Boarding the Railway 200 Inspiration train - a free and fascinating exhibition train celebrating 200 years of the modern railway

2025 marked the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. Under the banner of Railway 200 there have been nationwide celebrations throughout the year and beyond, to celebrate how the railway shaped Britain and the world.

Inspiration is a free, family-friendly exhibition train which has been travelling all over the country, and last weekend it made it's way down to Worthing in West Sussex. Tickets were free, although due to limited availability they had to be booked in advance, and I knew that it would be something that would appeal to our family.

The Inspiration train was parked at Worthing station for two days. The exhibition is spread out over several themed carriages, showcasing some of the groundbreaking innovations in railway history, a Wonderlab which offers hands-on exhibits, and information for people that might consider a career in rail.

I found the information about the history of the railway really interesting, and there were plenty of models and displays that really brought everything to life. There were games to play, like trying to prioritise train schedules to fit in with special events, and balancing and construction toys.

My favourite part of the train was definitely the interactive exhibits. Perhaps they were aimed at a slightly younger crowd than mine, but they were still a lot of fun for adults! We enjoyed trying to work out the best configuration for train wheels to roll along a curved track, and I loved a sandpit table which had train tracks and roads projected on it - you could move the sand around to create safe routes and then watch little trains and cars move around them!

There were plenty of friendly staff on board to help with any questions, and we really enjoyed our visit!

While the train has now departed from Worthing there are plenty more stops scheduled across the country. Have a look at the timetable here to book your free tickets - Upcoming 2026 Inspiration tour dates and destinations.

Where to see the retired space shuttles

Recently I shared some of the things that I saw on our recent trip to New York and Washington, and I mentioned that we had now seen all of the retired space shuttles. I thought I'd put together a post about where all the space shuttles can now be seen, as they are awesome to see in person! The best thing is that they are all displayed in different ways to showcase their various features and uses, so even though the shuttles themselves are similar you can learn new things about them as you see each one.

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Atlantis is on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the museum has gone to a lot of effort to showcase its star attraction. The shuttle is housed in a separate building, fronted by the massive familiar orange external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters.

Before seeing the shuttle you go through several exhibits, including a short film about the history of the space shuttle programme and how the shuttle was conceived and developed. The final film is displayed on a floor to ceiling screen, and at the end the screen rises quickly to reveal the space shuttle suspended in front of you, tilted as though flying through space.

The shuttle is displayed with the payload doors open and the Canadarm extended, and as you walk closer you can get a really good feel for how it would have looked while carrying out a mission.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington D.C. in a large hanger, along with lots of other impressive air and spacecraft. It's displayed resting on the ground with the landing wheels down. There's just a low barrier all around it, and it's so close that you almost feel as though you could just reach out and touch it! It's really interesting to be able to have a good look at how the wheels slotted into place underneath the shuttle.

Space Shuttle Endeavour (currently off display)

Endeavour is currently stored at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. We saw it in 2018 when it was in a temporary home, suspended in the air in a large hanger above the heads of the visitors. Unfortunately at the moment it is off display, as it is in the process of being moved to a new part of the museum - the Samual Oschin Air and Space Center. When open, it will be the only place in the world that you'll be able to see a complete Space Shuttle System with a flown orbiter as the shuttle will be displayed upright, attached to the rocket boosters and external fuel tank ready for launch. It looks as though the museum is expected to open shortly (as at June 2026) so keep an eye open for details, I would love to go back and see it again in its new home!

Space Shuttle Enterprise

Space Shuttle Enterprise is on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. It's housed in a separate, covered display area at the far end of the museum, and be prepared to wait in line for a little while if you visit on a busy day. Space Shuttle Enterprise is the only shuttle that didn't actually fly in space, it was used for atmospheric test flights. 

You can view the shuttle from a raised walkway around the front of the shuttle, so you can get a good look at the windscreen and heat shields.

Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia

Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight in 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard - the first fatal accident involving an American spacecraft in flight. Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere in 2003, also killing all seven crew members. (There was a recent three part documentary 'The Space Shuttle that Fell to Earth' which was excellent in telling the story of what happened in the Columbia disaster, it's available to watch on BBC iPlayer.)

You can see some pieces recovered from both shuttles at the 'Forever Remembered' memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (pictured above), along with personal items and stories from the crew members. There are also memorials to the astronauts of the Challenger and the Columbia at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.

Finally there are two more shuttle experiences that we've not yet managed:

Space Shuttle Pathfinder (test simulator)

Not a real space shuttle, the Space Shuttle Pathfinder was a space shuttle test simulator made of steel and wood, and it's about the same size, weight and shape as an actual orbiter. You can see it on display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and this is definitely somewhere that we would love to visit one day. 

Space Shuttle Independence (replica) - formerly known as Explorer

Space Shuttle Independence is a full scale space shuttle replica. It was formerly on display at the Kennedy Space Center and can now be seen at the Space Center Houston (another place that we would love to visit). It's displayed in Independence Plaza, mounted on the original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft. Visitors can enter both the shuttle and the plane, which sounds amazing.

The Turtle Hospital, Marathon Key, Florida

Recently I wrote about our trip to the Florida Keys, and our attempts to spot sea turtles from the Old Seven Mile Bridge. Unfortunately our efforts were unsuccessful, but luckily as an alternative we were also able to visit the wonderful Turtle Hospital just down the road!

