To experience an amazing night of magic, storytelling, poetry and music this good there has to be…read morerules. The rules, I've discovered, are as follows: 1. Acoustic Night is held fortnightly in the back room at the delightful Halo on the Gloucester road. 2. There are 17 open mic slots, half for spoken word poetry (often like stand-up comedy) and half for live, live music. 3. Acoustic night is a safe place to experiment new songs or poems and the audience is there to cheer you on! 4. Starts dead on 8.15pm (register to perform at 7.45pm) 5. Its free as a bird, but donations are gratefully received. Previous 'guest' performers have included spoken-word meisters fresh from the festival circuit - Byron Vincent, Tim Clare, Nathan Filer, Rosy Carrick and Kate Tempest. What a cultured and memorable way to ease into the week! .

I don't work very far from Henleaze Road but it was while before I came across it, if you didn't…read moreknow it was there it comes up on you quite quickly. Henleaze Road is a lovely shopping street in, wait for it...Henleaze! I would say it starts and ends with the worst shops in terms of encouraging localness, Tesco petrol station at the bottom and Waitrose at the top, but in between there's a whole host of local, independent business, some of which have been there for years! You have a nice butchers about half way up, a good greengrocers, a good selection of charity shops, the usually alarmingly high number of high dressers! There are a couple of nice places you can grab a cup of something, nearer the top there is a pub/bar type place and opposite waitress a more conventional pub that serves food. It is often populated by elderly people, maybe something to do with all the charity shops, but also younger people. Not as extensive as Westbury on Trym but you could be up and down in half an hour if you were in a hurry!

Justin Lee Collins, Bill Bailey, Pieminister. There are some names that are just inherently…read moreassociated with Bristol. But arguably the most famous of them all is Banksy: graffiti artist extraordinaire. Banksy has left his tag all his beloved city but my favourite mural can be found at the bottom of Park Street. Opposite College Green on the side of a building you'll see one of his funniest pieces: the story of a lover hanging on to the window ledge for dear life while the suspecting husband looks on. You may need to wait for a minute or two while eager tourists have their photographs against it - but it's definitely worth the wait. Sadly, vandals couldn't stand the witty talent of Banksy and felt the need to deface it with putrid blue paintball shots. The city council have done an excellent job at restoring it back to its former glory, so don't let it put you off visiting. And, if you like this, you'll love the rest of his Bristol collection. Just pop down the road to Fopp and pick up a guide to Banksy's Bristol.

Banksy shows that street art can be thought provoking, beautiful and fun. One of the pieces that…read moresays Welcome to Bristol is the Mild Mild West Giant Teddy Bear vs policemen. Bristol has long had a reputation of musical cool for not only putting out some of the best drum and bass in the country but Trip Hop was known as the Bristol sound. Banksy has most certainly put Bristol on the map as the hub for exciting new urban art. Whereas in London the exciting arts movement tends to move around so that poor artists are pushed further and further into the recesses of deeper darker London, throughout Bristol, North and South pockets of artistic communities have emerged. Bedminster for example has some gorgeous pieces by Cheo and there are Arts Trails that take place all over the city. Banksy is not only responsible for fantastic pieces of art but for helping legitimise creativity all over the city and showing that grafitti doesn't have to be crappy tagging and vandalism but art that enhances the environment.

Right, 5 star rating for sure here. What a (as the name suggests) treasure!…read more Firstly, a stunning drive to our destination which always puts you in a good mood (and the baby sat chattering in the back instead of screaming which always helps mummy!) and pulling into a carpark with ample parking which makes us smile was a good start to our day out. When we entered we were greeted by a lovely lady who ushered us through to the museum part. Entry was £8 each for adults, and boo was free as she is under 6. She gave us a map and some information before we entered and then we turned around to the treasure trove within. This is a place that will throw you back into different era's. There is something for everyone ranging from tractors to toys, from clothing to cigarettes. I particularly enjoyed the old alcohol miniatures and paraphernalia, and hubby enjoyed the toys and electronics. There is a massive collection of colourful tractor seats in the last room which is beautiful to see. You can spend hours in front of one cabinet here. The women's hygiene/cleaning products were so fun to see, as was the gorgeous wedding dress donated by a lady who wore it in 1955 (or around then) Collections of many different types of things are on display here (shaving pots, steam engines, tins, signs, tobacco and alcohol stuff, perfume, books etc it just goes on) There is a café attached which we didn't have time to relax in, but it looked lovely. A very small gift shop which I think they could make bigger and have more items for sale, but we got two very humourous postcards and a magnet to take home. I am so glad we came here, boo was enthralled the whole time (only problem she wanted to touch it all haha) Would come again as you would see different things every time.

Do you ever get the feeling at the weekend that you'd like to do something but you're not sure…read morewhat? You kind of want to see or do something but don't want to spend loads of money. Well perhaps Oakham Treasures is the ticket for you. You will happily be able to spend a few hours on a trip down memory lane here. Relatively new to Bristol opening in 2008 Oakham is a fascinating collection of memorabilia, everything from vintage sweets to huge tractors are on display! It's £6.50 for one adult, or 2 adults and 3 children can get in for just £15! Something for everyone.

