Did you know that in Glasgow we have the tallest tower in Scotland? And that it's also the only…read morebuilding in the world capable of fully rotating itself? (#Guinessrecordandall) No? Me neither. That is, before I had a science-loving friend from Poland visit this weekend and he insisted we go check this tower out. At first, we thought it was closed. To be fair, it does look closed from the outside. The reason is, of course, there is a secret passage from the Glasgow Science Centre. Whoa, I know. We managed to find this passage and got to go up. We were quite lucky, because it was a sunny bright day and the last day of the tower being open before it closes for winter. Good timing, huh? As I wasn't really expecting much apart from a pretty view, I was pretty impressed. A tower that can fully rotate? And it only takes a single 6kW motor (equivalent of 6 microwaves, ha!)? Cool! The view from the top was great and we were able to see quite a lot, due to the nice weather. The staff was really nice and ready to answer all of our questions ("What are those rotundas on each side of Clyde for? And "Why isn't the tunnel between them open anymore?" - Learning new exciting facts about Glasgow every day!) and seemed to really enjoy their job. I'm so glad I went, I love to explore new places!

Like so many people, I thought the tower was still closed. This is due to when it first opened…read moremany years ago they had to close it shortly after due it being built on ground that was subsiding. Thankfully that's sorted now. It was a lovely sunny day so I decided to head up. You can pay to just go up the tower, I thought you could only do it as part of the science centre ticket. You head in through the science centre, get your ticket and head towards the cafe. You then head down a ramp to the base of the tower. I had booked my ticket but only had to wait about 5 minutes before my tour began, there was lots of info to read up on whilst you waited. The tour started, the tour guide explained all the the facts about the tower and how it is the only free standing tower that can rotate 360 degrees in the world (Guinness book of records certificate in the wall to prove it) the tower is 127 metres tall. After all the information, we entered the glass lift, the lift is small and can only fit 6 people at a time. The lift takes about 2 minutes to get to the top. Once at the top you get out into the pod. The views are amazing and on a clear day you can see as far as the hills. As it was sunny the pod heats up quickly, so you don't want to hang about too long. I'd say that the full trip takes about 30 minutes and is well worth a visit.

I was snap happy when I came to this bridge, I was so excited to set eyes on such an iconic staple…read moreof Glasgow, a fabulous highlight whilst walking along by the Clyde.

I feel like these days the Squinty Bridge (yeah, ok, "The Clyde Arc") is an iconic piece of the…read moreClyde skyline in Glasgow. For that alone it's worth a mention. Quite aside from being a great photo oportunity (it's lit up by night, if you get the chance) it's also kind of a cool piece of civil engineering. Justification for that statement: Prior to the Clyde Arc, which opened in 2006, the last bridge that had opened to allow traffic to cross the Clyde was the Kindston Bridge in 1969. Thirty-seven years before they decided they needed another bridge! It's a beautiful suspension bridge and it's impressive to see those cables suspending these four lanes of traffic, especially given the bridge weighs an easy 800 tonnes before any traffic gets onto it. It's a bit awkward for pedestrian traffic at both ends, but it's still handy for accessing the SECC, Hydro and Science Centre. Plus, watch out for the little platforms half way across on each side that allow for further photo opportunities up and down the Clyde.

The Millennium Bridge was completed in 2002 as part of the Glasgow Science Centre development…read moreproject. This is a beautiful bridge and makes an excellent edition to a walk down by the Clyde. A friend and I recently walked from Byers Road to Glasgow Green on a cold, crisp Autumn afternoon and I really enjoyed this section of the walk. The footbridge is made of four fixed spans with two lifting spans over the navigational channel of the river. The bridge deck, which forms the walkway, is fabricated from sheet steel. To allow passage for larger vessels, hydraulic lifting cylinders raise the two lifting spans. In layman's terms this means that the bride can open at the centre to allow larger vessels to get past. Very cool. Funding for the project came from Millennium Commission and just incase you are really into engineering, the team were Rotherham-based M.G. Bennett Associates Ltd.

Glasgow is all about its mechanic engineering. Luckily, we have some of the best engineers in the…read moreworld. Without them, and the support from the government, we wouldn't have awesome developments like this. Alright, it does sound like high praise for a bridge whose main purpose is to transport you across one of the mankiest rivers in Britain, but the sentiment remains. It was completed in 2002, along with the Glasgow Science Centre. The Millennium Bridge is the quickest pedestrian route to get to and from the Science Centre on the south bank and the SECC and Clyde Auditorium on the North. It is most aesthetically pleasing, whether you're into bridges or not. It also opens in the middle to allow vessels to pass, much like London's Tower Bridge... just very slightly less big and fancy.

This impressive and striking old building is a familiar sight in this part of the city. One of the…read morehistoric Merchant City buildings, it was built in the 1920s and designed by A. Graham Henderson as part of the redevelopment of Glasgow Cross. It has a very grand façade fronted by two large Ionic columns and featuring some interesting scupture by Benno Schotz. These days (rather a shame I think) the ground floor is simply a large furniture store. It's found at Glasgow Cross between London Road and the Gallowgate in the southeast corner of the Merchant City.

