TOMINTOUL ATTRACTION FIELD GUIDE
Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre: Dark Skies VR, Illicit Still and a Living Digital Archive
A community‑run centre in Tomintoul that pairs immersive Dark Skies and Illicit Still virtual reality experiences with a museum of local heritage and a searchable digital archive.
Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre: Dark Skies VR, Illicit Still and a Living Digital Archive.
Set in Tomintoul at the gateway to the Cairngorms National Park and Moray Speyside, the community‑run Discovery Centre gathers astronomy, local history and archival research under one roof; visitors encounter Dark Skies VR, the Illicit Still experience, a museum of regional heritage and three digital archive stations that house over 1,000 images and oral histories.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Dark Skies VR & Augmented Constellations
Step into an interactive Dark Skies exhibit with virtual reality headsets that take you through the planets, the Aurora Borealis and even a simulated visit to the International Space Station; augmented‑reality iPads let you view the night sky and explore constellations up close.
Our Heritage: Museum Displays of Local Life
The museum traces the area’s past through exhibits on the Tomintoul Coat, Scalan Seminary and local figures such as the Wolf of Badenoch, plus displays like the Wild Cat Den that bring Glenlivet’s social and cultural history into focus.
Digital Archive and the Illicit Still Experience
Three archive stations let visitors view more than 1,000 images from private and public collections and listen to oral histories, while a whisky‑inspired Illicit Still VR exhibit recreates an illicit still set deep in the Glenlivet countryside.
What the day feels like
What it feels like
A compact, hands‑on visit: move from museum cases to VR headsets, then settle at an archive station to browse photographs and oral recordings — an hour is recommended to take in the full tour, or shorter visits to single exhibits such as the Dark Skies or Illicit Still experiences.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this visit suits — and who should plan differently.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
Open every day from 10:00–17:00 from Easter through the end of October; plan roughly 60 minutes for the full visit or 15 minutes if you only take a VR experience.
Bring an appetite for short multimedia exhibits; the centre provides maps and guides, and free Wi‑Fi is available on site. Facilities include toilets.
If you want to book more than eight people, contact the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust to arrange your visit.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long should I allow for a visit?
Allow about 60 minutes for the full tour; individual VR experiences such as Dark Skies or the Illicit Still can be done in roughly 15 minutes.
When is the Discovery Centre open?
The centre is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 from Easter until the end of October.
Do I need to prebook?
General visits are walk‑in; if your party is larger than eight people, you should contact the centre to arrange a booking.
What exhibits are on offer?
Exhibits include Dark Skies VR and AR constellation displays, an Illicit Still VR experience, the Our Heritage museum collection and a digital archive with three research stations.
Can I do research or genealogy work there?
Yes — three archive stations provide access to over 1,000 images from public and private collections and recordings of local people recounting past daily life.
Who runs the Discovery Centre?
The Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust operates the community‑run Discovery Centre.