Explore the museum and take part in drop-in activities. Especially suitable for visitors with autism or other special needs, and their siblings, parents and carers.

Enjoy Augmented Reality trails, family trails with hands-on activities, programming and a chill-out zone. All drop-in sessions, so stay for as long as you wish.

Please visit the museum's accessibility pages to view our visual story and sensory map, which can help people to prepare for their visit.

Registration is required to try to ensure that the event works to everyone's benefit - if you have any questions, you can also email us.

What people say about the Relaxed Opening sessions:

My sons had a super time, the interactive activities were great and kept them both engaged. Your team were most helpful and great with the children.

Our boys both loved it... Ordinarily, after a few hours one son is on edge, on the verge of overload. They say living with autism is like living life in a disco ... I want to comment about your staff, ... They were utterly brilliant. Patient, understanding, tremendously knowledgeable, they explained things in such an accessible way, there was always someone available.

My seven-year-old and my friend's two boys had a wonderful time and I really appreciated the opportunity for them to enjoy something they would otherwise fund quite challenging.

They obviously loved the gaming areas, enjoyed making the stickman hit the fruit. The staff in the BBC [micro] area were lovely. In fact the tips about getting children coding have already been implemented and they have been using the site that was recommended. My husband wants to come next time!

A huge thank you for organising the relaxed session. It makes a huge difference to families like mine to be able to get out.