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.

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.

Pyronaut was built in 1934 and served as a fireboat when Bristol was firebombed during the Blitz…read more It is worth walking along the docks to look at her and the other boats and cranes along the wharf. There are a number of boat trips around the Floating Harbour on board Pyronaut every weekend in the summer, as well as displays (she has been restored to full working order), and information can be requested at: http://visitbristol.co.uk/site/emailafriend?url=%2Fsite%2Fwhats-on%2Fboat-trips-on-the-fireboat-pyronaut-p31491 . It's cramped onboard, but fascinating, and kids love it.

This is a museum in South Wales which tells all about the colliery history in the area. In the same…read moremanner as The Big Pit, Rhondda Heritage Park strives to tell the story of local toil, plight and humanity through a delightful series of galleries and interactive exhibitions. Unlike The Big Pit, however, you cannot go down into the mines here, as they have long since been closed off. They do have a very convincing reenactment space though, and for those easily beguiled or young at heart, you might just believe you really are far underground. At the end of the tour there is a Simulation ride, where you are flung along cave tunnels in the back of a coal cart. This is, from what I remember of childhood visits, probably the highlight. The guide many years ago said that everyone begged to run the ride again, but they would never do it. Not even for the Queen, he said. (At 9, this shocked me.) Rhondda Heritage Park is a good place for a family afternoon out; particularly amusing if you're visiting with someone afraid of the dark.

This is a wonderful park to have a day out in with children! There is just so much to see and do…read morehere, I have fond memories of when I was a child, going here to this park. I even have some dreams about the place as walk back along the small, grey rocks that lay on the flat and hard ground that seems to be near something like a train station or something. Then I just fade out of it, quickly... I remember feeling terrified at the thought of going underground and following the footsteps of what a minor would have used to have taken. We had a story and health instructions given to us before we entered the mine and the dark, cold and a narrow lift with one small light bulb lighting it up. We had to wear hard helmets with small, light bulbs blaring out from the top of you helmets. You can at first go and see The Visitor Centre, which has; an Art Gallery, a café on level one, a gift shop and a period village that has been re-constructed called Village Street. Entry to this heritage park is mostly free; if it is a special event day there then you have to pay to enter the place. I recommend this place to all, especially to children and their parents.

Right, 5 star rating for sure here. What a (as the name suggests) treasure!…read more Firstly, a stunning drive to our destination which always puts you in a good mood (and the baby sat chattering in the back instead of screaming which always helps mummy!) and pulling into a carpark with ample parking which makes us smile was a good start to our day out. When we entered we were greeted by a lovely lady who ushered us through to the museum part. Entry was £8 each for adults, and boo was free as she is under 6. She gave us a map and some information before we entered and then we turned around to the treasure trove within. This is a place that will throw you back into different era's. There is something for everyone ranging from tractors to toys, from clothing to cigarettes. I particularly enjoyed the old alcohol miniatures and paraphernalia, and hubby enjoyed the toys and electronics. There is a massive collection of colourful tractor seats in the last room which is beautiful to see. You can spend hours in front of one cabinet here. The women's hygiene/cleaning products were so fun to see, as was the gorgeous wedding dress donated by a lady who wore it in 1955 (or around then) Collections of many different types of things are on display here (shaving pots, steam engines, tins, signs, tobacco and alcohol stuff, perfume, books etc it just goes on) There is a café attached which we didn't have time to relax in, but it looked lovely. A very small gift shop which I think they could make bigger and have more items for sale, but we got two very humourous postcards and a magnet to take home. I am so glad we came here, boo was enthralled the whole time (only problem she wanted to touch it all haha) Would come again as you would see different things every time.

Do you ever get the feeling at the weekend that you'd like to do something but you're not sure…read morewhat? You kind of want to see or do something but don't want to spend loads of money. Well perhaps Oakham Treasures is the ticket for you. You will happily be able to spend a few hours on a trip down memory lane here. Relatively new to Bristol opening in 2008 Oakham is a fascinating collection of memorabilia, everything from vintage sweets to huge tractors are on display! It's £6.50 for one adult, or 2 adults and 3 children can get in for just £15! Something for everyone.

Along Bristol's harbourside you shall find this link to Bristol's past. Trundling up and down the…read morerailway lines ingrained into the ground a steam train runs, pulling along cart loads of tourists. It's quite an evocative experience - I can remember well the smell of the fire burning and the piercing whistle just before the train juddered into life. Something I did whenever the sun came out when I was young, this is a wonderful family day out. Get a kid to buy themselves a ticket, help them up into the carriage (things have been kept pretty authentic here, so you might have to clamber around a bit, and they should have a whale of a time. The train billows huge amounts of steam,which means you can see from all over the city when it's running. More often in the summer months, make sure you take the opportunity to go for a ride when you can.

Okay so having been in Bristol for a good few years, I had never thought to check out these train…read morerides until a couple of family members came up and wanted something touristy and different to do - and it was actually pretty good fun! We wanted to check out the SS Great Britain and took an old fashioned steam train along to it, at just around £2 each. This is the kind of thing worth doing once in terms of exploring Bristol, but probably not something you'd do again - purely because once you've done it you've done it, and there's not a whole lot more you can get from the experience! It's very touristy but if you're a resident and have never done it then it could also be a bit of fun. One thing i would add is to make sure you check out when the trains are running - they tend to be every other weekend, and occassionaly run on Mondays too!

