Located in a modern purpose-built extension to Lews Castle, the new Museum nan Eilean opened on 14 July 2016.

Exciting museum galleries look at the stories of islands and islanders. Visitors can:

• discover how the distinctiveness of the Outer Hebrides is shaped by a unique combination of land, sea and people.
• hear details about different people’s lives; the diversity of experience, opinion and perception of living life on an island.
• examine how people have lived and worked from the earliest times to the present day, and how their culture is expressed through the Gaelic language, religion and community life.

Significant loans from National Museums Scotland and the British Museum, including the world-famous Lewis Chessmen, alongside unique objects from the Comhairle’s collection set the modern culture of the islands in their historic context. More information is available on the museum website.

The ground floor of Lews Castle has been restored to its Gothic Revival grandeur, and as well as the carefully renovated rooms, visitors can enjoy the Storehouse café and Outfitters shop run by Together Travel.