Moored in the Lagan is The Belfast Barge, quiet and unassuming it doesn't blow its own trumpet but…read moreit really should. There are 3 elements to the Belfast Barge which was news to me when I visited last week. Much more than just a boat The Belfast Barge is a successful restaurant, a museum and an events venue. Next week they are hosting a comedy night in their events venue, which will be very cosy. The museum is full of maritime facts and history depicting Northern Irekand's ship building and boating heritage. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. The restaurant is fully licensed and acts as a café bar during the day and at night live music and cabaret dominate the barge, the boat will literally be rocking!

A unique performance space. I have seen comedy performances and gigs here. It's holds a lot of…read morepeople and worth going to if you get a chance #Comedy #Music

Saint Anne's Cathedral is the centerpiece of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. Construction began in…read more1899 and that initial design was complete and consecrated in 1904. It has undergone a number of extensions and expansions throughout the ages. One of those improvements is the 40 meter tall stainless steel "Spire of Hope" that was installed in 2007. (Derivative of the spire in Dublin, hmmm?) The cathedral is quite active with services held pretty much every day. And if you're not familiar with the story of the Black Santa, it's pretty awesome how they have completely leaned in to it. [Review 1868 of 2024 - 852 in United Kingdom - 22890 overall]

I loved the approach to St Anne / Belfast cathedral as the route we took went thru an area called…read moreWriter's Square and it was a nice reminder that Jonathan Swift had previously worked at the Belfast cathedral The outside is lovely, but unfortunately we couldn't go in as they charge £3 and we decide to miss seeing the grave of Calder as well as the maze near the pulpit (apparently following the white lines leads you to the altar while the black lines leave you go around in circles!) Note: #233 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

The (Warzone) Centre has a subterranean feel despite being located up a flight of stairs in Little…read moreVictoria Street. It's not well signposted, so could easily be missed. I would describe this place as being like marmite, you'll either love it or hate it. To really appreciate The Centre you need to fully understand it's history, ethics and reason for existence. It was created in 1986 and has opened and closed over the years, changing location a few times. Born out of a need to serve 'alternative culture' in Belfast, it's home to music gigs, art workshops, Giros Vegetarian Cafe, talks, lectures, meetings, gatherings and art exhibitions. It fills a space and need in Belfast which just isn't being met anywhere else and is run by volunteers. Atmosphere is grungy and dark with mural painted walls and twinkly fairy lights strung across the ceiling. To visualise the appearance and vibe of this place think - punk, gothic, rock, band posters, creative, different, alternative and absolutely not mainstream - and you'll be someway there. I've attended a couple of Vegan Event talks here which were excellent and sampled some delicious spicy vegetarian stew from Giros - thanks to the generous Colin W for sharing it with me! There's a stage, Giros Cafe kitchen and counter, tables, chairs and plenty of floor space. Anyone can book this Centre for an event, to do so you just email: warzonegigcollective@riseup.net For information on upcoming events visit the Warzone website or Facebook page at: http://www.warzonecollective.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warzone-gig-collective/156649134364054 I would also recommend keeping an eye on the Plant Based Living Facebook page for event information: https://www.facebook.com/Plant-Based-Living-1561868980720956/

The Warzone Centre is a pretty cool venue. It has a bit of a feel of a community hall or really…read moregrungy trendy art venue. The whole place is decorated with some awesome artwork in a very street art/graffiti type vibe. As a venue itself its of moderate size and seems capable of handling a variety of types of event. I attended a vegan talk there last night and it was my first time in the centre. (I hadn't even realised it was there!) Definitely a trendy, heart of the city kind of place. I'd recommend it for any number of events.

Before planning our trip here, I was unaware that the Titanic originated in Belfast. This museum…read moredid an incredible job of detailing all that went into the ship as well as all that went wrong after they were at sea. The place is very large and the tour takes a couple hours. You're taken through the processes that occurred during the massive undertaking it was to construct the ship, to the setup onboard and ultimately the voltage itself. The place flows very nicely, there's a delightful ride and the pictures/audio tell quite the story. It's a very powerful place. The SS Nomadic outside is the last surviving ferry ship in the fleet was great to walk on and around. This is a must see spot when you're up in Belfast!

