Theatre aside, the kitchen and bar is excellent. Top quality small plates and interesting local…read morebeers.

I've been coming to the old vic for many years so not only is it a great venue but for me it holds…read moremany great memories and is where my love of theatre began. The shows you get to see at the old vic are a far cry from the tacky unoriginal touring shows you get at the Hippodrome. Showcasing its own in house productions you find a lot more edgy and original theatre, so it's a must for all theatre lovers. On this occasion I took my one and half year old son to his first ever theatre production, Magic Elves. The show was in the small theatre downstairs and was perfect for small children and adults alike! He was engaged and mesmerised from the off and I hope this starts a similar love of theatre...

St Georges is a beautiful venue just off Park Street on the way up to Brandon Hill. Its…read moremagnificent palladian facade will prepare you well for a night of classical music. Their usual line up is classical, but they also have a really eclectic mix of Jazz and World Artists perfoming. The latter, especially, are often the type of acts who do tours of rarer artistic and cultural venues around the country. This means the acts are extremely unique, but in my experience so far, they're always utterly phenomenal and very worth knowing about and seeing. This is a venue Bristol should really be proud of - it's lesser well known than the more major music venues in the town, which is perhaps why they still have a massive degree of quality with regards to the acts they invite to perform. I strongly advise getting involved with St Georges, keeping track of the programme, and experiencing a night of music in this phenomenal venue.

A concert hall just off Park Street that puts on a lot of classical performacnes, as well as some…read morejazz and other genres. Run by the council, it offers cheap access to a bit of culture. It's quite an experience climbing the stairs and entering under the thick sandstone pillars, the building is very imposing. Opened in 1999 the interiors stayed smart since then, and they're currently celebrating their tenth birthday. If you enjoy classical music, or just want to sample it, the lunchtime concert series is a good opportunity and at only £7 (£4 for students, children and job seekers) an absolute steal. They have relaxing gardens as well, so you can bring a picnic and make a day of it. As a classical music venue it is excellent, with good accoustics and a grand open space. I've been told that St. Georges is one of the countries, as well as one of Bristol's, finest music venues.

This is a neat little museum that gives a high level overview on the history of Bristol. We stopped…read morein to pass time before we had to catch our flight. Took about 30-40 mins of exploring. There were a lot of kids in the place but the exhibits are geared for all ages.

Great museum this- on the harbourside, which is always fun to wander around, it contains a lovely…read more(and free) insight into Bristol and its history. I loved the double decker bus you can go onto, and the bomb shelters, complete with commentary from locals who'd had to use them. There are some good exhibitions here about local neighbourhoods, which might be slightly less interesting if you don't know them. Mshed is a good size to have a quick peek around, or to spend a bit more time with the exhibitions. There's a nice harbour view from upstairs, too. And you can buy Bristol things from the shop.

The Albany Centre is a much-needed resource in the heart of Montpelier. Situated about 30 meters…read moreaway from the Star and Garter this area sees its fair share of adult anti-social behaviour (but is still pretty safe, even at night, unless you are very unlucky). For the kids in the neighbouring streets, the Albany Centre sends out a very different message; one of creative opportunity and a viable alternative to hanging around on street corners achieving very little. This centre is run by an artists collective called the Albany Artists Group which is comprised of circus and street performers, and based at the Albany Centre, They use the centre to rehearse in preparation for performing as an ensemble, or individually, at key events in the city and further afield. Housed in an old Methodist Church, the high vaulted ceiling makes for an ideal space for aerial equipment, and is large enough to accommodate all of the activities of the group. The space is also available for private hire and has been used by palates and yoga groups, amongst others, in the past. Sadly the Albany Centre failed to secure ongoing funding for the project in recent years, and although it remains an active community, the amount of activities held there has reduced.

The Tobacco Factory Theatre is an independent business to the Tobacco Factory Café Bar, but they…read moreshare access to the beer garden and each other, and of course, are located in the same building. The owner, the visionary and philanthropist, George Ferguson, leases the space to the theatre, who also offer acting classes as well as an impressive and innovative theatre programme. There's something special about theatre in the round. Before moving to Bristol and discovering this little treasure, I'd only seen one performance in the round before. It was an Oscar Wilde performance at The Corn Exchange in Manchester on St Anne's Square. A lot of Wilde's work is situational and so lends itself to this kind of treatment. Inevitably, I was a convert. Since arriving in Bristol I've seen a number of productions at The Tobacco Factory. All of them have been consummate, but occasionally a little over-ambitious. There are many restraints to a theatre in the round production, and as these theatres are rare, directors generally have little to no experience of it before they come to stage something here.