This is a very striking medieval landmark which you'll find at Glasgow…read moreCross on the east side of the Merchant City area. It is actually all that remains of a larger building which comprised a debtors' prison, the town clerk's office and the council hall. It was built in 1636 and stands 7 storeys and 126 feet high, being an extremely prominent landmark within the city. This area was, at one time, the centre of Glasgow (now considered to be George Square owing to the first railroad terminus being built at Queen Street). On the steeple you'll see some of the oldest sculpture to be found in Glasgow, including a shield which portrays the city's coat of arms. It has recently been renovated and repaired at a cost of £200,000, and I think it looks quite beautiful! I know that, at one time, it was possible for tourists to view the interior (and views from the top!) but I can't find out if it's allowed today. Perhaps someone will tell me, or I'll ask at a tourist information centre.

Designed by Charles Rene Mackintosh, probably the most famous architect to come out of Glasgow. I…read morewould best describe him as a proto-modernist who was way ahead of his time and somehow achieved architecture, furniture, and design that could be both described as minimal and also Art Nouveau. Out of all the places you can visit in Glasgow I would recommend this one as closest to the original intent. Other places have had to unfortunately modernize with exit signs, lighting, etc... that were not part of the original vision. On site there is a gift shop, cafe with indoors and outdoor seating, upstairs private meeting room and wedding area, and of course rooms designed by Mackintosh. The only unfortunate name is "House For An Art Lover". It seems somehow not so serious and I think it should have just been called "Mackintosh House". This was designed in paper in 1908 but not completed until 1996, there is an alcove between the 1st and 2nd story that has a scale model and reproductions of the design drawings. The thing I LOVED is there were no barriers and you could touch and sit anywhere you want. There is a room with a fancy piano and I was surprised you could sit there and play on it, listened to our oldest play Minuet in G and felt like we were transported back in time. This is the room that shows up in a lot of photography and our favorite.

House for an art lover is situated in Bellahouston park, a beautiful house designed by Charles…read moreRennie Mackintosh in beautiful grounds with some interesting art pieces in and around the area. As you enter there is a £7 entry fee and you will be handed an audio guid and instructed to head upstairs where you will find stunning Mackintosh designed rooms including the main hall, the oval room and my favourite: the music room and the staircase! This is definitely a wonderful place to visit whether your a Mackintosh fan or not!

Banksy has declared this as his favorite work of art in the UK and it matches that artist's own…read morestyle and humor. The statue of the Duke of Wellington on a horse was sculpted in the late 18th century but has been famous since the 80s for the cone on its head. It's public, guerilla, and collaborative. Different "special cones" have been placed on the head to commemorate events such as Olympic gold wins but the one you will typically see is the orange traffic cone. There are other statues nearby with scarves and hats added by the public but this is the most famous. A friend from Glasgow told me how he got the cone on and despite the height I can see how locals could easily get a cone on the head when no one is around around. The tradition on has spread and I saw it on some statues in Edinburgh, but nothing beats the original. If you go in for a closet look there are stickers slapped on and little doodles. Lots near the horses rear :)

I knew that when I visited Scotland I would make a point to stop by the Duke of Wellington Statue…read more The statue was placed in honor of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. It was erected in 1844 and stands on the Royal Exchange Square. For over 140 years the statue stood untouched but by the early 1980's a jokester placed a traffic come on his head. Since it's first occurrence the Glasgow City Council and the police have exhausted themselves attempting to permanently remove the traffic cone. For over thirty years each time the cone is removed a new one appears within days. The council not only did not want the cone on the head of this statue but they also worried about someone getting hurt or cause damage to the statue while replacing the cone. In 2013 they came up with the bright idea to double the height of the statue to put an end to the shenanigans. This caused a "Keep the Cone" movement. In the end everyone agreed that the placing the cone on the statue is not an act of vandalism. The statue with the cone on his head is a representation of local culture. The cone is allowed to stay and is on a list of the top ten most bizarre monuments on earth. I think that this is a great story and shows off an awesome sense of humor and the ability for the government to stand down and allow the people to express themselves.

You won't get very far as we were sternly instructed that we could only tour the first floor. But…read moreit's a pretty building that dates to 1888. It's not old by Scottish standards. Heck, it's not even old by American standards. But it's worth a couple of photos if you're in Glasgow and killing some time. The square outside is more photogenic than this building though.

I've long admired the City Chambers from outside on George Square and I never knew until recently…read morethat you could take a tour of the building (I'll have to try to book one soon). The building is certainly impressive from the outside and, if anything, it's even more so from the inside. I was there for a civic reception. It turns out that Glasgow City Council is very keen to welcome guests to the city, especially if they're visiting in large numbers for a conference or some similar event. To make them welcome the offer civic receptions, which involve the opportunity to visit the City Chambers for a glass of wine or two and some (mercifully short but very kind) speeches by Glasgow officials. You can see why they go to the effort. Some people from outside the city still hold on to old views that it isn't a very nice place. Nothing could be more effective at dispelling that myth than exploring the huge halls and marble staircases of the City Chambers.

I agree with the previous reviewer wholeheartedly. Ross Priory is one of the most overlooked…read morebuildings in Scotland. It is absolutely incredible. A must for visitors to Glasgow. Even the drink prices at the bar are reasonable. The only problem is, the priory is not anywhere near a train station. So you bring your car or get a train to Balloch then a taxi.

Beautiful architecture, a perfect setting, and several guest rooms make this a sublime wedding…read morevenue on Loch Lomond.