Run Bristol. It's…read morethat simple - just Run Bristol! I really enjoy running, and have especially enjoyed running in Bristol - for anyone who fancies their hand at a bit of light jogging but needs some motivation the Run Bristol is perfect. They offer the Sport Relief, followed by the Bristol 10k then the Bristol Half Marathon - so a really good way to work up to some quite serious distances! The events are always really fun and are a mix of all abilities, some people have no intention of going faster than a brisk walk and others hope to break the speed of light - which ever category you fall into... Run Bristol!

The Bristol Nine is a great little community magazine especially for the BS9 area…read more I am currently reading the March addition, their 48th issue and it contains all sorts of information about businesses and events in the area. The mag reaches over 10,000 homes and businesses each month so if you are looking for an advertising option and have something to offer in the BS9 area then this could be what you're looking for! There's a nice mix of local independent businesses and bigger, verging on corporate ones.

If you grew up in Bristol, you are no doubt aware of the natural slide which has been gradually…read morehewn into the rocks at this beautiful spot overlooking the Suspension Bridge by the buttocks of generations of local children (we're made of sterner stuff around here). If you're not aware of this, you basically need to go to the observatery, then walk forward and to the left slightly to the cliff's edge. Here you can climb under the metal rail (don't worry, it's all perfectly safe!), where the smooth surface runs vertically at a gentle angle for about 30 or 40 feet. A real treat for kids and adults alike, and it also affords stunning views of the bridge.

Too many drunken nights at the Cori tap have ended with a sliding session at the nearby legendary…read moreClifton rock slide. Spoke of in reverent whispers, it's a natural slide which has been rubbed smooth over time as more and more people have come to realise that, yes, it's true the best things in life are free and this is one of them. I definitely wish I'd stumbled across this place as a kid, although I have to say being drunk and 18 was probably a good second best. It still holds considerable fascination although I do always seem to ruin my clothes in the process. There's also a panoramic sweep of the suspension bridge as you glide down. So inject a little adventure into your Clifton Village stroll or your relaxing picnic by the observatory, join the kids and go rock sliding.

The Folk House has a number of fingers in a number of pies. Its main business is adult education -…read moreevening and daytime classes on pretty much everything from languages and writing, singing and music lessons, art and pottery, dance and drama, knitting and self-help. They run their classes in three 'terms' so you can pick a class up every 12 weeks or so, plus they have summer schools and Saturday day classes. I have learnt how to knit and sing in harmony here and enjoyed the mix of people it brings to the classes and the level of knowledge of the tutors. Art from their students is displayed about the place to buy with regularly changing exhibitions.. The House also has strong connections to live music of Bristol - obviously perhaps the folk scene but also blues and jazz. Live music is often on. This also draws in the record fairs every few months. Lastly, and this ties in the comings and goings of the various user groups, there is a cafe with nice food and cake and very good cup of tea. You can use the cafe if you are not attending a class. There is a nice little cobbled courtyard out front and undercover bike racks. The Folk House is signposted on Park Street, but is easy to walk past - you have to duck into an alley next to Nomad (see one of the photos). You can pick up a programme of their events and classes without going all the way in though as it is on the wall at the alley entrance.

Perhaps you're attending an art course at the folk house, or perhaps you've been shopping on Park…read moreStreet - the cafe is a perfect pit stop for those seeking a light lunch and a lovely cup of tea. They dish up homemade local dishes like cauli cheese or shepherd's pie, with crisp fresh salad. What made me drool is the rows of lush-looking cakes - I sampled (just for research purposes obviously) a slice a blackberry crumble flapjack with yoghurt topping - tart and sweet all in one, crunchy and yummy. You're cocooned by bright tribal art (from the courses they run) and afternoon's even offer up a plethora of musicians to lull you while you munch! Its not a load of hippy nonsense, its wholesome, warming and immediately filling - just like mum used to make.

If you're in town and you want somewhere pleasant to get away from Broadmead, this is the spot for…read moreyou. Indeed, the thing I most associate this place with is grabbing a lunch time bite with some colleagues when I worked nearby. Due to its location it's not exactly a communal spot, and the layout, with lots of hills, flowerbeds and trees, means that unlike College Green, frisbee and footie games are unlikely to break out. It's a pleasant place though and big enough for you to grab a spot of your own, possibly with a view of the river.

Castle Park, a great place to escape from the hustle and bussle of broadmead. I found this delight…read moreafter getting bogged down in the christmas shopping mayhem, I was after a slice of tranquility then... bam! ... I arrived in castle park, the snow had settled and all was peaceful. Soon my eye was caught by a monuement standing out on the carpet of green and white (from the snow!), there stood this beautiful old derilict church, around the back of the church my eye was caught with a row of trees side by side, leading me down to a fountain at the end. I was sold, took a couple of snaps (see 'Snow hit' photo I uploaded) and Voilá!, my grandparents christmas present had been solved with a few clicks of my camera! Perfect in summer or winter, with the river so close on one side and shops on the other, it's like a link between relaxation and retail therapy.