presented with interesting information without going in to too much detail so you have to stand and read for ages. There are activities for kids to get them interacting and engaged in the too. All of the staff are very friendly and on hand to answer and questions you may have about the exhibits. If you’re a fan of Sir David Attenborough and have watched ‘Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster’, then you’ll want to visit here as the pliosaur skull is ok display as it was found locally. I’d known about The Etches for a while and live in the area, but never visited, watching the Attenborough show spurred my husband and I on… you won’t regret making a little trip out of it. There is free parking, a lovely pub/restaurant across the road and you’re round the corner from Kimmeridge Bay so you can do your own fossil hunting after! The ticket is valid for 12 months so you can come back as many times as you like… don’t forget to do Gift Aid if you’re a UK Tax Payer - every little helps keep places like this going! Absolutely loved this little museum! Amazing and very informative. 11/10 would go again Very interesting little museum with friendly, informative staff. Well laid out with exhibits clearly, interestingly and accurately labelled. Good accessability rating, with wide, auto-opening doors, designated lift and toilet. The highlight of our visit was the opportunity to buy for £1 a 'lucky dip' envelope containing a small selection of fossils, which you can tip out on to a plate beneath a powerful microscope and see magnified hugely on a screen above - it made the so much more detailed and fascinating. Only two reasons for giving it a 4* not 5* rating. (1) No on-site café (though small selection of snacks/drinks available from machines). Refreshments are available in the pub opposite. (2) The first stop, accessed via the gift shop, was an introductory video presentation by Mr Etches - quite interesting but, irritatingly on a continuous loop at quite a high volume, which made it impossible to study and absorb the data on nearby exhibits. We'd suggest gaps between running the video, or having it start automatically when a few of the audience seats have been filled. On balance, definitely worth a visit. An absolutely brilliant museum. The Etches showcases an incredible range of Jurassic marine fossils, all collected over 40+ years by local fossil hunter Steve Etches. The displays are beautifully presented, with interactive elements and fascinating insights into prehistoric life. As a history teacher with a strong interest in natural history, I found it genuinely inspiring—especially with the new Natural History GCSE on the horizon. A huge thanks to my friend Ben, one of Steve’s colleagues, for the insightful tour and stories behind the collection. A must-visit if you're in Dorset—perfect for families, fossil fans, and anyone curious about our prehistoric past! Took our grandson to this as he is fascinated by fossils. An excellent and informative exhibition. Well worth a visit. Fantastic place definitely going back. Loved the animation on the ceiling. Things to do for kids as well I travelled from Manchester to Kimmeridge, specifically to go to this museum. Although it’s a small fossil you have appreciate it’s mostly a personal collection. The time and work that it has taken for team to prepare the is incredible. You can also view the work space area where the are prepped. I would definitely recommend this museum, it has something for everyone. It’s situated in a lovely village and a short drive to the coast. They are looking to extract the body of the Pliosaur from Kimmeridge bay, so please give, as that would just be incredible. Took our grandchildren to see the collection. Good layout, the children loved the animations up near the ceiling, and the explanatory labels were excellent. Highly recommend watching the BBC documentary on the discovery of the plesiosaur head prior to going. Take a picnic; the pub restaurant across the road is ridiculously expensive and there is literally nothing else there. Lovely staff. Very helpful and full of information. Also the shop has some good collectibles for all pockets. Was great to see the etches of and the famous skull. On a pratical note, easy free parking but is not the easiest place to get too. Clean loos always a bonus when you've travelled. There's a pricy pub across the road, but no cafe at etches itself. Website change monitoring Monitor any webpage for changes – get instant email alerts when prices drop, new jobs are posted, products come back in stock, or competitors update their sites. See how the number of reviews and average review scores have changed over time.