It's a notion to warm the hearts of museum directors everywhere, Nancy Durrant writes. With television viewing figures at their highest since 2004, in a time of unprecedented growth for the computer game market (more than 42 per cent in the first half of the year, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association), how fantastic to know that, despite all this, Britain's museums and galleries are flourishing.

In July, the British Museum, boosted by its superb First Emperor exhibition, pipped Blackpool Pleasure Beach to the post as Britain's top cultural attraction. June became the first month in the Tate Liverpool's 20-year history in which attendance surpassed the 100,000 mark, up 53 per cent on the same period last year.

But why is this happening? We went to the four corners of the country to find out what's getting Britain out of the house and into the gallery.

Goldfish gallery, Penzance (mixed summer show)

Michelle Powell, 41, interior designer, Penzance (1.50pm)

I used to own the Old Custom House down the road when it was an art gallery. I found it quite a tie doing it on my own but still love art and like to keep in touch with what's going on. I really like Simon Averill's piece Untitled. I'm not one for deep analysis of art but find this painting really calming.

I'm single; art galleries can be romantic places, but I don't ever think about bumping into someone while visiting one.

Jill Ashby, 61, special needs teacher, Exeter, and Di Gairn, 66, retired, Penzance (3pm)

JA I'm in Penzance for a visit, staying with Di. I like Tim Shaw's Maquettes. They're irreverent and have a sense of fun. They're quite pagan. I like a bit of paganism.

DG I was surprised by my reaction to them. I'm an old feminist but in looking at them I realised that I do quite like big cocks.

Nik Alexander Strangelove, 38, photographer, Penzance (1.25pm)

I'm a regular gallery-goer. Goldfish is perhaps the best gallery in Penzance, so I always make an effort to see what's on here. So much drivel is in St Ives but here it's different. I like the way that Joe and Holly [Clarke, the owners of Goldfish] will take risks. I admire the way they don't just recycle the stereotypical perception of Cornish art - all harbours and boats.

(Interviews by Alex Wade)

Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller exhibition)

Nancy Brown, 11, Edinburgh (2.45pm)

I'm here to look at the art. My mum's an artist. I've been looking at the music room [Opera for a Small Room] and the book house [The House of Books Has No Windows]. I like the spongy walls. Galleries and museums are interesting; they've got different things. [But] I'd rather be somewhere else.

Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh (Kay Rosen and Susan Collis exhibitions)

Moira Lawson, 70, retired teacher, Doune, Perthshire, (3.15pm)

We started out [today] at the Gallery of Modern Art with Tracey Emin, and then we went to the wonderful photographs in the Dean Gallery, which were a complete antidote. And I was so needing an antidote. It's as if [Emin] hasn't had a life for the past 20 years. It's all very abortiongazing and navel-gazing. She does have a very thin, narrow vocabulary. As an English teacher I quite resent that.

Here I was interested in the space itself. I'm not quite sure what the gallery upstairs is telling me - Kay Rosen's work. I'm not really clever about modern art. I like to look at it, but I'm not sure that I entirely understand it.

Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (Tracey Emin: 20 Years exhibition)

Tim Chism, 20, art student, University of Central Florida (4.45pm)

I thought it was an excellent show. I really loved the wall where she had all the blue pieces of paper that told the story of her life. I stood there for probably half an hour reading every one with more-or-less bated breath.

I never knew much about Tracey before today. I guess I understand the pain and loss that comes with abortion now. Her work is very brutal and very honest.

Leo Jackson, 42, works in IT, London (5pm)

I've always wanted to come to this gallery. I've seen bits and pieces of [Emin's work] before, but I think this was quite comprehensive and impressive. I think the one that looked like a bird had the most impact. It seems like some kind of aircraft. The main core of the other things on display was the personal or sexual. This just stood out as different.

I find [galleries] very humbling. I'm not talking about modern art, but old-school art; the big names; to actually stand before their work. The pictures tell different kinds of stories. You learn that this is what happened or how people lived in a certain period. For me it's a learning process.

(Interviews by Donald Hutera)

Institute of Contemporary Arts café, London

David Witter, 69, and Janet De Vos, 69, retired, London (2.30pm)

DW We go to galleries very frequently - as pensioners we often go to the free ones. I suffer badly from depression; I find that exhibitions help enormously to lift me - it really does take you out of it, even if just for the two or three hours that you're there. I find the most stimulating thing is when you can learn - I loved the British Orientalists exhibition at Tate Britain. A lot of contemporary art doesn't have the same stimulating effect.

JDV We weren't very impressed with the Lower Galleries (A Recent History of Writing and Drawing) - I think a five-year-old would get bored quickly. But some of the ideas behind it are interesting.

Tate Modern terrace, London

Andy Dawson, 49, software developer, and Ella, 12, Carla, 8, and Joey, 6, London (5.30pm)

AD We're waiting for mum to finish work. It's so easy to just pop in.

Ella We liked the 30 Pieces of Silver exhibit - the trumpet and flute hanging from the ceiling were cool.

Carla But they took down the slides I wanted to go on.

AD And they filled in the crack, didn't they? We also went to the National Gallery this morning.

Carla I didn't like looking at the pictures. It was like being at school.

AD Then we went to the National Portrait Gallery. Someone pulled us into a workshop and we had to draw some Tudors.

Joey My drawing was the worst. I like the Imperial War Museum. They've got soldiers and stuff. And big guns.

Natural History Museum, London (Amazing Butterflies exhibition)

Laura Fisher, 70s, retired, and Ben, 2, and Francesca Russell, 4, Epsom (3pm)

LF I came up to London specially to take my grandchildren to the exhibition. They seemed to enjoy it - there are a lot of exotic plants and butterflies.

Francesca They fly low and I blow them!

LF But the exhibition was quite crowded and it seemed quite quick - we were through it in 45 minutes.

(Interviews by Louise Cohen)

Walker Art Gallery (Ben Johnson's Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series), Liverpool

Kate Smith, 36, pharmacist, Oxford (10.25am)

I like it here because it is airy and you are not cramped. I don't visit galleries often but when I do I can spend hours. I do think that galleries can be intimidating, though, as there are lots of complicated pieces of art which not everybody can appreciate. But that's what art is about, isn't it?

Neil Burns, 40, health worker, and Joshua Burns, 8, Liverpool (10.30am)

NB Josh came in here earlier in the week with his mum and enjoyed it so much that he wanted me to come and see it as well.

Joshua And after we have been to the art gallery we are going to the museum.

NB We normally come to galleries during the school holidays. I like to come here because I used to come as a kid so it is nice to bring my son. The Liverpool Cityscape is fantastic. We are just looking at it to see if we can spot where we live and we've just about found it.

Geoff Wright, 58, paramedic, Sandy Wright, 49, staff nurse, and Megan March-Wright, 7 (10.45am)

SW We've come to look at the Ben Johnson exhibition first and then to look at the Lambananas with Megan, our granddaughter. The Johnson exhibition is fabulous.

Megan My favourite Lambanana is the five-a-day one.

SW We normally come to galleries with Megan.

GW With her we tend to be quicker and don't spend more than an hour in a gallery.

(Interviews by Cathy Baldwin)

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