Well its alright for a museum ,but is quite outdated not well maintained and there is quite a few…read morecobwebs, the highlight is the shop with cheap (mostly good quality) nice things and the staff are also quite kind and willing to help.

Very nice small town museum, lots of interesting facts and ways of life of Loughborough throughout…read morehistory. And some slightly amusing games if you feel like being a child

It's an interesting place, depending on your age and knowledge of space. Plenty of interactive…read moredisplays about various aspects of space: planets, stars, basic physics, and history. Be prepared for a lot of school children, and don't expect much when it comes to food or beverages. Just bring your own snacks. Parking is £3 for the day and the wifi is free.

Very good place to go if you like space and want to learn about it. There are a lot of family…read morefriendly things to do there as well

Situated on the edge of East Midlands Airport, just along the road from the Donnington Motor…read moreMuseum, the East Midlands Aeropark is a great place for a visit. There is a free carpark, and entry to the site is just £2 for adults, u16s free. There are many static displays of both military and commercial aircraft, some of which you can often look around inside. There is also an indoor exhibit area, large picnic area, toilets and some catering. But the best bit as far as the kids are concerned is the viewing mound. Sited right next to one of the runways, you can regularly see planes taking off and coming in to land. The site is wheelchair/buggy accessible (although parts can get a bit boggy if it's been wet). It is only open on certain days, so it's worth checking the website before going.

Another way of escaping the city in Leicester. Most of my escape places are also free…read more The Hall (Grade II* listed) is in the midst of two acres of serene walled gardens that are open to the public. The gardens were an important aspect of the Hall in Victorian times (a status symbol that showed the family's wealth). Belgrave Hall provides an oasis of peace and quiet in a busy city. It was built in the early 18th century, in what was then a small village 3 miles from the town of Leicester. Now city traffic passes, almost unnoticed, just beyond the garden walls. In its current role as a museum, the rooms have been designed to appear as they may have been decorated and used in Victorian times, with the contrasting lifestyles of an upper middle class family and domestic servants. This period was when the Ellis family was resident. The beautifully laid out natural room settings create the feeling of having just missed the occupants of the house. Edmund Cradock, a 'nouveau riche' hosiery merchant, built the Hall between 1709 and 1713 and died soon after its completion. Ellis and his wife Priscilla moved to the Hall with eight of their eleven children seven daughters and their youngest son. The family lived there with their servants the cook, housekeeper, parlour maid,aid-of-all-work, coachman and gardener. The Ellis sisters bought the Hall from their brother in 1868, after he inherited it from their father. Upon the death of the last remaining Ellis sister in 1923, the Hall was sold. Little is known of the next owners, the Simons. The Vann's who lived there from 1767 to 1844, ran a thriving hosiery business from the Hall, employing the local framework knitters as outworkers. They gave generously to many local charities, including Leicester's first free school. John Ellis, who purchased Belgrave Hall in 1845 and his family were also noted for their good work in the community. Ellis, a wealthy businessman, was responsible for bringing the railways to Leicester in 1833. In 1936, the estate was sold to Leicester City Council for £10,500 around a third of its actual value. A number of statues and monuments from lost gardens in Leicestershire are now situated within the gardens. The rock and water garden, botanic garden, eco garden and glasshouses compliment the older, formal grounds. Refurbishment work carried out in 2005 included improved access to the gardens. The rooms show how a house of the period worked in great detail. Free admission.

Saw Download Festival here a while back. Overall, not enjoyable. Really muddy, crowded, and…read morecomplicated

Go fast, don't crash! The circuit is wonderful for auto, open wheel or bikes! You can get involved…read morewith the track days, testing or racing. You may be surprised who is testing during the week. I have been here many times, so I am guessing at one of the time-frames that actually stretch back to the late 1980s. In addition, AC/DC played their best live performance here in my opinion. It is on DVD. It has passed its glory years for now, but you never know. Fly to East Midlands from London for better access.

We only spent a little while here as we only discovered it's existence about an hour before closing…read moretime! It's a lovely little place. Educational, historical and beautiful. The house apparently dates back to the 13 Century with recently developed 17th Century style maze and herb garden outside. It was raining when we went which was a shame. There is free car parking, toilets including disabled and baby changing and a gift shop which sells local honey as well as a small selection of other souvenirs. They also hold events. Current events include open top bus tours. More information can be found at Leicestershire County Council's website: http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/community/museums/donington/doningtonmuseum_events_exhibitions.htm We did not make use of the cafe although we intend to visit again soon and may update this review to include our opinions on that. :)

Nice little place & free. Educational for the kids. Very pleasant in the summer as they have an…read moreoutside cafe. Relaxing atmosphere.

I really love the Pumping station and if you're a photographer a good place to take interesting…read morephotos. They often have steam days when the pumps are working and it may have a ghost. Kids love the old style toilets and interesting machinery, totally educational. For a different afternoon out go and see it. It was free last time I went so excellent value.

Based in the old Abbey Sewage Pumping Station, this is what I knew as a child to be the technology…read moremuseum, and is free except for special events. Inside there are buttons to push, handles to crank, ropes to pull, drums to spin, and a plastic poo to flush (this is the best bit as far as the kids are concerend). In adult terms, this means you are looking at how knitting machines work, how electricity is generated, why trams run on rails, and how the moving picture industry started, plus how and why the buildings original use was needed. Outside there are static displays of old industrial machines and equipment, a modern junk-art rocket ship (can you see the alien?), plus a real life tardis. The building also houses one of the countrys operating victorian beam engines, which is in steam on certain special days (Christmas is always lovely with the brass band playing in the upper gallery). Special events include model railway days, steam traction events, and in the summer there is also a small narrow guage steam engine often running that you can ride on for virtual pennies. Parking is in the Space Centre carpark, with some disabled spaces on site on non-special-event days (access from Corporation Road). Access is generally good - there is a small lift into the lower level of the pumping room which you have to call an attendant for, but upper levels are by stairs only.

Technically this is actually called Belgrave Hall. It is an interesting old 18th century house,…read moresaid to be haunted. There is an interesting mix of mock up rooms and modern displays which give you an interesting look at how the Belgrave area has changed over the years. There are also beautiful gardens which are well worth a wander round at any time of the year, all kinds of fascinating plants hideaway there! If you're nearby and it's a sunny day I would recommend visiting here because it's so peaceful and relaxing if nothing else. It doesn't cost anything, so why not!