The Watershed is a welcome break on that row of bars and clubs by the waterside. Where all the…read moreother venues simply exist to be a bar where the rowdy Saturday crowd revel in, the Watershed is more focused on socialising, good food, and screenings of movies with depth and intelligence. Much like the Little Theatre is to Bath, the Watershed is a must -go for more alternative, independent films. I love coming here to watch films because you are ensured that every film being shown is a good film, and not something brainless that you might waste your money on. The cinema rooms are a fraction of the size of a big cinema like the Odeon, which just adds more charm to the movie watching. It feels much more intimate, comfortable and private. Much like you're watching a good secret. Prices are good too, if you come here for a film before 4pm, rates are £4.50 (£3.50 concessions), which is a real good price for a good film. After 4pm, prices go up to £7 (£5.50 concessions). They have movies and documentaries for children too, during their Cinekids days, where kids pay £2 for a movie, and £3.50 for accompanying adults. Plus their Cinebabies days (which I think is such an amazing idea), where parents can bring their under 12 month old babies to watch a movie! The Watershed provides great facilities like a place to change nappies, and even a bottle warming service! This is super for parents to enjoy a film with their newborns, and get to know other new mom's around. The watershed is such a great place, all the years I've been going here, it's never disappointed me in terms of the films they screen, or the friendly service they give you when you're here.

The Watershed function spaces are great for small to medium conference events. They are…read moremultifunctional; the three cinema rooms (seating 43, 102 and 198 respectively) offer comfortable, air conditioned lecture spaces and the watershed 1, 2 and 3 rooms can be used individually or joined together to create a large space. The cafe/bar/restaurant sits between the cinemas and function rooms, offering food, drink and free wireless Internet. The staff are extremely hospitable; catering for all of your needs throughout the running of the event; from setting up spaces, to catering and even running last minute photocopying or printing. The Watershed is newly refurbished, clean and welcoming and in an ideal central location.

Surely the best hidden gem Bristol has to offer…read more Its not often Sam N and I find ourselves in the very centre of Bristol. Historically the haven of neon bars, scantly dressed girls and hot headed lager louts. However, to be fair, the centre has changed somewhat in recent years, and while those places still exist, there are a lot more reasons to visit the centre than to avoid it these days. Smoke and Mirrors lies on Denmark street, a seemingly uninteresting road just beside the hippodrome and the main cluster bars, chicken shops and kebab houses. Its, almost clandestine, location suits it perfectly and it just wouldn't have quite the same amount of charm if it was anywhere else. It labels itself as a theatre pub and I guess thats as a fair description as any. I fell in love with it as soon as I entered. It just feels like a hidden gem immediately, even before you are struck by all the quirkiness that lies within. Quirkiness aside, the place itself is a rather old fashion, small, but quint pub. The whole place is an oxymoron in as much as the very fact that it doesn't try to be 'cool' makes it one of the coolest places I know. Despite its small size there has been live music several times we've been there. Its a very non offensive variety of live music, the kind you can get involved with, enjoy as a backdrop or ignore completely. I feel like there are few places left like this, where you can drink to the backdrop of live music rather than it being so in your face. Last time we were there we had an absolute blast shouting endless requests at the guitarist, who indulged every one of them. He was so good we grabbed a card off him. The bar itself serves all manner of fairly mainstream drinks, it would perhaps be more fitting for it to serve one or two local drinks from the many of the firmly established local breweries bristol has to offer. There is a happy hour on cocktails, my recollection of such times is understandably hazy. They also have a rather tasty array of bar snacks. The scotch eggs and sausage rolls are really rather lovely and basically mean that you never have to leave :) Not surprisingly its a Saturday evening is when its at its peak, and can get rather busy, however it does so without ever feeling too busy, perhaps this is down to the magicians that roam through the crowd blowing everyones minds with various card tricks. Its great fun and never feels over the top. It just adds to the mood, and one of the many compounding factors that make it such a special place in my eyes. There is a small room the back which they use for intimate shows, the dates of which they mix up a bit. It appears that generally Monday it is an open mic comedy night where as Fri and Sat usually hold performances from the house magicians. However they are frequented by special guests so I guess its worth keeping an eye on the events calender. All in all, smoke and mirrors is a great place to go and by far my favorite place in central Bristol.

