I know, I know. You are a student. You probably only care about bars and pubs. But, trust me, there’s gonna come a time when you’ll find cultural landmarks like galleries and museums really interesting. And when that comes, don’t you want to know where to find them in Sheffield? That’s what this article is all about! 

Sheffield is lucky to have countless different options to get your cultural fill. In the city centre itself there is basically three art galleries/museums in one. How good is that?! I have broken down some of our favourites for you below. 

Millennium Gallery 

Millennium Gallery is in the centre of Sheffield, and it’s a good thing too, because I go there as much as I can. It is brilliant. They have had an exhibition on the history of Football in media (including a clip from FIFA 21!), as well as an exhibition of Sheffield cultural art, and a collection of Sheffield-produced Steel products. Very varied, right? That is Millennium Gallery in a nutshell. None of their exhibitions are similar, and it means you can enjoy a massive range of different exhibits. Millennium Gallery is also located next to/inside of the Winter Gardens, the indoor park which features a variety of tropical plants, as well as some sculptures and exhibits itself. The Winter Gardens are beautiful, and they make Millennium Gallery all the greater. It is basically two sheffield cultural landmarks in one! There is even a nice little cosy café at Millennium Gallery, Ambulo, so if you fancy some food afterwards you know where to go! 

You can find out more about Millennium Gallery here.

Weston Park Museum 

Have you ever wanted to go somewhere where you can see a woolly rhino, a polar bear, and some Egyptian artefacts, all in the same place? Well, Weston Park Museum is the place for you! Located right next to Weston Park (who would’ve guessed?), Weston Park Museum is a beautiful old building. Founded in 1875, the neo-classical building spans the horizon of the park; genuinely, you don’t even have to step foot inside the museum to appreciate how nice it is. However, you’d regret not doing so. Packed to the brim with art, sculptures and artefacts, Weston Park Museum is a proper day out, and a bloody good one at that. It has some permanent exhibitions, including its Ancient Egypt exhibition, the ‘Beneath Your Feet’ exhibition, which features artefacts found in Sheffield spanning centuries, and the ‘Picturing Sheffield’ exhibition, which features Sheffield-themed highlights from the city’s art collection, many produced by local artists. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, such as ‘City of Rivers’, which brings together stories, objects, artwork, film and photography to chronicle Sheffield's relationship with its waterways. 

You can find out more about Weston Park Museum here.

Kelham Island Museum 

Sheffield is known for its historic industry, and where better to find out how Sheffield was able to have such sustained industrial production than a museum in the heart of the traditional industrial area of Sheffield? Kelham Island Museum is very cool. It features a massive steam engine, the mighty River Don Engine, a 425 ton, 12,000hp behemoth which still works! Displaying the industrial history of the city, Kelham Island Museum is such a wonderful day out. It also features a café and pub right next door, and it is the centre of Kelham Island itself, one of Sheffield’s trendier areas. A cultural landmark that features a pub? Could it get any better?

You can find out more about Kelham Island Museum here.

Sheffield has plenty of cultural offerings, these are just a select few of our favourites. So, if you’re worried about what you can do at university in-between your lessons and going out, Sheffield has plenty of options to keep you entertained. 

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