For a real taste of local history on your next adventure in Cambridge with a senior, our team recommends that you stop by one of these great locations.
Getting out and about in your local area is a great way to stay engaged, active and happy in senior years. Don’t confine your days out to the present, instead take a trip to the past and discover some of the fun to be had reminiscing and learning together with curious elderly relatives.
Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is a museum of humanity’s history over hundreds of thousands of years, of world cultures over recent centuries, and of Indigenous life and art in the present. MAA is also a local museum. For nearly 140 years it has been the place where archaeological finds from Cambridge and from our region are preserved, researched, and displayed. Locally and globally, it is a revelation of people’s stories, through extraordinary things they have made, past and present.
Visit Imperial War Museum Duxford only a few miles outside of Cambridge, for a huge day out. See historic aircraft take to the skies from the airfield where Spitfires first flew. Get up close to gigantic aircraft at Europe’s largest air museum and uncover hundreds of personal stories of those who have lived, fought, and died in conflict from the First World War to present day. There’s so much to see at IWM Duxford. We recommend spending a minimum of half a day on site, though many visitors stay a full day.
Cherry Hinton Hall is a Grade II listed Victorian country house and park to the south of Cambridge. With a stunning duck pond and playground, this park is a wonderful day out with the family. Wheelchair friendly with plenty of places to rest, eat and play. The Hall also hosts the annual Cambridge Folk Festival which draws thousands to these lush grounds.
Kettle’s Yard is the University of Cambridge’s modern and contemporary art gallery. A beautiful House with a remarkable collection of modern art and a gallery that hosts modern and contemporary art exhibitions. Once the home of H.S (Jim) Ede and his wife Helen, in the 1920s and 30s Jim had been a curator at the Tate Gallery in London.
Thanks to his friendships with artists and other like-minded people, over the years he gathered a remarkable collection, Jim carefully positioned these artworks alongside furniture, glass, ceramics, and natural objects, with the aim of creating a harmonic whole. Kettle’s Yard was originally conceived with students in mind. The House is by and large as Jim left it. There are artworks in every corner, and there are no labels.
From Iron-age roundhouses to a sophisticated, modern estate, this site has been lived on and farmed for over 2,000 years. Over the centuries, Wimpole Estate has been owned by several families, and each has left its mark. The Civil War, a true love match and a collection of priceless manuscripts that formed the core of the British Library are just some of its stories. Wimpole was an empty shell until Elsie Bambridge filled it with pictures and furniture, bringing it back to a welcoming home in the 1930s. Intimate rooms contrast with beautiful and unexpected Georgian interiors.
Home Farm contrasts the traditional farmyard with the noisy modern piggery and cattle sheds, with daily farm activities there is a chance to join in and discover more about farming. Stride out across the landscape park, among the rare-breed cattle, through grand avenues, before entering shaded woodland and emerging into an arable landscape.
Great St Mary’s foundations were laid in 1010 and has been the University Church since 1209. A spiritual home for the University and the City of Cambridge, a Church of England parish in the Diocese of Ely, and a destination for visitors from around the world. Experience the world-famous panoramic views of Cambridge by climbing the steps of the University Church tower and enjoy a 360° view on the newly refurbished outdoor viewing platform.
There’s plenty of history to be experienced around Cambridge and no shortage of easy to reach attractions that are as unusual as they are interesting. Don’t fall into the rut of going to the same old modern places on every outing – a little learning alongside a day out can be what really makes it shine! As well as being great for younger members of the family.