You know Wallace and Gromit right? Well they were created right here (well at their old studios…read morethat burnt down) but they live here now! Animators/businessmen Nick Park and David Sproxton have done themselves proud with a new site for the stupendous studios. Now they've got themselves a proper place to house their Oscars for model animation. And man, have they done them all. As well as the aforementioned dog and man in their various adventures, they've done Morph, Creature Comforts, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time, and, bizarrely, Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer video. They've also filmed commercials and promos. Oh how I love 'em and their cute plasticine figures. Aardman entertain, provide humour, employ local people, create beautiful films and works of art with their progressive technology. All this fun and creativity stemming from little old Bristol. Aren't we lucky!

Many a Christmas of my youth was spent with the family huddled around the television watching the…read morelatest Wallace and Gromit episode. A source of much Bristolian pride, Aardman Animations are responsible for them, as well as the popular creature comforts series (the one with all the talking animals). Aardman do a good trade in slightly off the wall family animation and have been enjoying major success over the last few years, taking a clutch of Oscars for their feature length Wallace and Gromit films. They've also been venturing into computer animation with the release of Flushed Away. If you've ever watched a behind the scenes on Wallace and Gromit, you'll know why they only get a release out every few years. It takes hours of painstaking work, gently moving the arms of tiny little plasticine models millimetre by millimetre just to get a few seconds of shot. Very skilled stuff and you can see that they must be mad about animation to spend all day doing this. All the success is starting to show, and they've moved into a new purpose built building, a welcome change to the warehouses and flats that populate Spike Island (the land sliced up Bristol harbour that the building sits on). Just wondering into the lobby is a fantastic way to see these innovative people at work.

A plush little cinema with vintage velvet cinema seats plus - and this is either great or dangerous…read more- a licenced bar. They do special cinema nights, such as Ghostbusters on Halloween (genius) and an up-coming David Lynch night. Find out what's on by joining their Facebook group and also influence what films you want to see. They also have a lot of stand up comedy here - it has moved up to four nights a week. I have yet to go to one of these but the line ups are impressive. Let's hope the Jester's crowd don't find out about it.... Recently they also had a Playstation night with Pro Evo competition. Are you getting the idea of the lovely fantastic geeks that own this place are up to yet? Join in and have fun!

Found in Millenium Square, the Planetarium forms part of the @-Bristol centre, and is included as…read morepart of the @-Bristol visitors' ticket. It is a continuation of the interactive science museum, and a highlight at that. Take a seat to be explained how to spot constellations and learn about our solar system. Suitable for youngsters from aged 5 and still awe-inspiring for the big kids too!

Inside is a regular show which is part of your ticket to Explore @-Bristol (currently £10.80 per…read moreadult). However the main attraction of this? As the spot to take a self-portrait photo. It's a cliche but it has to be done. Go on, you know you want to.

I literally can't wait for this years' Harbour Festival, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of…read moreit last year as I had only just moved to Bristol. This year, 2010, it'll be going down 30th July - 01st August, and do you want to know the best thing about it? It's freeeeeeeee! Amazingly, it's been going for 39 years, and while I wouldn't want to bore you with trivial statistics and facts, what it means is, this weekend has been running for enough years for them to have worked out what works and what doesn't! There will be not one, not two, not three, but eight, yes eight stages with a variety of music for all tastes. It's generally a great weekend, don't miss it!

This much-loved summer festival sees literally hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Bristol…read morefor a weekend of eating, drinking and wishing we owned a boat. Many of my friends come down specifically for this weekend, usually around the end of July, beginning of August. All the boats in the harbour tart themselves up with bunting and the like and there are plenty of food stalls where you can buy everything from candy floss to wheels of cheese! There are plenty of market type stalls if shopping is your thing and all the bars and pubs around the waterfront are jam-packed with people making the most of drinks promotions and the outside seating. A fantastic weekend of entertainment, and it's all for free! Last year I spent it drinking cider and watching VV Brown play on the main stage in a packed Lloyds Amphitheatre and can't wait to do the same this year.

