Museums
Located on a 6-hectare estate, in the “Marnay Mill”, near Azay-le-Rideau, the Maurice Dufresne museum houses an impressive collection of vehicles, machinery and antiques, which constitutes a true heritage of what was mechanics from the 1850s to the 1950s
Wicker Museum of Villaines Les Rochers
(22 minutes by car)
Living, the practice of basketry exists in the most varied forms in Villaines-les-Rochers.
The Osier Vannerie cultural space offers a collection of nearly 200 objects, videos and interactive kiosks, a children’s itinerary, temporary and thematic exhibitions and guided tours all year round by a professional or a basketball enthusiast. .
The living space also offers discovery workshops, introductory workshops on basketry, artist residencies and professional meetings.
An opening on the village is proposed during a nice walk on the interpretation trail “Once upon a time”.
The museum opened to the public in 1968 in the former dormitory of the monks of the Benedectine Abbey of Saint Julien (13th-18th century). It houses outstanding collections related to the compagnons of the Tour de France.
Compagnonnage dates back from the end of the Middle Ages. It is made up of societies of young workers aspiring to professional and moral development by means of a journey through France called « tour de France ».
UNESCO inscribed Compagnonnage into the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, thanks to their unique mean of passing down knowledge and savoir-faire linked to the trades of stone, wood, metal, copper, leather, textiles and culinary trades.
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OF TOURS
(23 minutes by car)
www.tours.fr/services-infos-pratiques/133-museum-d-histoire-naturelle.htm
Located in the old town of Tours, next to Place Plumereau, the Natural History Museum offers permanent and temporary scientific exhibitions, as well as a large vivarium area and a documentation center rich in natural sciences.