Telling an interesting story about the local mining history with guided underground tours and a vast collection of mining machinery and tools, the National Coal Mining Museum for England may be the closest you can come to experience the heritage of Britain. It opened in 1988 as the Yorkshire Mining Museum and was granted the National status in 1995. The collections in the museum have been assembled by the National Coal Board. Apart from the artifacts, the museum houses pictures and various books and documents relating to the mining history of the country. The underground tour puts you into a miner's shoes and takes you inside the mines for a first-hand experience.