The Opera House is without doubt the best club in the bournemouth area. Over the years it's played…read morehost to the worlds biggest DJ's and quite a few mammoth live bands too. During my first year at uni it had Slinky on every Friday and they were always nights that had to be seen to be believed, unfortunately they stopped Slinky after the re-design but I hear it's made a triumphant return finally. The venue itself is reminiscent of Brixton Academy or Koko with it's high ceiling and just general old-age. If you're a student, resident or just in the area for a short trip, you must check it out!

One of the best nightclubs in the South-West of Englandread more

We have surprised ourselves in recent years as we never dreamed of touring England. How wrong we…read morewere and how enjoyable it is. Last year it was Winchester, Windsor, Chichester, Bath, Portsmouth, Southsea. Earlier this year it was York. Most recently Southampton, Poole, Bournemouth, Trowbridge and Southsea and Bath once again. We ambled Bournemouth's mostly wooden pier. Piers like this began life in the early 1800's. Piers were the place to be seen in one's finest garb. Hundreds of years ago the attendees could watch a Punch & Judy show - this pair date back to 1790. We stroll over hundreds of years of history and dead ancestors. In 1960 a substructure was built to hold the weight of a new 850-seat pier theatre. The pier theatre structure was designed to resemble a paddle-steamer going out to sea and is tempered with festival of Britain-type elements including the glazed captain's nest - at the back of the fly tower. Along with the Pier Theatre, a cafe & bar were also built onto the back of the theatre introducing Key West to Bournemouth Pier. All this for a £1.50 a head entry fee.

Stunning views across the bay, on a clear day you can see the Isle of Wight on one side and the…read morePurbeck hills on the other. And, what about the other traditional seaside selection of attractions, entertainments and retail outlets? How can you have a seaside promenade without a pier like this? Slap bang in the middle of seven miles of golden sand, Bournemouth Pier is a focal point for Bournemouth's beach loving visitors.

This is the latest contribution to the regeneration of Boscombe. Partly funded by CABE (now,…read moreregrettably, abolished), the sculpture trail is partly aimed at attracting people from the seafront up Sea Road to the shopping centre, to spread the effect of the footfall generated at the surf reef. The quirky and humorous sculptures are by Dorset artist Andy Kirkby. There is a sort of theme, using rope and barley sugar poles, and some local touches such as the reference to Shelley.

Well, great stuff! Bournemouth was heaving with people - indeed on Friday the M3 was flowing like…read moretreacle, and Bournemouth council announced ' No More Cars Please!!!!!! Well, every August the Red Arrows come to Bournemouth and it's always worth getting a vantage point. You just have to allow three timesas much travel time! This year we had the Red Arrows in all their glory,and what glory it is, plus a parachuting display by the RAF, a biplane display with women on top!!!, Vulcans and fireworks every evening, which I got to see from Poole Quay. I think every feels the Red Arrows are so spectacular and with split second timing and only eight feet between wing tips - I may be wrong but saw that on a documentary. A lot of people have seen Red Arrows from their gardens as far away as Wool, so their turning space is huge but alsothe main event is not always all nine planes. Ooooh, a Red Arrow just flew over the harbour here in Poole. The bi-planes looped the loop and all sorts of tricks, complete with women on each wing! (Oh, you all know that women multi task.) This was a feat which caused laughter of amazement and huge applause. Parachuting with jet trails - well, very colourful sky and amazing skill. Landing in the sea! I wonder if the Royal Marines took part in this, they often parachute into Studland Bay. But so do the Commandos. Hmmm..... And then the firework displays at night - I'm lucky enough to see in the distance these displays over Bournemouth Bay. And all of this is free. Amazing, considering how much one pays to see a concert. Absolutely brill!

Red arrow helps tourism in Bournemouth. Hotels and restaurants do need your stunning perofrmance…read moremore often. It is good to have you here in Bournemouth at least twice in a year. It is definately an event that could draw people into the town. We are in the redhill area, we could see them piercing through the sky towards the coastal areas. What a spectacular scene! E-pan Cafe Bar & Chinese Restaurant 3 New Parade, BH10 5BG

Very clean, medium-sized cinema, showing all the new releases. Unfortunately, the tickets and the…read morefood are so overpriced that anyday except an Orange Wednesday is a no-go. As you can see from the photo I have uploaded, a ticket is £8.20! If you're buying, say, a hotdog and drink, that'll be another £6.15, so £14.35 all in. Now multiply that by 4 for the family not cheap.

I like the Taunton Odeon Cinema. It has 8 screens showing all the current mainstream films. I…read morevisited this cinema quite often when it had first opened in the mid-nineties and I still watch films here now and again. This cinema has a large reception area selling all the usual over-priced cinema food. I recently watched Prince Caspian here on an Orange Wednesday there was a long queue of customers going right out of the building, but the service was quick and we got in before the film started.

A beautiful building with an incredible collection. The historical house captures the historical…read moreessence of the Victorian era, taking visitors back in time. The house belonged to Lord and Lady Russell-Cotes, whose family history is worth finding out. As if that's not enough, they also put on temporary exhibitions which adds excitement to the visit. Seaside views are breathtaking, and don't forget the exquisite gardens!

This review is for the cafe only as we did not go into the museum section. We all ordered hot…read moredrinks which were very pleasant but the service was so slow. The house looks very majestic from the outside, with a nice garden to the front located overlooking the sea.

We went to see a play about Eva Cassidy last year as a late christmas present. Not really being a…read moretheatre goer before, not out of choice, more because of money, we weren't sure what to expect. It was really hard to park, and in the end we ended up finding a spot in a car-park down the road. Once in, it was quick trip to our seats (full house) and very enjoyable evening was had. The place is very nice to look, kept in good condition, big stage, sound quality was good and everything ran smoothly. We will be going again to see something else, although maybe getting there very early and nabbing a parking spot. Overall 4/5

An excellent live music venue. Kind of like Wembley arena, only a fair bit smaller, and more…read moreimportantly, much warmer and with a wooden floor. The concrete floor and metal roof at Wembley has quite a negative effect on the sound, whereas Bournemouth has the feeling of a large theatre or even a school assembly hall. I saw Counting Crows here on the This Desert Life tour, and the stage set up with multiple walkways and instrument set ups was more lavish then you would expect for a small venue. The sound has a warmth that is partly down to the lack of harsh reflecting surfaces.