This is a new contemporary art gallery. In quite a secluded location, this gallery is usually…read morealways quite empty - of people that is, not artwork. I have always found something different when I have been here. The works showcased are always very raw and interesting to ponder upon and peer at. I haven't yet been here and not stopped to look at every single piece on exhibit. This used to be a restaurant, that didn't do so well, and I am glad that it didn't - or else this gallery wouldn't have been here. They support local and upcoming talents, so if you want to ask them more about that, or want a flash of inspiration, come here and check it out.

So, I'm really into contemporary theatre, in a shameless plug I am going to slip in here that I am…read morepart of a Bristol based theatre company called Openbatch Theatre - check us out on facebook! But, back to The Bristol Gallery, while I am open to all things contemporary I do sometimes have difficulty appreciating contemporary art. It's the whole, my next door neighbours kid could have done that with his eye's close effect that I'm not a massive fan of! Though not on the scene for very long The Bristol Gallery has an impressive calender of exhibitions to come, so you can pick and choose what you think you might be more interested in. They're website is absolutely jam packed with information, but it's tricky to read as it's white and yellow text on a black ground - so well worth popping and and seeing the collections in person.

A brilliant venue for up and coming artists to use and forfill their creative talents. The spaces…read moreavailable are pretty good, from rehearsal rooms for bands to some quite large spaces for theatre groups to use to rehearse in. The price is extremely reasonable as well fo rent spaces. The one downside is that if you rehearse late at night then the heating isn't good, so wrap up warm. I'll usually turn up with a t-shirt, jumper, hoodie and coat as well as a scalf, hat and gloves, and if I stand still for 2 minutes i'll still feel the cold!

The Island is absolutely without a doubt my favourite venue in Bristol…read more The Island is run by Artspace Lifespace, an artist led initiative that recycles vacant, under-used and problem properties. They have sone a stunning job at revamping this old fire station. The walls of the Boneyard Bar are painted a bright cerulean and their are some stencils by the art tart above the door and day of the dead artwork on the walls. Artwork dons all the walls and every event is done differently. The Island is a huge complex, not all of which opens up. For some of the larger events, stalls are built in the large courtyard. Every event I go to, the experience is different. The Island is the HQ for The Invisible Circus, who undoubtedly put one of the most creative and interactive nights in the UK. I have seen the best fireshow, the best arial performance and had the best crumpets at the Island! Its a fantastic space and worth keeping an eye out to see what nights are happening here, from the spectacular carnyville, heavy metal acid panto to klezmer craziness, the Island is an amazing creative hub in the heart of the City.

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.

For the music, the scence and the atmosphere this is one of the best bars I've been to in all of…read morethis fine country. Sure, you'll have to swim through a sea of hipsters and Klaxon-wannabees to get to the bar, but don't let that put you off as Start The Bus is one of the friendliest all around perfect bars you could visit. If you come late expect live acts of considerable talent to be banging on til the wee-est of hours. They've had Switch, MSTRKRFT and Ladyhawke play here in the past, not on a big stage, but just on a platform right by the cracking little dancefloor. If you like electro-indie which I surely do, then you'lll love the sounds here even if all the ironic T-shirts and assymetrical haircuts have you wincing. Aside from the music, the decor is sweet... with cute cartoon designs all around and a lovely red, black and white colour scheme in homeage to London's routemaster buses. There are some of the most comfortable old leather sofas and an assortment of board games for daytime timespending. It's just a shame I don't live anywhere near Bristol

Really is the best alternative bar In Central Bristol , this place really belongs on Gloucester rd…read more!! Wicked ambience for a bar in town . The bar is well stocked and the do have some interesting things on the menu , the pickled onion monster munch burger is always going to be a winner in my mind and the fish finger sandwich are awesome . Me and the Mrs "shared" a piece of salted caramel cheesecake . As any man who's "shared" a dessert with there girlfriend knows you have to get in there quick !! And the couple of crumbs she left me were amazing !! Quite often there is a band on in here , they often surprise you with a good booking such as 'fat white family ' or The horrors doing a dj set . Give it a go...you never know you might enjoy yourself