West Highland Museum

This place is great! A really nice museum and is free. Has a good collection spread out over about eight themed rooms. I really loved it, especially the things which belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie. The volunteers were great and even had a brochure to explain the history through the lens of Outlander which I enjoyed! I would have enjoyed it without that too as I find the history really interesting. Everyone in there is nice. Donations very easy to give and nice little souvenir shop. Dog friendly too!!!

This was a hidden gem of a museum to visit, delving into the history of the Highlands many decades back! Stories are told about the military from up here during WW2 and their advancement maps shown, alongside weapons that had been in use like different sized rifles and machine guns. Model ships are on display and there is a fascinating piece of info about how letters used to rely on the tide of the sea to reach the nearby St Kilda Islands, covered in a float made from sheep bladder! Classic Scottish culture elements such as bagpipes and kilt are focus points, powerful axes from the 20th century and machinery used by Flora Macdonald of the Jacobites have their info too. Dolls are cute of traditional Highland families and farmers, creatures include the rare feral goat and some even go many centuries back to the Jurassic age with the fossils!

A fantastic small museum in the heart of Fort William! Full of fascinating exhibits on Highland history, Jacobites, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and local WW2 stories. Well laid out, free entry with friendly staff and volunteers. A hidden gem—definitely worth a visit

Bigger than you'll expect from the outside, especially for free admission! Several rooms showcasing different parts of West Highland history. Worth a visit during your day trip to Fort William

Such a great experience! I loved the attention to the people and their origins. The museum was very organized and the staff super kind. Please go there and enjoy the highland history!!

Friendly and helpful staff. Fantasic and worth a visit. Free entry. You can park at Middle Street Short Stay Car Park - free for half hour but remember to get a park and display ticket. Another option is to park at Morrisons (+5 minutes walk).

A passing visit to get out of the cold and rain turned into an enjoyable and informative couple of hours. Obviously, it's focused on the West Highlands, but includes a large section on the Commandos whose original training centre was close by. Plenty about the local geology, flower and fauna and, naturally, a large display on the Jacobite rising and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Being English (from about as far from Fort William as possible), it was interesting to see this from a different perspective. Admission is free, but well worth a donation to keep the place running.

The building is massive inside, and I was very surprised at the sheer amount if history that's stored in this museum. The volunteers explained the walkaround, and photography is very much encouraged. From fossils to swords, cannonballs to antique books, there's a myriad of ancient & antique items here to marvel at as well as a canny little shop at the end. A very fascinating place and a great way to spend a worthwhile half hour. Loved it.

This is a must when visiting Fort William. It's on the high street where the Bronze Ford is, it's much bigger than what I expected and wish I had more time because it was fascinating. We received a lovely welcome upon arrival and guided into a great exhibit about military training, there were also bits about the bronze Ford, the old fort and even Queen Victoria and Albert and Bonnie Prince Charlie's death mask. Scottish tartan clothes and dolls and animal taxidermy and it's free to visit but donations are welcome. The gift shop is brilliant too, great books and posters and bits. Would definitely be first on my list when visiting Fort William again!

We spent a day wandering Fort William on our trip to Scotland. We had no plans when we got into town, so it was great to stumble upon this little gem. The museum is only the size of a large house, but it's jammed full of of things to look at! There's an exhibit dedicated to the old Fort William itself, a large section dedicated to the Jacobite Rebellion, as well as exhibits on military history, Highland life, and changes in the Victorian times, as well as an archaeologic exhibit. There's a fantastic coin collection, interesting displays on weaponry, and the intriguing secret portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie. I learned as much about the West Highland area in my time at this museum as during the rest of our trip in the area. Located in the walking-only part of downtown, It's run entirely by a charity, and while entrance is free, donations are welcomed and I'd highly encourage you to contribute-- they're doing good work here.

A little gem in Fort William!! I was looking for interesting places to visit and the West Highland museum is right on the centre. The history it covers is quite long and interesting (Jacobites, Victorian era, Highland life, military), with lots of artefacts, pictures, facts, with the highlight an eighteenth century "secret portrait" of Bonnie Prince Charlie The staff were very friendly - they even offered holding our luggage till we complete our shops review and come back for the tour. No need for paying for a ticket, donations though are highly appreciated. They have also a wee leaflet you can get for a pound. Must visit!

Great place to spend a morning or afternoon! This museum is much bigger than it appears on the outside and has an extremely good collection of historically and culturally significant objects. The story of the Commando training that went on nearby is great, with uniforms, documents, and weapons on display. The display of Jacobite artifacts is also worth mentioning. Plus, it's free admission with donation boxes available for those who would like to help out. Highly recommended.

A hidden gem of Fort William. We were trying to kill time and stumbled across this lovely Little museum. If you have an interest in the areas military history from jacobites through to training ww2 commandos. This is well worth a visit. Nice exhibits including some very unique pictures allow you to glimpse into the history of the Scottish Highlands. The only downside was the undertrained volunteers. But this is made up for with the free entry and free Wi-Fi