I was blown away by this museum! Sure it's an extremely popular historic event with a huge movie…read moreto gather even more attention, but Belfast had done it right. I enjoyed every aspect to the gigantic museum, from the surrounding area , before you enter, to each and every floor full of displays, movies and interactive activities. Masses of people will be there, yet I never felt rushed or overwhelmed as I worked my way through. So many thumbs up to this iconic museum. Must see!

The Spectrum Centre opened in 2001, built on the site of a former cinema. Inside there is a main…read moreand minor hall, dance studio, interpretive centre and café. I refuelled with a cup of tea in the pleasant café, which seems to be quite popular, where there is also a display of artefacts relating to the Battle of the Somme and other aspects of local social history along with information boards that provide narrative and pictures. The Spectrum Centre also houses programmes and courses designed to help unemployed people get back into work, as well as theatre, music, literary and artistic activities.

Great venue, saw Mrs Brown Boys Live here and the costumer service was AMAZING! Decent sized venue…read moreand cheap drinks!

It really is in a people and disabled unfriendly location. We always opt to walk here now as we…read morerefuse to park in the adjacent car parks as once a concert is over it can take ages to escape. So we park in the city centre and take a 15 minute walk to get here. Once inside the main door and through the bag search we were processed quickly and the staff are always courteous and helpful. Our seats were upstairs and we were quite far back from the stage with a great view. As with most concert venues in this city the seats are barely comfortable, the space between the seats is almost non existent, so you are forced to be very near to total strangers and I'd rather not thanks very much. The food and drink pricing is more akin to airport charging. I noted that the price for a small Coca cola, from a drink dispenser into a paper cup, was £3.10 for an ungenerous portion, or put shortly daylight robbery. If it's comfort and relaxation you want to enjoy a concert I can assure you you're in the wrong place so it's as well Andrea Bocelli and friends were in top form.

This is quite an interesting venue. It has so many applications... rehearsal space, offices, cafe,…read moremusic venue, gallery and music museum. It is great that it exists and that Belfast has stuck its neck out and is trying to make the music center work. Its not really a place that you can just go into and hang out, unlike the Black Box where you can just go into anytime and it not be unusual.... It is now looking the part after having a couple of years of being renovated in stages. I think it serves its purpose pretty well as it is just a new venture and is making baby steps to have more of a presence in the local scene.

The Oh Yeah Centre is the brain child/labour of love of Stuart Bailie, former editor of the NME…read more Based in the former home of Oh Yeah Records, a punk label from the 1980s, the centre provides a home for local music. Their main aim is to help support and promote the local music industry and they do that pretty well. The range of activities and events it stages is vast. There are gigs, obviously, some of which are aimed at under 18s (something Belfast sorely needed), rehearsal rooms for hire for bands who need space and equipment, a cafe and space for kids to come in, listen to music and hang out, and their crown jewel - the music exhibition. The exhibition basically charts Northern Ireland music from its traditional roots, to modern heroes like Snow Patrol (say what you like about them, at least they're flying the flag!). Recently, the whole thing was expanded and now features video confessionals from civilians like you and me, recounting their favourite gigs, lyrics, Northern Irish bands and so on. The building is also home to small businesses as well, such as Start Together Studios and Small Town America Records - both of which are success stories in their own right and would find it difficult to get city centre premises otherwise. The exhibition is free and open to the public every day except Sunday, so if you have even a passing interest in anything musical, I'd give it a whirl.

What a lovely wee shop right in the heart of Queens University! I absolutely loved all the local…read morecrafts on sale. There also seems to be a focus on education with science kits and great literature on offer. I really liked everything they stocked. I was having a nosey for Christmas gifts and I got loads of great ideas. If this is the first port of call for people visiting Belfast it's certainly a good snippet of the City. The staff are great too - I overheard the last working giving out directions to tourists! It warmed my heart! Lovely! You might not have been in here before but I urge you to pay it a visit!

As per the Queen's University Belfast (QUB) website "The Queen's Welcome Centre is a Northern…read moreIreland Tourist Board Local Information Office for South Belfast. It hosts a regular programme of exhibitions and serves as an information point for visitors and tourists, as well as offering a varied selection of souvenirs and gifts." It's a great gift shop full of locally made arts and crafts as well as QUB merchandise. You can arrange a guided tour of the beautiful QUB buildings via the Welcome Centre. Staff are friendly and helpful and you can pick up lots of leaflets and information about what's happening in Belfast. Lovely shop and information point.