Loch Ness Exhibition Centre

Overview

The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre (formerly Loch Ness 2000) was established in 1980 and has consistently ranked as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotland. The exhibition went through a makeover during Lockdown, and we found the new presentation both entertaining and informative. 

Your visit starts in the "Reception" room, which has been decorated to represent the foyer of the old Drumnadrochit Hotel in which the exhibition is housed. It was the owner of this hotel, Aldie MacKay, who kindled the interest in the Loch Ness monster when she had a sighting in 1933, so it is fitting that the hotel is home to the exhibition.

Visitors wait in the hotel reception until the tour starts, but whilst you wait you can look at some of the famous "evidence" for the monster's existence. If you are visiting with children, ask them if they can work out how they are going to leave the room to get into the exhibition. It'll come as a surprise and we aren't going to give away the secret.

You are guided through 6 different chambers, with video shows that tell you about the story of Loch Ness from the ice age through to the present. The different stages of the tour are themed and each video show lasts about 10 minutes. So, in total, it takes about 60 minutes to complete the tour.

• First, you are told about the geological forces that formed Loch Ness and you are introduced to the dinosaurs that once would have lived here.
• Then you learn about Scottish folklore and the history that gave birth to the legend of a beast in Loch Ness
• The third section is set in the Drumnadrochit hotel bar in the 1930s and takes you through the history of the "Monster Hunters" and sightings of the beast starting with Aldie Mackay's sighting on 14 April 1933. This bit is done in a humorous style and had us laughing out loud. 
• You then enter a large chamber which gives you the impression of plunging into the depths of Loch Ness. In this section, the presentation explains how the loch has strange underwater currents and it goes into detail about the underwater research that has gone in Loch Ness.
• Coming back up to the surface, the next room introduces you to Adrian Shine, a recognised expert on the search for "Nessie". This gives you a very balanced debate about the feasibility of a creature living in Loch Ness and explains the physical constraints on what sort of creature it could be if it exists at all.
• The last part of the tour is a summary of all the evidence for the existence of "Nessie" and the arguments against the possibility of a large creature surviving in Loch Ness.

The exhibition always seeks to present a balanced case and carefully avoids making any claims that "Nessie" exists. You are ultimately left to decide what you want to believe based on an entertaining and informative presentation of the facts. And there is some evidence, such as a sonar echo that identified something the size of a "transit van" swimming deep in the loch.  

A great way to discover Loch Ness and what lies beneath those dark waters!  If you can, pre-book your tour time online as it will save you quite a bit.

PLEASE NOTE: Don't get confused between this Loch Ness Exhibition, which is beside the Drum Hotel on the A82, and the "Nessieland" Visitor Centre which is near the A82 / A831 road junction in Drumnadrochit. The latter is not much more than a gift shop!