Create Unforgettable Family Experiences with Museum Tales

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Two children in straw hats in a sunny outdoor space with wildflowers — Children enjoying the great outdoors © Sarah Shaw

By Sarah Shaw, Director at Museum Tales

When we think back to our happiest childhood memories, many of us recall the moments spent with family and friends – a day at the beach, a walk along a riverside, or a visit to a local heritage site. What if we told you that if you visit a heritage site as a child, you’re four times more likely to return as an adult? Creating these types of memorable experiences doesn’t just enrich the lives of your visitors – it builds long-lasting relationships with your audience and contributes to the ongoing success of your organisation.

At Museum Tales LTD, we are passionate about helping venues to become places where families can create and cherish memories. Whether you’re looking to create engaging family-friendly exhibitions, train your front-of-house team to deliver exceptional family welcomes, or develop a long-term strategy to connect families with your conservation work, we are here to support you.

As the school holidays approach, it’s the perfect time to consider what makes or breaks a successful family visit.

Three Key Tips for Delivering Exceptional Family Experiences

Here are three tried-and-tested strategies that will ensure that your family visitors have a memorable experience and keep coming back for more:

1. Adopt a Nose-to-Tail Approach: Maximize Every Touchpoint

Families expect a smooth and enjoyable experience from start to finish. This begins long before they step through your doors. It’s crucial that you address their needs at every stage of the visitor journey.

As a starting point, is your website easy to navigate, and does it provide all the necessary information for planning a visit? Our client, National Trust’s Lyme, has a great landing page for families. Next, think about the food options in your café – are they family-friendly, with choices that appeal to both children and adults? Previous buyer Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has thought this through. What about the trails and activities for kids – are they engaging and fun? The resources and exhibitions we produced for English Heritage certainly are.

A fan of leaflets for Spring at Lyme NT — Spring family trail produced for National Trust Lyme © Sarah Shaw

2. Create Fun, Memorable Experiences: Boost Engagement

Memories are made when families have fun together, so it’s essential to provide opportunities for them to engage in creative, enjoyable activities. Simple self-directed crafts, interactive exhibits, and live interpretation events will keep children and adults alike entertained, learning, and making memories.

Importantly, fun doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. Our training programmes and event planning services are designed to create high-impact, low-cost activities that families will love.

3. Play the Long Game: Build Sustainable Family Engagement

Investing in family engagement isn’t just about short-term events – it’s about creating a long-term strategy that will keep families coming back time and time again. Don’t treat families as an afterthought; they should be a core part of your organisational vision.

By building a clear, family-centric strategy, you can focus on creating experiences that will continuously meet the needs of families. This involves looking at things like programming, interpretation, marketing, and accessibility to ensure that your venue remains a welcoming space for all families, no matter their background or needs.

A hand holding out a mermaid's purse on a beach — Mermaid’s purse © Sarah Shaw

We can work with you to develop strategic documents such as family policies and visions, as well as offering advocacy and organisational change mentoring programmes.

Unlock Exceptional Value with Our Tailored Training & Mentoring Services

At Museum Tales LTD, we understand that every venue is different, and that’s why we offer tailored training and mentoring services designed to help you to create outstanding family experiences within your budget. Our services are built to provide real, tangible results – whether you’re looking for staff training, trail and exhibition production, or strategic support.

Our most popular training packages include:

Family Friendly Welcomes: This session equips your front-of-house team with the skills to provide a warm, engaging welcome to every family that visits your venue. Training your team to deliver a positive first impression, ensuring that families feel valued from the moment they arrive.
Creating Family Friendly Interpretation: We help you to design interpretative materials and activities that captivate families and support learning. This training improves your venue’s appeal and provides educational value, making your site more enjoyable and memorable for families.
Programming for Play: We specialise in creating fun and interactive events that encourage learning through play. Whether you're planning a simple craft session or a live event, our training ensures that every family activity is tailored to create an engaging, educational, and affordable experience.

Want more? We can also develop exhibitions for you, interpretation schemes, trails and sensory resources for families with additional support needs.

A child looking through an interpretation box in a classroom environment — Child using interpretation box © Sarah Shaw

In 2024, we helped the National Trust’s Lyme Estate develop a year-long nature-themed play initiative. Despite a limited budget, we successfully created affordable and high-impact activities that connected families with nature across the estate. From seasonal trails to sensory experiences, we ensured accessibility for all families, including those with additional needs. The results were incredibly positive, proving that family engagement doesn’t have to come at a high cost.

Ready to Make Lasting Memories?

If you’re ready to create a visitor experience that families will remember and want to return to, Museum Tales LTD is here to help. Our services offer outstanding value and measurable results that will ensure your venue becomes a place families love to visit year after year.

Want to learn more? Contact us at here to discuss how we can help you to achieve your family engagement goals.

Don’t miss our Lunch & Learn event on 5 June 12-1pm, where we’ll share practical tips on Family Friendly Interpretation for Outdoor Spaces for just £15 a ticket. Book your ticket here.