If you fancy going to watch a play, comedy, or a bit of Shakespeare then this is the venue for you…read more It's small but intimate and the quality of the shows are always of a high standard. Downstairs they have a bar that serves great food, and drinks, there is a small al fresco outside area and regular Sunday Markets and live music. The Tobacco Factory is independantly owned and is part of a growing campaign to encourage and support independant business in the Bristol area, so go along and support the cause. It's a 'one stop shop' for the perfect night out and one in which you will not be disappointed.

Free museum (donations welcome), very nice collection. In particular, I enjoyed the animal display…read moreof those found in and around the Bristol area and my spouse was excited to see the Banksy. We loved seeing the anti-racism display as well. There were several good options for children as well and we saw a school class enjoying the exhibits. We hadn't planned on this stop but popped in when we happened across it. The building is also beautiful! Worth stopping in!

For a smaller museum, this one is of the must stop learning experiences anywhere. It has an real…read morediversity of art, science, and history that works for any family or lifelong student. It is free of charge but they do ask for 5 pound donations (optional).

When I first heard that the Bristol Industrial Museum was very close to where I lived, just by the…read morewaterside, I went looking for a building of some sort with a big signboard that would say 'Bristol Industrial Museum', and walked along the riverside for ages but didnt' see any big building that was a museum.. just many warehouses. It was only until I headed back towards home that I realised all the boats I was walking past looked oldish. Then I started noticing the old steel looking crane, and looked down and saw old train tracks. It was at that moment i went 'aah' and saw that I was walking right through this 'museum', and didn't even notice. Everything in the 'exhibit' is simply scattered around this riverside walkway, and now there are small information boards with their stories, next to the exhibits. It's a great way to showcase these objects - simply integrate it with the existing surroundings. Further along near the Brunel Buttery, comes the end of this 'museum', where the old train and its' carriages stand. This is a superb way to have a museum, where you can really look up close to all these old machines, walk on the train tracks and even hop on the train and pretend you've time warped back to the olden days. And after that, have a cup of tea from the Brunel Buttery.

A museum dedicated to the industrial growth of Bristol. Shows our journey from sail to steam and…read morehorse to car. The aeronautical exhibit includes a mock-up of Concorde's cockpit and there is also an honest and upsetting account of Bristol's involvement with the slave trade. Outside along the quayside at the front of the museum a steam engine shunts back and forth.

Surely the best hidden gem Bristol has to offer…read more Its not often Sam N and I find ourselves in the very centre of Bristol. Historically the haven of neon bars, scantly dressed girls and hot headed lager louts. However, to be fair, the centre has changed somewhat in recent years, and while those places still exist, there are a lot more reasons to visit the centre than to avoid it these days. Smoke and Mirrors lies on Denmark street, a seemingly uninteresting road just beside the hippodrome and the main cluster bars, chicken shops and kebab houses. Its, almost clandestine, location suits it perfectly and it just wouldn't have quite the same amount of charm if it was anywhere else. It labels itself as a theatre pub and I guess thats as a fair description as any. I fell in love with it as soon as I entered. It just feels like a hidden gem immediately, even before you are struck by all the quirkiness that lies within. Quirkiness aside, the place itself is a rather old fashion, small, but quint pub. The whole place is an oxymoron in as much as the very fact that it doesn't try to be 'cool' makes it one of the coolest places I know. Despite its small size there has been live music several times we've been there. Its a very non offensive variety of live music, the kind you can get involved with, enjoy as a backdrop or ignore completely. I feel like there are few places left like this, where you can drink to the backdrop of live music rather than it being so in your face. Last time we were there we had an absolute blast shouting endless requests at the guitarist, who indulged every one of them. He was so good we grabbed a card off him. The bar itself serves all manner of fairly mainstream drinks, it would perhaps be more fitting for it to serve one or two local drinks from the many of the firmly established local breweries bristol has to offer. There is a happy hour on cocktails, my recollection of such times is understandably hazy. They also have a rather tasty array of bar snacks. The scotch eggs and sausage rolls are really rather lovely and basically mean that you never have to leave :) Not surprisingly its a Saturday evening is when its at its peak, and can get rather busy, however it does so without ever feeling too busy, perhaps this is down to the magicians that roam through the crowd blowing everyones minds with various card tricks. Its great fun and never feels over the top. It just adds to the mood, and one of the many compounding factors that make it such a special place in my eyes. There is a small room the back which they use for intimate shows, the dates of which they mix up a bit. It appears that generally Monday it is an open mic comedy night where as Fri and Sat usually hold performances from the house magicians. However they are frequented by special guests so I guess its worth keeping an eye on the events calender. All in all, smoke and mirrors is a great place to go and by far my favorite place in central Bristol.

