Stockwood Discovery Centre
The perfect family day-out. Beautiful gardens, interactive exhibitions and the largest carriage collection in Europe! And it’s free, so you could say, your carriage awaits…
Please note some areas of Stockwood Discovery Centre will have restricted access from the 4th of December, as we begin setting up for Stockwood Illuminated 23. Join us for our Winter light celebration at Stockwood Illuminated from 15 - 23 Dec! Click here for more.
There’s so much to discover at Stockwood! Boasting a thrilling programme of exhibitions, an award-winning carriage display, an outdoor children’s play area and breathtaking walled gardens.
Our museum galleries bring the stories of local people to life, dating back from prehistoric times to the present day! Top tip - keep an eye out for the Wenlock Jug, a rare medieval masterpiece. Who knew a jug could tell you so much about Luton?! And our Garden Café is open every day, serving up delicious homegrown food, using fruit and vegetables from our garden. We also do Afternoon Tea here at Stockwood - as if you needed another excuse to visit...
In fact, people love Stockwood Discovery Centre so much it won a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence. We’re really proud of that.
If you enjoy visiting Stockwood Discovery Centre, why not explore other museums Bedfordshire has to offer? Click here to see a map that shows the top 20 museums in the county. Bedfordshire Museums are varied to suit a wide range of interests and hobbies, so there is something to suit everyone, and each museum is unique.
Click here to download the map, and click on the links of museums that interest you to plan your trip.
Key Information
Facilities
Toilets
Fully accessible toilet facilities are available on site. Baby changing facilities are also available.
Food and Drink
The Garden Café offers a delicious menu of light bites and lunch options.
Gift Shop
Our gift shop combines traditional museum merchandise with unique goods from local craft makers across the Home Counties. Whether you’re looking for a seasonal memento or that special gift for a loved one, you’ll be sure to find it right here. All gift shop profits go back into maintaining our heritage sites and keeping them free to enter.
Accessibility
Access to Information
- Free site maps are available from the reception desk, as well as friendly advice from our staff
- Induction loop available at the reception desk, shops, learning suite and a portable one is available
Pathways
- All buildings, including the café and shop have level access
- Wheelchair, pushchair and scooter access to most galleries. Please note there is restricted access for wide pushchairs and wheelchairs, and mobility scooters in the Discovery Galleries, and Period Gardens. Some routes in the Period Gardens have steps.
- Sloping paths in some areas of the gardens
- Wheelchair, pushchair and mobility scooter accessible route via main pathways
Gardens
- We have large outdoor gardens for visitors of all ages to enjoy
- Discovery Gardens including Sensory and Medicinal gardens which were designed to incorporate the opportunity for sounds, touch and also plants with scents.
Visitors with visual impairments
- Guide dogs are welcome
- Audio description tour of The Hidden House is available
- Audible fire alarm system throughout site
- Our displays have been designed to be hands-on and multi-sensory
- Audio-visual points with British Sign Language throughout the Discovery Galleries and Life’s Journey Gallery
Visitors with hearing impairments
- Hearing and assistance dogs are welcome Induction loop available at the reception desk, shop, in the Visitor Centre and Learning Centre only
- Our displays have been designed to be hands-on and multi- sensory
- Audio-visual points with British Sign Language throughout the Discovery Galleries and Life’s Journey Gallery
- Audio and multimedia tours in British Sign Language (BSL) are available
- The introductory films to Discovery Galleries and Discovery Hall include British Sign Language and subtitles
Visitors with mobility impairments
- Guide, hearing and assistance dogs are welcome
- Wheelchair, pushchair and mobility scooter accessible route via main pathways
- All buildings, including the café and shop have level access Wheelchair, pushchair and scooter access to most galleries
- Please note there is restricted access for wide pushchairs and wheelchairs, and mobility scooters in the Discovery Galleries, and Period Gardens
- Sloping paths in some areas of the gardens
- Stockwood Discovery Centre is a large site and visitors who find walking difficult or tiring might consider bringing along a wheelchair, stick or walking frame if they have them. However, self-propelled wheelchairs and electric mobility scooters are available to borrow if required. Contact the reception desk on arrival or give us a call beforehand to book in advance: 01582 548610
Getting here
Parking
- Our car park is big and it’s free! We also have 2 parking bays for coaches and 6 parking bays for disabled badge holders.
Train
- We’re approximately 1.5 miles away from both Luton and Luton Airport Parkway. If you don’t fancy the walk, a taxi rank is located directly outside Luton Station.
Bus
- Take the 321 from Luton Town Centre, Church Street, Stop C9.
Audience Feedback
"It is a great place. To illustrate this I will use a little equation: Free parking + free entry x (playarea/good cafe) = brilliant for families! It gets very busy on sunny days but that is to he expected. I think it is probably the best place to go in Luton."
"Beautiful well-maintained place to visit with family. It has a discovery centre and the garden inside with a climbing frame and coffee and toilet facilities.lots of sitting area are available for picnic as well. Overall, good day out with children."
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