National Slate Museum, Llanberis
For a free thing to do in Snowdonia, be sure to visit the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. Shadowed by towering slate mountains, this Snowdonia attraction can be found in the Industrial Victorian Workshops that once served and maintained the impressive Dinorwig quarry.
Here, you and your loved ones can travel into the past and uncover the history of the slate industry and the way of life that came with living in the national park. Explore the workshops and buildings that have been designed as though quarrymen had put down their tools at the end of a working day!
Afterwards, enjoy the array of talks and demonstrations to give you a real insight into quarry life! Watch the stunning introductory film – To Steel a Moutain before visiting the Chief Engineer’s House and the Quarrymen’s Houses.
Whilst the National Slate Museum is a great thing to do in Snowdonia for families, those feeling adventurous can explore a little further! Dinorwig Quarry itself can be explored, with many marked trails leading around the site.
You can begin the adventure from the museum before taking to the series of metal stairways and slate steps, which lead uphill into the woodland. Once you reach the top, admire the views across Llyn Padarn, Dolbadarn Castle and the mountains of Snowdonia. Through the next section of woodland, find the ruins of Anglesey Barracks.
Anglesey Barracks are two rows of eleven cottages resting just outside the main quarry. They were built in the 1870s for the quarrymen who lived too far away to travel home each night. So, they would stay here during the week and travel home for the weekend!
These abandoned buildings are well worth a visit after a morning at the National Slate Museum!
Enjoy an array of things to do at the National Slate Museum…