I'm a big fan of Trinity as a venue, art centre and community space. These guys do so much more…read morethan a lot of people know about. First and foremost, and what you'll probably know it for, Trinity is a music venue. They host some big names and book some really cool up-and-coming acts. I saw Disclosure there about 18 months ago with a crowd of 300. And I know that Alt-J also played there shortly after they won the Mercury prize a couple of years back. During the day, early evenings and weekends you'll find lots of regular dance and music classes for kids and young adults and over 50's. They also do bike workshops and monthly gardening sessions going on. You can also hire Trinity for your own events or gigs, which is something I've looked when hosting events before. A few of us went o Trinity of Sunday evening for their annual firework display. It was RAMMED! The queues was huge but the seemed to get everybody in pretty quickly. The fireworks were good, but nothing spectacular. Good value for the £2 donation though. Trinity is now home to Bump Roller Disco. They do kids and adult sessions and it's definitely on my list of things to do in Bristol. I've never roller skated before, so we'll see how that goes!

The Trinity is very much a part of Bristolian culture, and is typical of the values and aspirations…read moreof many of the creative types that live here. An 800 capacity venue, with a multi-purpose remit, the programme is pretty varied. I've been to vintage fairs and flea markets here, attended closing night extravaganzas / after show parties of the indie music festival, Venn Festival, and been to well patronised gigs of amazing singer-songwriters like Josh Ritter and Laura Marling. Being a converted church, there's a sizable garden, that is often used during the summer. They have a fully licensed bar at most events, offering some great local ales and organic drinks, but i find them a little pricey.

The Folk House has a number of fingers in a number of pies. Its main business is adult education -…read moreevening and daytime classes on pretty much everything from languages and writing, singing and music lessons, art and pottery, dance and drama, knitting and self-help. They run their classes in three 'terms' so you can pick a class up every 12 weeks or so, plus they have summer schools and Saturday day classes. I have learnt how to knit and sing in harmony here and enjoyed the mix of people it brings to the classes and the level of knowledge of the tutors. Art from their students is displayed about the place to buy with regularly changing exhibitions.. The House also has strong connections to live music of Bristol - obviously perhaps the folk scene but also blues and jazz. Live music is often on. This also draws in the record fairs every few months. Lastly, and this ties in the comings and goings of the various user groups, there is a cafe with nice food and cake and very good cup of tea. You can use the cafe if you are not attending a class. There is a nice little cobbled courtyard out front and undercover bike racks. The Folk House is signposted on Park Street, but is easy to walk past - you have to duck into an alley next to Nomad (see one of the photos). You can pick up a programme of their events and classes without going all the way in though as it is on the wall at the alley entrance.

Perhaps you're attending an art course at the folk house, or perhaps you've been shopping on Park…read moreStreet - the cafe is a perfect pit stop for those seeking a light lunch and a lovely cup of tea. They dish up homemade local dishes like cauli cheese or shepherd's pie, with crisp fresh salad. What made me drool is the rows of lush-looking cakes - I sampled (just for research purposes obviously) a slice a blackberry crumble flapjack with yoghurt topping - tart and sweet all in one, crunchy and yummy. You're cocooned by bright tribal art (from the courses they run) and afternoon's even offer up a plethora of musicians to lull you while you munch! Its not a load of hippy nonsense, its wholesome, warming and immediately filling - just like mum used to make.