Visit Us
Shetland Museum & Archives is open. Drop in and visit us, no booking is necessary.
Free to visit - As always, entry to the Museum and Archives is free but now more than ever we need your support - please consider making a donation.
Online Resources
Inside Visit Us
Crofthouse Museum
Head down to the delightful setting of Dunrossness and step back in time as you enter the traditional 19th century thatched crofthouse - open for the 2025 season from 1st May to Sunday 3rd October.
Read more
Archives Searchroom
The Archives searchroom is a comfortable, quiet space which is open to anyone who wishes to find out more about a particular subject, or just browse books, newspapers or records in the collection.
Read more
Closed: Hays Dock Café
It is with regret that we announce the closure of 'Hay's Dock by The Dowry', which was operated by Beervana Ltd. Unfortunately, despite efforts to remain open, securing the necessary staff has not been possible which has resulted in a mutual end of t...
Read more
Activities
Whatever your reason for visiting us at Shetland Museum and Archives, there are a range of activities on offer to ensure you can make the most of your time with us.
Read more
Hay's Dock
Shetland Museum and Archives sits on Hay’s Dock; the last remaining area of original dock on the Lerwick waterfront, which is now category B listed. This is a perfect setting to highlight the strong heritage connection with the sea.
Read more
Public Art
Shetland Amenity Trust commissioned over 60 individual artworks as part of its Shetland Museum and Archives Public Art Project. These are on show throughout the building and dock, some even appearing alongside the artefacts and documents in the galleries and Archives.
Read more
Accessibility
We want to make sure we continue to offer an excellent experience for all visitors with additional needs .
Read moreVisit Us Blog Posts
The mystery of the three kirks uncovered
Shetland Amenity Trust have been working on a project to uncover the mystery of ‘the three kirks’ and they are now ready to share ...
Read more
Your Shetland Wool Week Stories
Shetland Wool Week celebrates its tenth year this Autumn and with more people than ever booked on classes, tours and activities it is ...
Read more
Shetland Ponies: Choosing the best from the rest
The Shetland Pony is iconic around the world and will be the focus of a week long celebration of the breed this July culminating in ...
Read more
Shetland Nature Festival
The annual Shetland Nature Festival starts on Saturday 6th of July until Sunday 14th July and has events throughout Shetland. There ...
Read more
The Eagle's Last Stronghold
An exhibition opens at the Shetland Museum and Archives next week highlighting the story of the white-tailed ‘sea’ eagle in ...
Read more
‘The Arthurs’
A feature exhibition exploring Shetland surnames Arthur and Arthurson is now on display at the Shetland Museum and Archives. The ...
Read more
Emma Louise's Coffee Shop opening at Hay's Dock
The Shetland Amenity Trust are delighted to announce the re-opening of the café at Shetland Museum and Archives. Emma Louise and Joe ...
Read more
Getting ready for the Summer Season
The Shetland Amenity Trust have been busy over the past month getting ready to open key sites for the 2019 visitor season. Sumburgh ...
Read more
From this Day Forward – Wedding Exhibition
Shetland Museum and Archives is proud to present our latest exhibition, ‘From This Day Forward’ a celebration of Shetland Weddings ...
Read more
Welcoming tenders for Hay’s Dock Café
Do you have what it takes to deliver a great café offering in a 5 star Visitor Attraction? We work hard to feed the imagination of ...
Read more
The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2018
Five hundred years after the dazzling genius of Hans Holbein, a painting by one of the greatest portraitists of all time can now be ...
Read more
Holbein Comes to Shetland
The countdown has begun! We are delighted to say that today marks one week until the public opening of 'A Lady with a Squirrel and a ...
Read more
The BIG Takeover - Shetland 2018
Shetland Museum and Archives is working with other local agencies and young people as part of the Year of Young People in 2018.
Read more
Boats on the Move
The Shetland Museum Boat Shed has had a transformation with the departure of the Oceanic Lifeboat - a long term resident during her ...
Read more
Aith Junior High Pupils curate new exhibition at Shetland Museum and Archives
A new exhibition has been unveiled telling the story of the whaling ship, Diana. The display has been curated by pupils from P4/5 and ...
Read more
Join our mailing list
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news, events, exhibitions and behind-the-scenes stories from Shetland Amenity Trust.
Sign up