The Kathu Cultural Museum is set within a beautifully restored Sino-Portuguese shophouse in the village of Kathu, the historic heart of Phuket's tin-mining era. The museum documents the social and economic life of the early Chinese immigrant communities who settled in Kathu during the 19th-century mining boom, using artefacts, photographs, and detailed displays. Kathu is also historically significant as the place where the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is believed to have originated in 1825, and the museum covers this tradition in depth. A small but well-curated exhibition explains the tools and techniques used in tin extraction. Admission is free. The surrounding village retains much of its original character, with a working temple, traditional shophouses, and a strong community identity still intact.
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