about the earth sciences and even high-altitude medicine.
Staying in the air, don’t miss the Aeroscopia Museum in Toulouse-Blagnac. This museum, the only one of its kind in Europe, is both attractive and fun, providing a fascinating insight into the priceless aeronautical heritage of Toulouse and the region, the birthplace of Airbus. Inside the cutting-edge superstructure of Aeroscopia you can get up close to legendary aircraft such as the Caravelle, Concorde and the Super Guppy, and learn about the different aspects of the aeronautics industry (archaeology, professions, piloting, etc.).
Coming back down to earth, all the family will enjoy a trip to the Muséum de Toulouse, France's second museum in terms of the size of its collections (2.5 million items, of which some 8,000 are on show). Set in the leafy surroundings of the Jardin des Plantes in Toulouse, with a botanical garden running alongside, this museum has been spectacularly renovated and now has more than 3,000 m2 of exhibition space for its ground-breaking layout, packed with entertaining discoveries.
It's unique, and it's in Midi-Pyrénées
All over Midi-Pyrénées there are other museums focusing on
an area of natural interest such as the quarrying of marble in the Pyrenees (see the
Musée du Marbre in Bagnères-de-Bigorre),
a specialised local industry like aeronautics (see the
Musée de l’Aéronautique in Luchon in Haute Garonne) or, in a completely different vein, the art of growing grapes for wine (see the
Musée de l’Abbaye Saint Michel in Gaillac, Tarn).
What's more, some of the museums are veritable
conservatories of trades and skills found nowhere else in France. This applies for example to the
Musée de Millau et des Grands Causses where the rooms about the Millau glove-making industry are particularly interesting.
We should also mention the
Musée Départemental du Textile du Tarn near Mazamet, whose
outstanding collections provide an amazing insight into the manufacturing industry which still supplies the French
haute couture sector.