We've been waiting for this place to open for years. We first saw plans at Clifton (Bristol) Zoo…read moreages ago when I'm pretty sure it was described as a safari park. I don't think they'd quite call it that at the moment but it does have that kind of feel to the place. It's a wide open place with a great feel of freedom - despite it being right next to the M5. The animals certainly have a lot more room than at the zoo and if you're somebody who is put off by the 'caged' feel of a zoo this may be for you. It's certainly a work in progress with more animals added each time I've been. I went at the weekend and they've added a brilliant wolves enclosure since I last went. While the animals are great our children love the barefoot trail where you walk... barefooted (how did you guess) across many different materials such as shredded tyres, pebbles and even glass - don't worry it's safe even for our two year old. There's a tap at the end where you can wash your feet but our tip is to take a towel. You'll be the envy of everyone there if you do. There's an indoor play fort, well it's in an open barn so you're dry but not in a stuffy, smelly room like some soft play areas can be. There's quite a few places to have a picnic such as in the fun fort, in a teepee or by the trampolines. Often we'd buy food at these places but it's just so expensive in the cafe that I can't bring myself to part with the money. Over £4 for a very average looking sandwich that wouldn't fill me. Really that's the only shame about the place, the entrance is affordable, the annual ticket is great value for money. It's friendly, it doesn't feel too big. I'd certainly recommend it if you have children.

This place is on my door step just off the M5 near cribs causeway…read more What a fantastic place it is to, a great day out for the family, children of all ages will find something to do. At £7.50 for an adult and under twos free. The Wild Place Project is a fun, family attraction that provides adventure, play and learning, with an emphasis on protecting threatened habitats on our doorstep. There's a number of animals to see from lemurs, zebras to wolfs. There's a number of lovely gardens to walk through and lots of wooded area to explore. They have a shop on sight you have to walk through it on the way in and out, that's one thing I don't like as it feels like they are pushing you in to buying things. Although most places do this now so guess it's the norm. They have a cafe too which is nice. They sell drinks coffee, cake sandwiches etc, some lovely places to sit and relax. Plenty of parking. Overall a fantastic day out which I highly recommend for all. Take a visit and I'm sure you won't be disappointed,

I'm new to yoga but I've been to about 7 classes here so far and had lots of different teachers who…read morehave all been great. It's all Iyengar yoga but there's a lot of variation between classes. I have only been to beginner classes but have now been on every day they run (all except Friday and Sunday) and the teachers all have a slightly different style. Because of that you need to try it a few times on different days I think, see what pace of class suits you. The building is tucked away off Gloucester Road and is basic to look at but has a lovely atmosphere. It's very peaceful and smells of scented oil. You take your shoes off at the door and there's 2 studios and 2 changing rooms. You pay £10 for a one hour 15 min class but you can buy sessions in bulk to make it cheaper. I bought 12 classes for £84 so that's a hefty saving and after testing the water a couple of times in single sessions I knew I'd want to go all the time. You get 3 months to use the 12 classes. They provide all the equipment for free and they make sure you're happy and comfortable. There's no pressure to tie yourself in knots from day one and no judging - a 60 yr old woman regularly kicks my a*s and I'm half her age! It's first come first served so try and get there five minutes early. I haven't been turned away yet but the size of the class is quite unpredictable. I already feel stronger and today I did restorative yoga for the first time and I loved it. It's taken until now but I'm really into it and I'm historically unfit and don't go to the gym or do any exercise. I'd really recommend this place and yoga in general, I feel healthier every time I go.

I LOVE yoga west and everything about it!! Went for a…read moremeetup.com (Bristol thrive) group meet here for beginners yoga with Anne marie and it was hands down the best yoga class i've been to so far. It's just off gloucester road on denmark street, right at the end of the little side road. Shoes come off at the door and it's bare foot/socks around the studio. The nicest man ever greets you at reception telling you info. Cost is £10 per class which is the higher end cost wise- totes worth it! The class was busy with about 15 people attending, anne marie was amazing taking into account peoples various balances, hips and strengths. Easy to follow moves with definate pushing to achieve but without injury! Calming 5 minutes at the end left us all feeling calm but revitalised. Def will be booking more sessions, really really enjoyable :)

This is a really nice sports facility where you get a welcome as soon as you enter. There is ample…read moreparking facilities on site and the opening hours mean you have little excuse not to go and utilise your membership. The reception staff are fantastic, I really feel that nothing appears to be too much trouble for them. The facilities on site are good, occasionally, I have found the water in the pool to be a little cool, but thats maybe me. The changing rooms are always immaculate and they offer good facilities, there are lots of hairdryers and it reminds me of a spa in there. The gym itself is well laid out and is a comfortable temperature for your workout, it has never been too busy and I have never felt that I have been looked down upon for my poor physique - whereas some gyms you feel uncomfortable. The staff are all really friendly and helpful and after your workout there is a really nice restaurant which serves really nice food and really tasty coffee.

