Bats

The Bats gallery in Perth is a proper oddity - a dedicated space celebrating everything bat-related through art, taxidermy and interactive displays. You'll find specimens, paintings and installations that range from genuinely fascinating to slightly unsettling, depending on your feelings about having 50-odd pairs of wings staring at you from the walls.

It's best suited to families with children aged 8 and up who've moved past the "eek, it's spooky" phase, plus anyone with a genuine interest in wildlife or natural history. The gallery doesn't pretend to be anything revolutionary - it's modest, focused and unpretentious. You can comfortably get through everything in 45 minutes to an hour without feeling rushed.

The real strength is how it connects to the broader bat ecology of Perthshire. Scotland's got nine bat species, and this place actually explains what you might spot on an evening walk rather than just showing you dead ones under glass. That context matters.

If you're staying at Scone Camping and Caravanning Club Site - the better-rated option just outside town - the gallery makes a decent half-day plan when the weather's being difficult. It's free or very cheap (worth checking ahead), and beats sitting in your caravan playing cards. Perth Caravan Park is closer but Scone's superior facilities justify the extra mile if you can swing it.