The Potteries Museum holds the world's largest and most representative collection of Staffordshire ceramics — Wedgwood, Spode, Royal Doulton, Minton, Moorcroft, and dozens of smaller potteries are all represented in depth. Even if you arrive thinking you don't care about pottery, twenty minutes among the bone china and the cobalt-and-gold Imari ware tends to change your mind. The galleries are arranged historically, so you walk through three centuries of design fashion in an afternoon.
The other reason to come is the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever found, displayed in its own dedicated gallery. Look for the sword hilt fittings, the gold strip with a Latin biblical inscription, and the helmet cheek piece. The natural history galleries upstairs include a complete Spitfire, built in Stoke as part of the war effort, suspended from the ceiling. Free admission. Closed Mondays.