An old church might seem like an odd place to have a climbing wall but it actually works…read moresurprisingly well. The high walls are perfect, with climbs in excess of thirty feet. The view when you get to the top is amazing as well; you literally get a totally different perspective on the building. Plus, it doesn't have that hot sweaty feeling that some climbing walls have - all the space means you can breathe a little better. All the space means the sound gets soaked up a bit too - sometimes gyms can sound like factories with all the machines going, but this place certainly doesn't. Usually the only sounds that will interrupt your thoughts are the echoes of whatever the receptionist has decided to put on the sound system. As well as conventional climbing walls there's a large bouldering area, with soft crash mats that have caught my body on the many occasions that my fingers have decided to give out. The atmosphere's great though, and nobody judges you if your new or just a bit crap like me. If you do want to improve they have excellent instructors on hand, who are very patient (they get a lot of school groups in here so they have plenty of practice. Bristol Climbing Centre is unique, a great place to learn to climb, and a wonderful environment to do it in.

it just never ceases to amaze me the wealth of exiting and slightly unusual things to do in and…read morearound Bristol. Set within an old church, god knows how much effort must have been put in to convert the building to a climbing centre, the South West's biggest Climbing centre - if you didn't know! There are all sorts of levels of walls and sessions available to accommodate for the real beginner (which is where I was) and the more experiences climber. 12 meters doesn't sound very high until you get half way up it and feel like you might be able to reach the clouds with your next step up! They run things like Easter courses so great for kids but also for adults.

Good, trampoline park, trampolines are quite bouncy. They dont have the most activities to do, but…read morethe ones they do have are very fun. Its good that the actual trampoline part is so huge.

Jump is great for the kids but it would have to be a treat as it is SO EXPENSIVE!!!! I resent…read morehaving to pay as well and have even had to pay when 7 months pregnant and using crutches. They explained that parents are actively encouraged to play with the kids. I replied that it would be impossible but they didn't back down. The food is rather mediocre but they are fab at kids parties.

Visited here today with my friend and her 2 year old son. After driving around in circles we found…read moreit at the back of Patchway industrial estate just past Citylink. It could really benefit from a few signposts. Luckily for us we had some half price vouchers as the place is would be quite expensive for a large family. On entry children are assigned a wristband and with a bar coded receipt given to the parent so that a child can't leave or be taken by another parent as they are both connected. This is a pretty good idea as other venues just give you the wristband and you sign in. The venue is huge with lots of different activities for a range of ages. Wasn't happy seeing the snacks and drinks machines as I think the well stocked cafe would have been ample. It was surprisingly packed but we were quite concerned that on a coldish day, the air con was at its highest so we were sat shivering and averse to taking our shoes off. Even running around after the little one for 3 hours didn't help much. Just before lunch Jumping Beans (not exactly sure what the suit portrayed, bear or dog) held a free dance session in the football area for all of the under 4's. This was really cool and a wonderful idea. The cafe menu was reasonably priced but for fussy eaters the option to bring food in would be beneficial. A good day out, would score higher if we hadn't been chilled by over zealous air con.

Softplay and swimming often over subscribed meaning it is dangerous and scary for smaller children,…read moreI have often seen children hurt and crying inside the softplay area with no staff on hand to offer help or ensure safety. There is nothing to stop people from staying over the allotted hour play time, meaning that when others stay and more come in there can be more than a hundred children at one time the softplay center. A serious accident is waiting to happen. When speaking to the manager he offered no solution. Terrible booking service through the website (often doesn't load) Can't get through via phone (i've been on hold for 30 minutes now)

This p[lace is amazing it is always clean and has tons for children to do…read more cannot recomend it enough

I friend of mine, who is a member of the Bristol Council's gym group, gave me a free pass to go to…read morethe Horfield Leisure Centre. I fancied going for a swim and had been warned against the Bristol South Swimming Pool so thought I'd give the Horfield option a try. I was really impressed, a nice big pool, with good changing facilities (clean showers!). After my swim I visited the gym which was just lovely, well lovely in a gym kind of way. It had plenty of cardio options and a real good selection of weight training options. The classes on offer there are fantastic, if you can't find something you like, or at least don't hate the thought of, I'd be really surprised. The other good thing about these council run gyms is that you become a member of all of them, so you can mix it up a little bit and go to other pools or centres to keep you from getting bored with exercising!

For swimming, Horfield Leisure Centre is far better than most public pools I've been to…read more The main pool is big - 25-metres long, with eight lanes, and the only thing I am not keen on is the mixed sex changing rooms. Obviously there are private cubicles, but it still feels a bit weird legging it from the pool into a cubicle past blokes in Speedos. On the other hand, at least they're kept clean and they're quite spacious. I haven't tried any of the other leisure centre facilities myself, but the gym looks well-equipped with rows of new-looking cardio and weight machines, and there are several classes offering aerobics, yoga, spinning and other types of exercise. There are also squash courts and a big sports hall for team games such as 5-a-side. If you're not going to get to the gym regularly and get your money's worth, this looks like a good budget alternative to joining a private gym.

I like this shop because although it is quite small and would have the potential for being slightly…read moreintimidating if the staff were O.T.T. on attention, they are not, so it's a cool place to look around. They have a decent selection of skate clothing, especially shoes and cool belts. Only problem is when you shop here during a busy period because being a small shop you have to wait your turn to look at stuff otherwise you'd just be barging other people out the way. No complaints here though, as most shops at The Mall get pretty busy during peak times :)

I have been in this shop a couple of times, although it is so small it is more like a dent in the…read morewall! It is however well stocked with all things skatey and also BMX bikes and accessories and is a perfect place to browse if you or anyone you know and need to buy something for is into these pastimes. I went in to get help on BMX's a while back and the guy could not have been more helpful being as I knew nothing and was looking to buy for someone else. Nice little shop that knows its stuff on the area it covers.