We visited on the final day of our holiday before driving to Miami for our flight that evening. It's recommended to book tickets in advance, but there seemed to be plenty of availability. We booked the evening before, and lots of people were accommodated without booking. You must visit as part of a guided tour, which lasts around 90 minutes. 

Our visit began with a short presentation in the education centre. We were shown pictures of the different species of marine turtle, and learned to identify them. We were also told about the problems that the turtles face in the ocean, both locally and worldwide, and all about the work of the Turtle Hospital in treatment and rehabilitation. It was really interesting! 

Then we were able to watch a turtle having an operation, which was fascinating to see. Many turtles rescued suffer from FP (fibropapillomatosis), benign tumours that can cause problems with vision, feeding and movement. It can either be the reason for the initial rescue or discovered when they are admitted for something else, like a boat injury. It seems to be caused by toxins ingested by eating weeds in the sea and is very common. These tumours can be removed gradually using laser surgery leaving just a small scar, and that is what they are doing in the photograph below.

In total at the centre we saw forty-three turtles. The turtles which are being treated before release are kept in large tanks. This one has a flipper missing after an injury, but is still able to be released.

There are however some turtles which need to remain at the centre. For example there was a turtle at  that is blind, and many of the turtles suffer from a condition called 'bubble butt'. This is caused when the turtle suffers an injury which traps gases inside the shell and causes it to float. Weights can be attached to help the turtle to swim, but as the turtle grows it's not a practical long term solution for a released turtle. So there is a large outdoor tank at the hospital which houses these turtles and is filled with sea water (and smaller fish that have made their way in through the pipes!)

At the end of the tour you have the opportunity to feed these turtles which was a lot of fun.

I was interested to learn that any turtles that you see in captivity, for example in an aquarium, are all turtles that can't be released back into the wild for whatever reason. The places hosting the turtle are usually proud, and happy to share more information. For example I looked up OD who now lives at Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, who was rescued by the turtle hospital, and Miko at the Frost Museum in Miami that we saw in the museum the previous week.

As you can probably tell I learned a huge amount from our visit to the Turtle Hospital, and we were all really glad that we made the effort to visit. There was such a lot to see and it was so interesting. I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area!

A museum day out in London

Harry loves a museum, so when we were planning a day out for his birthday a London museum trip was the obvious choice. We last did a family London trip in January 2020 before Covid, and we were also keen to visit the British Museum to see the real Parthenon Marbles after our holiday in Athens last year. 

We decided to spend the morning at the British Museum and then head to the Science Museum for the afternoon, another favourite that we've visited many times over the years. We booked free tickets online for both of these museums but it didn't seem too busy, so I think you can probably visit without booking especially if it's first thing or later on in the day.

At the British Museum we started with the Egyptian collections. There's a lot to see! Although currently some exhibits like the Rosetta Stone have been temporarily moved to a paid exhibition. We saw the mummies of course, before heading to the Greek sculptures. The Parthenon Marbles exhibition area is nicely done, but you can't help thinking that the marbles should probably be back in Athens. 

I can see the argument both ways, because if they hadn't been removed to the museum then they probably wouldn't be in such good condition now. But now that there is an excellent new Acropolis museum in the very shadow of the Parthenon, with spaces for the missing marbles, it really does feel as though they should all be displayed there together. 

We stopped for a quick sandwich and then headed to the Science Museum. Mia isn't such a museum fan, so my husband took her to the shops for a break while I made a start with Harry. When we arrived I asked Harry where he wanted to start and he answered 'with the boats!' I couldn't work out what he meant until I realised that he was talking about the play area in the basement of the museum - The Garden - where there is a huge water play table with boats. He spent many happy hours playing there in the past when he was tiny! But sadly I had to break it to him that it's only for ages 6 and under - he was so disappointed!

Luckily there is plenty to see at the Science Museum and so he wasn't sad for long. We started with a new temporary (and free) exhibition - Injecting Hope: The race for a Covid-19 vaccine. It was really good, very approachable with just enough science to make it interesting without being overwhelming. There was also lots of memorabilia to see like home testing kits, signage from vaccine centres, even the penguin T-shirt worn by the first lady to receive the vaccine! I must admit that it did bring back quite a lot of emotions to see the timeline to a vaccine laid out like that and remembering all the anxiety that was around, especially in the early days of the pandemic before the vaccine was developed.

Then we walked back through one of Harry's favourite areas, the Exploring Space area. We are pretty familiar with this area as we've visited it many times over the years, but there are still lots of interesting things to see. I like all the areas about daily life in space and the future of space travel. Then I was starting to get quite tired legs, so I was happy to have a sit down and let Harry wander around the Mathematics gallery before we headed up to Flight. Harry can spend ages here, so I had to speed him up a bit! My favourite exhibit is the cut-through section of a Boeing 747 showing two floors of seating and the cargo hold. It's fascinating, I can stand looking at it for ages!

We did a quick sweep through some of the other galleries but we couldn't possibly see everything and we were all a bit museumed out. It was time to head home, despite Harry's longing glances as we walked past the Natural History Museum. We'll have to save a visit there for another day!