{Edinburgh} Art Space 2 at the Gallery of Modern Art

Just a quick post today, to tell you about a neat new feature we discovered at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The Gallery is one of our happy places in Edinburgh. Besides the fact that modern art is brilliant to look at with kids – lots of shapes, colours, surreal motifs etc – the gallery has a brilliant room (Art Space 2) for families where you can play, read, create, and eat your snacks.

There’s an art cart full of art and craft materials, puzzles, and art/museum related children’s books. The highlight for my 8 year old was the box full of giant wooden and foam blocks. He spent ages seeing how high a foam block tower he could build.

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Since food and drink are not allowed in the gallery itself, it’s also an excellent place to stop and refuel with the kids if you’ve brought your on food and/or want to avoid the cafe. There’s high chairs available for the very little ones.

We were at the gallery today for a workshop and got talking to the staff, who said people were often surprised to find the space was there. Many people assume the Art Space rooms are just for booked workshops etc, but while Art Space 1 is indeed used for that, Art Space 2 is open to all visitors. It’s available most of the time during regular opening hours, though sometimes is temporarily closed e.g. when it gets used by schools or when they have an event that requires both rooms. 

So, next time you are passing that way, go and check it out! You’ll find Art Space 2 on Level 2 in the Modern One building. 

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The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art also has various family trails for different ages, and an outdoor sculpture park. During Covid, when almost everything else was shut, the sculpture park remained opening and was an absolute life saver. We still like to visit regularly, and the grounds are a lovely for having a picnic.

More info on visiting the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art with kids can be found on the Gallery’s website.

How to get there

Location: Modern One, 75 Belfort Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3DR

On Foot: Modern One is a 20 minute walk from the West End of Princes Street, so you could take a bus to Princes Street and walk from there.

By Bus: Edinburgh Coach Lines Service 13 stops right outside the grounds to Modern One, on Belfort Road. There are also various Lothian Buses that stop at the West End of Princes Street, on Queensferry Road, and around Haymarket, which are all a 15-20 minute walk away.

By Tram or Train: The nearest tram stop and train station are at Haymarket, around 15 minutes walk away.

By Car: Parking for visitors is available, fees apply. There are accessible parking spaces for blue badge holders. Parking is free for disabled visitors.

Good to know

Opening hours:

Cost: Admission to Art Space 2, the permanent exhibitions, and the sculpture park is free. There is often admission for temporary special exhibitions.

Website: www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/families