Thavorn Museum

Thavorn Museum is a private heritage museum located inside the historic Thavorn Hotel on Rassada Road in Talat Yai, Phuket Town, Phuket. Established by the Thavorn family, it preserves artifacts related to Phuket's tin-mining era, early tourism, and local culture. The collection includes mining tools, vintage photographs, antique furnishings, and memorabilia from the hotel's history, offering insight into the island's economic and social development during the 20th century.

Visitors can expect a compact indoor museum on the upper floor of Thavorn Hotel displaying curated collections in glass cases and themed rooms. Exhibits include tin-mining equipment, old currency, photographs, typewriters, cinema projectors, and hotel memorabilia. The setting is air-conditioned with guided explanations available, located in the heart of Old Phuket Town surrounded by Sino-Portuguese shophouses, shops and restaurants.

The museum was established by the Thavorn family, owners of Thavorn Hotel which opened in 1962 as one of Phuket's first modern hotels. The collection was assembled over decades to preserve objects from Phuket's tin-mining boom period, which drove the island's economy from the late 19th to mid-20th century, along with artifacts documenting the development of tourism and urban life in Phuket Town.

The museum showcases the cultural heritage of Phuket Town, including Sino-Portuguese influences, Peranakan Chinese community history, and the tin-mining industry that shaped local livelihoods. It serves as a community archive of everyday objects, photographs and memorabilia reflecting the island's transition from mining economy to tourism.