13 Best Sights in Scotland

Set in a rural area, this lovely museum exploring every aspect of the country's agricultural heritage is slightly off the beaten track but well worth the trip. It is a whole day out. In a modern building resembling a huge barn you learn about how farming transformed the land, experience the life and hardships of those who worked it, and see displays of tools and machines from across the ages. Take a tractor ride to a fully functioning 1950s farmhouse. There are also some great exhibits geared toward children and a range of summer events.

Facing Anstruther Harbor, the Scottish Fisheries Museum is inside a colorful cluster of buildings, the earliest of which dates from the 16th century. A charming trail around the various buildings and odd spaces illustrates the life of Scottish fisherfolk; you can spend a couple of hours examining the many documents, artifacts, model ships, paintings, and displays (complete with the reek of tarred rope and net). There are floating exhibits at the quayside and a window onto a working boatyard.

In the village of Creetown seven miles outside Newton Stewart, this museum has an eclectic mineral collection, a dinosaur egg, an erupting volcano, and a crystal cave. There's also an Internet café, a tearoom, and a shop selling stones and crystals—both loose and in settings. Entry is good for two weeks.

Occupying an upstairs space on Bell Street, this small museum is something of a hidden gem in the city, with exhibits that reflect a unique and grisly history of Glasgow through the eyes of the city's police force. Established in the 1800s, it's the longest running police force in the United Kingdom. Visitors can learn about historical crime waves in the city, prominent serial killers (including the city's notorious Bible John, who is suspected of murdering at least three women in the 1960s), and more wholesome details such as the force's uniforms over the years.

The entertaining and enthusiastically run Grampian Transport Museum specializes in road-based means of locomotion, backed up by archives and a library. Its collection of buses and trams is second to none, but the Craigievar Express, a steam-driven creation invented by the local postman to deliver mail more efficiently, is the most unusual. Look out for the Hillman Imp: if Scotland has a national car, this is it. There's a small café that offers tea, baked goods, and ice cream.

This is one of those eccentric museums born of one person's (or one family's) passionate obsession. The small, crowded house and shop on Callander's main street contains one of the most extensive toy collections in Britain. The rooms throughout the house are crammed with everything from Corgi cars and an enormous number of toy soldiers, carefully organized by regiment, to Amanda Jane dolls and Beatles memorabilia. The collection of model railways has extended into tracks in the back garden. The museum is jammed and quirky, but full of reminders of everyone's childhood.

With its exhibits about the island's wildlife, the Natural History Centre has lots of hands-on activities for kids and aquariums filled with local rock pool creatures. It's a great stop on rainy days, and tickets are valid for a week. On Monday and Friday there are nature rambles, and family activities are offered throughout July and August.

If you're in search of the infamous monster, the Loch Ness Centre walks you through the fuzzy photographs, the unexplained sonar readings, and the sincere testimony of eyewitnesses. It's an entertaining way to spend an hour, even if the boasts of "high tech" and "state-of-the-art" feel overly generous. It's said that the loch's huge volume of water has a warming effect on the local weather, making the loch conducive to mirages in still, warm conditions—but you'll have to make up your own mind about that explanation. "Deepscan" cruises depart from the center on an hourly basis between April and October.

Vintage radio buffs will find this oddball museum fascinating. Amassed by the late Jim MacDonald, a radio operator during World War II, it tells the story of wartime communications at Scapa Flow, where thousands of service members were stationed; they used the equipment displayed to protect the Home Fleet. Run by volunteers, the museum also contains many handsome 1930s wireless radios and examples of the handicrafts produced by Italian prisoners of war.

In Kelso´s main square, you'll find this small museum that is both a history of salmon fishing in the area and of the River Tweed itself, exploring the significance of fishing on the local economy and its decline. Historic maps and collections of fishing gear show the evolution of life (and fishing) on the river. There are even replicas of the biggest fish reportedly ever caught and the disputes each one provoked.

Military history buffs will appreciate the Scapa Flow Museum, which charts the role of Orkney in the First and Second World Wars. There are fascinating displays of military vehicles and guns from both wars, as well as equipment salvaged from the German boats scuttled off the coast. In the plain but poignant graveyard here, British and German personnel both rest in peace. If you want to take your car over to Hoy, book well in advance with Orkney Ferries, as this is a popular route. The museum is a five-minute walk from the Lyness ferry terminal on Hoy.

Transforming malted barley and spring water into one of Scotland's most important exports—that's the subject of this popular Royal Mile attraction. An imaginative approach to the subject has guests riding in low-speed barrel cars and exploring Scotland's diverse whisky regions and their distinct flavors. Sniff the various aromas and decide whether you like fruity, sweet, or smoky, and afterward experts will help you select your perfect dram. Your guide will then take you into a vault containing the world's largest collection of Scotch whiskies. Opt for one of the premium tours (from £34 to £90) for extras ranging from additional tastings to a Scottish dining experience.

Crime and punishment in days gone by are the central themes at this community-run museum in a 16th-century building that was once Stonehaven's jail and courthouse. Exhibits include the wooden stocks, where up to seven miscreants at a time could be publicly humiliated, and the crank, an appalling torture machine. There's also an eclectic collection of old farming tools and household utensils.