The Rum Story
The Rum Story
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Rum Story is a visitor attraction and museum in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It presents the story of the rum trade and the creation of rum. It is located in an original 1785 trading shop and warehouses.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Philmex1
    Southampton, United Kingdom1,741 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sunday lunch at the Rum Story
    Really took us by surprise - we were expecting snacks on a Sunday lunchtime, but then found out the Rum Story did a Sunday lunch. Very impressed! A choice of meats served with two types of potato (mash & boiled), and three different types of vegetable and Yorkshire pudding. Staff were lovely! Would certainly consider eating there again.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written May 31, 2023
  • Peter C
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely little gem museum, 'The Story of Rum '
    This little gem of a Museum is well worth a visit. Even if you are not a rum drinker it is fascinating as well as educational. It tells the story of rum making right from the beginning up to today. There are three floors with video and interactive displays,with the original Jefferson's office still intact on the ground floor.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 1, 2023
  • Grant C
    6 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A good attraction to visit, especially if the weather is poor
    A fantastic location and a well designed attraction. Good story boards and use of AV displays. We ate in the cafe in the centre and it was very good. One disappointment however - when we came out from the exhibition into the shop I have since found out we should have been offered a small tot of rum. Alas, the lady on duty was engrossed in conversation with a friend and made no attempt to speak to us or offer us our wee dram. Pity :(
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 4, 2023
  • Jenny B
    Millom, United Kingdom16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful meal at the Rum Story Cafe, Whitehaven.
    Fantastic visit to the Rum Story Cafe today. Generous portions and the best steak and ale pie I have had in a long time. It's definitely worth a visit, quirky place, great customer service, and excellent food 👌
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 16, 2023
  • Nick W
    Swindon, United Kingdom51 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hidden Gem of a Museum in West Cumbria
    Really interesting museum in Whitehaven that tells the story of the towns connection to the importation of rum from the Caribbean. Really well laid out over several floors and educational including the story of the slave trade, rum making process, the Jefferson’s story, American prohibition and the connection to the Royal Navy. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. Certainly worth a visit if you are in West Cumbria and a great option if the weather is poor.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written January 21, 2024
  • johnhouston2
    Knaresborough, United Kingdom5,258 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit.
    Being situated in the old trading premises of the Jefferson family adds a certain touch of realism and poignancy to this exhibition, which is well worth a visit. This was our second visit and we found it just as interesting and informative as the first. The exhibition areas are spread over three floors and are very well put together.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 14, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles285 reviews
Excellent
134
Very good
114
Average
20
Poor
7
Terrible
10

Sharon W
Leicester, UK34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
Found a leaflet at the flat we are stopping at. Rainy afternoon decided that we would visit The Rum Story in Whitehaven we both had full English breakfast for lunch decent size and as Hubby doesn’t like eggs he got extra bacon - delicious and really filling tea or coffee included, £6.95 each very reasonable - staff were ever so welcoming and helpful the museum was amazing so much memorabilia and information on what is a pivotal piece of history well worth the just over two hours we spent in there thanks everyone had a brill time
Written June 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. We are glad that you enjoyed your visit to The Rum Story and that the rain didn't stop you from enjoying all that Whitehaven has to offer. We will pass on your thanks to the Café and Attraction staff.
Written June 6, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Craig P
North Wootton, UK15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Couples
My fiancé and I visited the museum this week and were very pleasantly surprised. The museum is very informative about the slave trade and how the rum is made and it is well worth the money. At £10 entry (bargain) we experienced over 2 hours in the museum and received a free small bottle of rum.

The cafe on site is also really reasonably priced and provides good portion sizes!

Would most definitely recommend to anybody visiting Whitehaven.
Written April 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review, we are glad that you enjoyed your visit to The Rum Story and hope that we see you again the next time you are in Whitehaven.
Written April 16, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

paultaylor447
Whitehaven, UK8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
The Rum Story tells the story of the Slave trade, Rum and how this trade evolved in Britain. A very interesting, well laid out Museum.
Written March 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We are glad that you enjoyed your visit to us here at The Rum Story and we hope to see you again in the future.
Written March 27, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

NinhHao
Santiago, Chile17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2018 • Solo
This place is an inter-active walk through history. I visited Whitehaven with no clue of their historical involvement in the slave trade and this place not only explains it in detail but has managed to design an experience that really hooks you and gets you engaged.

Only upset I didn't have more time! The staff is incredibly nice and the café in there serves great coffee!
Written October 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to write us a review Ninh. We hope to see you again on your next visit to Cumbria.
Written November 27, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

David M
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018 • Friends
Had lunch in the Cafe to support an ' Independent ' while visiting the Taste Cumbria event. 1. Portion of Chips missing from our order. Not clear if we were charged for them as we weren't offered a reciept. 2. The other portion of Chips was disgusting. Not cooked properly and covered in frying oil. My guess is they were old fashioned chips. Fresh potatoes cut and deep fried which could be a selling point. Instead the insides were raw and the frying oil was greasy rather than crisp because they hadn't been cooked properly. 3. Ghastly cup of Coffee. My guess they hadn't used fresh beans hence the ' dish water ' appearence and taste. All Cafe's have the odd glitch but to mark up an inacvurate order, uncooked food and disgusting Coffee in one visit is " never going again " territory.
Written July 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to send us this review David. Your experience has been passed on to our Rum Story Manager who will look into what happened during the Taste Cumbria weekend. We hope that you will come back and see us again in the future and if you give us a call before the next time you visit, will arrange for a voucher for you to use in the Café.
Written July 30, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brian T
United Kingdom9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018
Absorbing and atmospheric attraction detailing the story of Rum from growing the sugar to bottling the finished product. With the added bonus of a small tot of the subject of the attraction at the end.
Written July 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review, we are glad that you enjoyed our Jefferson's Rum and it's history.
Written July 4, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

gwcarter
Cockermouth, UK8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018 • Couples
Warm and friendly reception led us to a fascinating trip through time to the sometimes dark past of slavery. Well set out, covering all aspects of the rum story and even managing to link it in to American prohibition. Something to see round every corner! Great!
Written July 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind comments, we hope you visit us again soon.
Written July 4, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

2010mustang
Cheshire, UK1,184 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
Located on the main street it would be easy to miss as it is a shop selling alcohol etc with the museum and gift shop at the back. Very interesting history but felt it was more suited for kids. Cafe was very clean and reasonably priced with the adjacent gift shop selling the usual themed products. The original office located in the courtyard is definitely worth seeing as it looks like it hasn't changed in over 100 years.
Written May 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Keith H
Holmrook, UK68 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Couples
Lovely hot coffee and nice cakes. It’s a bit cold. Could do with some heating in winter. The clock in the courtyard still fascinates me with all its movements.
Written January 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. I have passed on your comments about the heating to our Rum Story Manager. We are glad to know that our clock is still facinating you and hope to see you again soon,
Written January 23, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Janerob0505
Halifax41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Couples
This place is excellent and very informative for all ages . Well set out on 3 floors

Staff are very knowledgeable and you can tell they enjoy telling you about it

Taste of rum at the end also

Definitely worth a visit
Written October 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. Our staff are very passionate about The Rum Story and Whitehaven. We are glad that you enjoyed your visit and look forward to welcoming you back again in the future.
Written October 4, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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The Rum Story - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)