Take your group on a trip with a difference and visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum, which houses Europe’s largest collection of Naval aircrafts and the first British built Concorde. You’ll be ‘transported’ by helicopter to the replica flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS ARK Royal, and you’ll get the chance to see a fighter aircraft and two enormous projection screens showing jet fighters taking off and landing. There’s also a refreshment and shop area, with free parking and excellent disabled access. The Museum is located alongside Europe’s busiest military air station at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, and is open in the summer daily from 10 to 5.30pm. Last admission is 4pm.  

01935 842614  

Hats off to them  

Hat Works is the UK’s only museum that offers a unique insight into the history of Stockport’s once thriving hatting industry. Take your group on a tour of their working Victorian style machinery – complete with an expert guide – and marvel at their extensive collection of hats from around the world. Group visits can be tailored to the specific requirements of your party, and tours can be customised to the size of your party and the length of time you wish to spend at the museum. There’s also a café offering a range of light refreshments and lunches that can be pre-ordered.  

0161 355 7773  

Money talks  

The Bank of England Museum also has a great selection of special events this year. From 29 March to 26 October, Security by Design looks at how banknote designs have evolved over the years. From 29 May to 1 June, Hidden Treasures informs you of how gold and silver coins were kept safe in the 17th and 18th century. The museum also opens it’s doors to visitors on 7 July, as part of the City of London Festival, where they will be holding 30 minute guided tours of the bank. Then to end the year on a high, join in the festive spirit with Christmas Carols and Songs, where you can enjoy music performed by nearby schools. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 10 to 5pm with free admission, and includes a free museum guide.  

020 7601 5545  

Watercolour challenge  

Nestling in the historic market town of Barnard Castle, The Bowes Museum provides a superb day out for groups. New for 2007 are The Streatlam Galleries on March 31, which include some of the best examples of European fine and decorative art in the UK. This summer sees the exhibition Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 19 May to 2 September, complemented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – An 80th Birthday Portrait, from 16 June to 28 July. Following this, you can take refuge in their bistro, or tour their shops and landscaped gardens. The museum is open daily from 11am to 5pm, while the café and shop open from 10am Monday to Saturday.  

01833 694615  

With a little grace  

Discover more about the Victorian and Edwardian times at Lady Lever Art Gallery courtesy of their Merchant Palaces exhibition, which runs until 13 May. Looking at 25 luxurious merchants’ mansions and villas that graced the fashionable suburbs of Liverpool and Wirral, the exhibition ranges from the confection of Dawpool – home of the Ismays of Titanic fame – to the marbled intimacy of the bathroom commissioned by Mrs Blackler of the much-loved Blacklers department store in Liverpool. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with English Heritage. To find out more contact the gallery on the details below.  

0151 478 4136  

Celebrate in style  

Regent Street celebrates 180 years with A Mile of Style exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery from 13 April to 30 June 2007. The exhibition will reveal the fascinating story of one of Europe’s most famous shopping streets through archival documents, maps, photographs and plans. The exhibition also coincides with the launch of a new and revised edition of the History of Regent Street by Hermione Hobhouse, which will be available to purchase from the Gallery shop. Prestigious heritage retail fashion brands Aquascutum, Jaeger and Austin Reed will also be participating in the three-month exhibition, revealing some of their most treasured archive pieces for the first time.  

020 7332 3700  

Around the globe  

Following the success of last year’s theatre season, the spirit of revival and radicalism is in the air this year at Shakespeare’s Globe. Opening on 4 May, their season of Renaissance + Revolution features two Shakespeare plays new to the Globe, Othello and Love’s Labour’s Lost, and The Merchant of Venice. The Globe continues its bold experiment to present new plays alongside Shakespeare by reviving last year’s new writing hit, In Extremis by Howard Brenton, and introducing two new plays about democratic revolutions, Holding Fire! by Jack Shepherd, and We The People by Eric Schlosser. There are currently special offers for Othello and In Extremis available for groups in May.  

020 7401 9919  

Just a myth?  

Bronte Museums have two new exhibitions this year to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Brontë. The first is That Unlucky Book, which looks at the writing of the book, while Who Were the Brontës explores some of the myths surrounding the Brontës. This exhibition opens at the end of April and examines how the “Brontë Myth” came about, using their own writings and personal possessions. To find out about their group packages, which include a range of introductory talks and guided walks, contact them on the number below or visit their website.  

01535 642323  

Get interactive  

This summer, the Staircase Museum invites you and your group to time travel through the history of a unique townhouse from 1460 to WWII. Following a £4million restoration project, you’ll find a state-of-the-art audio guide where the fascinating history of the house will unfold on a fun and informative journey. The entire 18-room town house is fully interactive, with an array of rooms linked by narrow passages and the beautifully restored Jacobean cage newell staircase – one of only three surviving examples in Britain. Tours range from £3.50 to £6.95 per person and can be booked on the number below or by visiting their website.  

0161 480 1460  

In the spotlight  

Visitors to Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum can enjoy their latest exhibition, Autoglym Supercars, which runs until Spring 2008. The exhibition showcases a selection of the fastest, most expensive and exotic sports cars such as the Enzo Ferrari, Aston Martin Virage, and McLaren F1, plus the most powerful and expensive road production car in the world, the Bugatti Veyron. Beaulieu is open from 10 to 6pm every day with plenty of free parking. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities in the attraction’s two shops, with a variety of gift and food items to choose from. You can give them a call on the number below or visit their website for more details.  

01590 612345