The history of that site is remarkable and accessible, and on the same site is The National Museum of Computing, which has pretty much one of everything since the dawn of computing.
Anyhow, one of the people I was there to work with brought me over to Bletchley Park and to the museum. It was easy to spend the full day there between the two.
So, even if you don't live there, I recommend visiting even if you're more than an hour away. I seem to recall the drive taking about an hour and a half, though my memory may be fuzzy. I was there in 2007 and I think they'd just recently opened.
If I'm back in the area, I'll be sure to visit again.
Either way, it's well worth visiting. Given that it had just opened, and now been more than a decade, I suspect they have all sorts of additional displays these days. So, when I'm next in the general area, I will make it a point to visit again.
Tangentially related: I also highly recommend the Natural History Museum. I really enjoyed that. Though, I'd recommend setting aside a couple of days for that one.
Especially relevant for this audience is its Information Age gallery which covers "6 networks that changed the world", telegraph, broadcast radio and tv, telephony, satellite (including GPS), the web, and cell phone networks.
Best of all both museums are free to get in (donations welcome).
I also enjoyed the Brittish Museum, London Museum of Steam and Water (I think that was the name), the Museum of London, and Clink Prison Museum, though that was kind of small.
I also did a police museum but I can't remember the name of it.
London has some great museums and a fairly long history, so I highly recommend anybody visiting make it a point to visit at least a few of them. They were also inexpensive to visit, as I recall. I think some of them only required a donation? I am not entirely sure, it has been quite a while since I have been back. I've only had one post-retirement visit.
Hmm... I should go back. Maybe I'll go over the winter.
I was just talking with the missus and she's never been to the UK so we are tentatively looking to go over the coming winter, probably after the new year.
I will put that one on my list of 'must do stuff.' I've seen the museum pop up in documentaries and have just taken a peek online. It looks like it will be a good time.
Seriously, thanks. I love the UK and museums. Being reminded of another one is a good thing. I'd forgotten all about that one.
It's too bad that I can't time it to do one of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. I have wanted to do one of those, in person, for a very long time. Fortunately, I'll be able to watch them.