Tours, Talks and Trails
Connect with the stories behind the Powell-Cotton Museum
Our interactive activities and events bring our collections to life, with something for everyone.
Tours
See what makes the Powell-Cotton Museum special with our Highlights Tour, included free with your admission ticket. From impressive natural history dioramas to cultural objects from Africa, Asia and Oceania, this tour introduces the people, places, and stories behind our collections. Our Visitor Experience guides lead these tours, which run several times a day on open days.
You can use our Digital Guide with Bloomberg Connects to access the tour and enjoy the same stories, insights and highlights at your own pace.
For something different, take our Queer Nature guided tour and learn all about animal homosexuality, trans* and intersex animals, and discover the many ways nature goes beyond human categories. Check our What’s On section for upcoming dates.
Talks
We regularly host talks that offer deeper insight into the stories, research, and communities behind our collections.
Past events have included contributions to our Festival of Archaeology from Trevor and Vera Gibbons, long‑time collaborators with Tony Powell‑Cotton, who shared the history of their discoveries in Minnis Bay, alongside presentations on local archaeology and palaeontology by Victoria Hosegood and Dr. Pete Knowles.
Other sessions have focused on community perspectives, including a discussion led by our Community Advisory panel on the reinterpretation of the East African gallery and the importance of representing the voices connected to its objects.
During our autumn half‑term event, Beastly Bones, University of Kent’s Chris Dunmore joined our curator Rachel Jennings for an engaging live unboxing of an adult male gorilla skeleton.
Check our What’s On guide for upcoming talks and interactive presentations throughout the year.
Trails
Our self-guided trails invite young explorers and the young at heart to enjoy the museum in a hands-on, playful way. Each trail encourages curiosity, observation, and discovery, from How to Be a Museum Curator to Easter egg hunts and bone-rattling challenges.
You can pick up trail sheets and activity packs at most family events, making every visit a chance to learn through play.
Images: Trevor and Vera Gibbons at the Festival of Archaeology; Community Advisors panel talk at our opening weekend February 2025; Dr Chris Dunmore unboxes a gorilla skeleton; Dr Pete Knowles gives a talk on palaeontology findings in Thanet.
