Searching for the best museums in Lagos to visit? If you’re seeking creative inspiration or are curious about Nigeria’s cultural history, the Museums in Lagos are worth exploring.
Whether you want to learn more about local art or Nigeria’s fascinating past, from its pre-colonial days right up to the present, here are some of the best museums to visit in Lagos:
Best Museums In Lagos
Badagry Heritage Museum
Address: Lander Rd, Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday from 9 am – 5 pm
Entry Fee: ₦500
Jaekel House
Built-in 1898, the Jaekel house is one of the oldest buildings in Nigeria and it can be found within the Nigerian Railway Compound. It was formerly the residence of the Nigerian railway general manager Francis Jaekel OBE; who retired after almost thirty years of serving the corporation.
The building stands as an example of what colonial-style tropical architecture looks like. It was revamped in 2010 with an upper floor Mini Museum and garden by Professor John Godwin, Legacy1995 (the Historical & Environmental Interest Group of in collaboration with the Railway Corporation.)
The 2 story-building is now a “mini-museum” and there you can find archives dating as far back as the 1940s through to the 1970s. These archives include personalities, places, and historical events in pre-and post-independent Nigeria and house artifacts of the old Railway Corporation.
Address: 17 Federal Rd, Ebute Metta, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm
Entry Fee: ₦500 (+ ₦1,000 to take pictures)
Kalakuta Museum
The Kalakuta Museum was one of, and the final home, of musical legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. If you are a fan of Fela or his music or you basically want to learn more about Fela, his music, and the history of his influence in Nigeria then you should totally pay a visit to the Kalakuta Museum. It hosts a museum, gift shop, entertainment spot, and hotel. A guided tour costs One Thousand Naira only, and this includes a tour of Fela’s private room, closet, musical instruments, possessions, newspaper clippings of the legend and his band, manifesto and party documents from his political party and presidential bid, the family photo gallery, and all rooms of the multi-story house.
Address:7 Gbemisola St, Allen, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday from 11 am – 6 pm
Entry Fee: ₦1,000
Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art
The first of its kind, a University Art Museum in Nigeria, the YSMA is home to 1000 traditional and contemporary artworks granted by Prince Yemisi Shyllon to the Pan Atlantic University, including a steadily growing number of donations from Artists and Art Collectors!
Address: Pan-Atlantic University, Km 52 Lekki – Epe Expy, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm
Entry Fee: ₦2,000
National Museum Lagos
The National Museum Lagos was founded in 1957 by English Archeologist Kenneth Murray. The museum is located just by the boundary between Lagos Island and Ikoyi separated by the popular Onikan roundabout. National Museum Lagos is surrounded by very monumental buildings of great historical value which include the former senate building, house of representatives building, The Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, BRT park, The Muson Center, City Mall, former ECOWAS secretariat, Zone 2, Onikan Stadium, The Lagos State government house, Remembrance Tunnel, the Army remembrance Arcade, one of the 1st public swimming pool (now closed) and the new Lagos State Museum. The museum has Nigerian art, including pieces of statuary carvings, and archaeological and ethnographic exhibits. It is important to note that there are no cameras allowed in the Museum.
Address: Onikan Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm
Entry Fee: ₦500
Have you been to any of these museums? What are your favorite museums in Nigeria? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram!
