New list reveals most ‘fun’ educational visitor attractions in Shropshire

According to various scientific research papers, the human brain is more receptive to learning when having fun. Accordingly, a survey was carried out to find out which of the UK’s educational visitor attractions was the most ‘fun’ and therefore the best at helping people learn and remember scientific or historical information.

The company that commissioned the research, Saturn Visual Solutions, has subsequently created a list of the ‘UK’s top 50 most fun educational visitor attractions’. The rankings are based on the number of people that named the site as a ‘fun’ attraction, rather than metrics like visitor numbers which tend to discount many smaller educational visitor attractions.

Two visitor attractions in Shropshire were listed. The RAF Museum in Cosford was the highest ranked educational visitor attraction in Shropshire and 26th in the overall rankings.

It features multiple hangars of airplanes including the world’s oldest Spitfire, a simulation zone with virtual drops and virtual reality exhibitions, and a 4D cinema and is free to enter.

Barry Smith, Director of Visitor and Commercial Development at RAF Museum said: “We are delighted to be recognised as the top educational attraction in Shropshire for fun and learning. Our mission is to inspire visitors of all ages through engaging exhibits and interactive experiences that bring the RAF story to life. This ranking is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our team in making the RAF Museum a memorable and educational destination.”

Ironbridge was ranked 39th in the list for its Blists Hill Victorian Town experience which shows visitors what everyday life was like in the Victorian era.

Saturn CEO, Chris Welsh, said: “Every year there are tables of data about which visitor attractions are the most popular, but something that’s often overlooked is how much ‘fun’ they are. Both adults and children are more likely to learn and remember information if it’s part of a ‘fun’ experience, so we thought that it was important to find out which educational visitor attractions were most successful in making learning fun.

“Our research found that nearly half of adults categorise something as being boring if it doesn’t have engaging activities. So, it’s no major surprise that so many of the highest-ranking educational visitor attractions in our research, like the RAF Museum, have interactive exhibits and experiences on offer.”

Saturn Visual Solutions is a digital signage consultancy that works with leisure businesses and charities to help them make the ‘visitor experience’ more engaging and fun.

By Emma Radcliffe - Contributor