Milestones,Hampshire's living history museum,is a great place to take the kids when they 're off school. And with plenty of new attractions and special events,it's worth a visit this Easter

ALTHOUGH from the outside Milestones looks like a thoroughly modern museum, inside it's a different story.

Travel down two storeys and you will find a land lost in time. Wander through the cobbled streets and witness 200 years of Hampshire's history.

You are free to wander at your own pace through nearly three-quarters of a mile of shop fronts, factories and other buildings.

With your free portable audio-guide, you will learn about the amazing 20,000 objects made or used in the county. But don't be disheartened by the amount of information to consume, the audio-guides are designed so that you hear and listen to whatever you want, whenever you want.

When you tire you can stop on a bench or visit the pub in the middle of the museum. And if it's the children who need to let off steam, take them to the Play Store, where they can pretend to be Borrowers and climb all over the giant replica objects from the 1930s - crawling through a telephone, scrambling up an old steam iron and exploring the inside of a wireless.

For younger children there's the Play Post Office, where they can dress up and get to work behind the counter - using the till and weighing the letters. There is also a big parcel to climb inside, timed deliveries to make and letters to post in a burping letterbox.

A place to learn through play, the Post Office is available for visitors with children aged three to five from Tuesday until Thursday.

Don't be alarmed if some costumed figures in Milestones show signs of life, as there are a few characters around to tell you about the steam engines, ironworks and other local stories.

Museum staff will also be on hand throughout the day to answer questions on any of the collections or how to care for your own keepsakes.

If your trip to Milestones inspires you to find out more, you can call into the Collections Centre at Finchers Yard to browse through relevant books or have a go at the recommended activities.

For families who like to make their own fun, Milestones' family activity sheets are just the ticket. Play I Spy in the Victorian streets, identify vehicles from clues and riddles and then, when you find them, draw them!

Until April 16, you can explore the world of Victorian engineers, discovering viaducts and bridges and making and decorating a model of one of Milestones' buildings to take home with you.

From now until May 23, you can explore the fascinating story of 100 years of Hampshire's speed machines in an interactive exhibition that looks at the impact of speed on people's lives past, present and future. On April 17 and 18, one of the museum's steam engines will be in operation outside the museum.

Milestones is open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday until Friday, and also Easter Monday. At the weekends, the hours are 11am to 5pm.

Tickets cost £6.50 for adults, £3.50 for children and a family of four (two adults, two children) can obtain a ticket for £16.50. Annual passes are available at £13 for adults, £10.50 for concessions, £7 for children aged five to 15, and a family pass at £33.

Visit the museum at the Leisure Park on Churchill Way West, Basingstoke, or, for more information, call 01256 477766.