I was really surprised with the Red Lodge. From the name I half expected it to be a pub on…read moreAmsterdam's 'dodgy district' but it's really really not! Located half way between the Christmas Steps and Park Road, it's definitely walkable for most tourists and even locals alike. The house itself is really impressive and there are lots of little places to go and explore in. The best part is the Tudor garden, which in Springtime would be magnificent I'm sure. As it's free I would 100% recommend a visit.

The Red Lodge is a museum in the same style as the Georgian house on Brandon Hill. It has a…read morevariety of rooms in Elizabethan, Georgian and Stuart styles, giving a cross section of the many histories of the house. It was originally built in 1580 as a lodge for a grand manor house that stood on the site of Colston Hall, back when Bristol was clearly a very different city. It's got some really interesting rooms including a 'Great Oak Room', which is quite impressive. You really don't expect a place like this to be in the centre of Bristol. My favourite bit is the garden - its got a grand Tudor style knotted garden which is magnificent. In the garden there's also a large building which houses a slightly secret art society called the Bristol Savages, who invest in local art. You can get in there on Open Doors Day, and it's well worth a visit - the walls are full of art and strange paraphernalia. You can't get in on a normal visit to the Red Lodge so make sure you look out for the right day. The lodge itself is free to get in all year round, so go take a look.

Sometimes you just stumble into a city and find yourself in a museum that by the way is FREE!…read more They were doing a Wallace & Grommet search and that made exploring the museum really fun. The exhibits explored all different types of art and nature. I particularly liked the fossils and quartz collections.

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!

So Caveat for this review-it's only for the free area around the entrance of this museum & the Gift…read moreShop. I didn't actually pay the £10 to go and check inside the ship. However there are some really neat things to do, so wanted to write a quick review to mention those: 1) look for the post office box near the back of the gift shop - any letter posted there is franked "sent aboard the SS Great Britain" which I thought was a super neat idea 2) you can climb the rigging on the ship! 3) there are guided tours and a behind the scenes tour at specific times during the day 4) the gift shop has cool, fun, quirky items - it was honestly hard for me to walk out without purchasing anything. But I did it and if you visit, you've been warned! 5) just around the corner, a 5 min walk takes you to another Banksy - Girl with pierced ear-drum, so might as well take advantage of the locations! Yelp 164/ 2019

Is this worth the 14 pounds entry fee? Most definitely! Not just a ship, there's a whole museum…read morething going on too, and they are currently expanding with the renovation of another building on the other side of the ship, which is going to be recreating Brunel's actual drawing office. The ship is hermetically sealed in its dry dock, with a humidity-controlled environment keeping the remaining hull from rusting. This is where you start your tour, and it's nice and toasty down there on a chilly day. You can wander right around the hull down there, seeing the construction of the metal plates and wondering about the huge rip in the side and the crude patch they applied when the ship was brought back from the Falklands. Next, there's the museum part, where the story of the ship is told by various exhibits. Several items of ship furnishings are there, including the main mast boom; and there are several interactive displays to keep the kids amused. It's also fascinating to peruse actual letters from passengers on the ship, which really give you an idea of what life was like on board. Just through the room where you can dress up in Victorian fashion for a photo, there is an animated film that tells the story of how the ship was salvaged and brought back to Bristol. I found this very interesting, although it could have used a few inserts of documentary footage to liven up the animation sequences. Then on to the actual ship itself, where eschewing the offer to climb the rigging, which costs a extra tenner and is done under supervision with a harness and hard hat of course - I was momentarily tempted I confess; we took our audio tour widget and descended into the interior. You get a choice of 4 audio guides, and with each one there are numbers throughout the ship that you dial into the handset to get the appropriate blurb, which was very cool as you can wander where you will and not have to do it in any particular sequence. The interior is fitted out as it was when she was carrying passengers, so you can really get a feel of what it was like, from the 'steerage' areas with stacked bunks right through to the promenade lounge with its faux-marble columns. Definitely a must-see tour item in Bristol. A fascinating bit of history, and I like the way that you can wander around at your own pace and not feel that you are being harried in any way. Full marks.

Millenium Square is quite a stunning open space in the city center. It is always filled with kids…read moreplaying around in the shiny silvery water features, flatland BMXers practicing their tricks in the middle of the square, or just people sitting around the benches and steps, having a good relax. This square plays host to a variety of things, such as a Sunday art market and numerous festivals when summer rolls by. There is a computery device on one of the square that provides some minutes of fun, where it points to any planet you type in, and tells you how many kilometers it is away from the earth. Interesting, but I think it gets abused by the drunk masses on a Friday and Saturday night. In the floor of the square is an analemma - lights that show the path of the sun as viewed from the earth. On the benches at another end of the square, are brass statues of historical figures, one of which I know is William Tyndale translating the New Testament. All these little quirks of Millenium Square give it its soul, despite it being just a big, flat, bare open space. Thumbs up!

A fabulous public open space. A great big screen for the sports-inclined and fountains and pools…read morefor the little ones. It may have been mid-March, but my little cousin adored the water. He splashed about with his dad for ages. Surrounded by lovely restaurants and lots of museums, etc. (@Bristol). Great for young and old alike.