As the first casino I ever had membership to, this will always be my favourite. When it was built…read morewith its impressive glass walls everyone thought it was posh and exciting and it was a bit of a status symbol to go there. I wonder if it's still like that? I started gambling when I was a dating a guy who lived in the prestigious Quay apartments round the corner, and at the time I was 18 and impressed. So me and the guys would go to Leo, and I was left in charge of the credit cards, being the most trustworthy in the group. I remember one of the guys begging me for his Visa after about 30 minutes claiming that if he just got another £50 out he could win back the several hundred he'd just lost. Not wanting to be mean, I'd usually go to the cashpoint with him and allow him £20, arguing that if he couldn't win back anything on that it was tough and at least he hadn't lost another £50. For my part, I managed to break even more often than not. I'd do ok on the roulette because I made safe bets and then take my winnings on to the blackjack tables. By this point I was usually tipsy and usually lose everything but my last fiver. That was when the guys would come over and give me drunken tips, and I'd end up ok, or at least enough so that we could go for a few drinks on the money. Ah, those were the good old days. Not long after that one of the guys got worried that he had a gambling addiction and cut up his membership. We only went once or twice a week - that's normal, right?? It's a cool place to go and providing the decor hasn't become too shabby over the years, quite a posh night out. Just make sure you know what you're doing - there's no shame in being an observer and holding on to your money!!

Leo's is the swankiest Casino in Liverpool. It's situated on the Dock Road and its roulette tables…read moreoverlook the river Mersey. It looks elegant and fluorescent at night, lit up with big blue lights and looking like a venue that oozes money. Of course it does, it's a casino! They have two floors, and offer blackjack tables, poker tables, roulette tables and an array of £2000 jackpot digital slot machines. They are open 24 hours and offer free toasties and hot drinks to all members whilst they play the tables. When you join, you get £10 in free plays to use on the roulette tables. However, this money can only be used to bet on colours or odds/evens. The croupiers are chatty and professional and the place can have a good an exciting vibe when you're winning. On the flipside, there's nothing quite like losing £50 at the spin of a wheel to make you feel like hell!

Strange places casinos, I don't just mean the lack of time that you feel locked away from any hint…read moreof sunlight or clocks but they are places of great deception. No, not the slight of hand or odds stacked in their favour but they always try and pretend to be more glamorous than they are. Monte Carlo must be to blame for this reputation that everyone within a casino is a potential James Bond or Prince of Monaco when in actual fact they almost always seem to be chip shop owners parlaying that night's takings! I know that I was very drunk when my mate coerced our group to join the Circus Casino as a good way to end the night but it did seem to be making a good effort at trying to be clean and bright with friendly staff and a surprisingly busy restaurant with many women in attendance even if it couldn't quite manage glamorous. However the lounge singer act was less Vegas and more Blackpool.

It was the first time I ever entered a casino last night. I am not a serious gambler but it was an…read moreinteresting new experience. So when I arrived at reception, I filled out a registration card where they asked for personal details and a form of ID which I gave as my passport. My face photo was taken using the CCTV camera and a membership card issued to me straight away which was all a quick and easy process. The girl at reception did not give muh of a welcome nor made much eye contact but was not rude. Inside, there is a fancy restaurant and a small bar as well as a number of tables serving poker, roulette and other card games. In addition, there are lots of slot and roulette machines as you would expect. There are a number of helpful staff on hand if you also require any assistance. For me, not a place I would usually go but if you're a big or small gambler and like this form of entertainment, its a great night out at Circus Casino.

This museum is a bit of a mixed bag. The Roman artifacts are well worth a look but in other areas…read morethings get a bit ropey, especially the natural history section. Who wants to look at a badly stuffed dead blue tit? If you want to visit an excellent museum then I'd suggest you make your way to Liverpool and visit the World Museum. If you're in Chester and can't be bothered making the trip to Liverpool then the Grosvenor will have to do.

The Grosvenor Museum provides exactly what you would expect from a museum situated in a historic…read moretown. Which is no bad thing. There is a gallery space which has regularly changing exhibitions, and then upstairs there is the permanent collection. The museum also has rooms full of more recent history and a lot of taxidermy including a stuffed zebra which is worth a look. The museum is free to visit which is good. It's not in the middle of town though, so you have to make an effort to walk there, as it's not really on the way to anywhere else. It's not the most interesting of places for children although I expect they would enjoy the stuffed animals, especially the zebra.

Very interactive and interesting exhibits…read more FREE admission will get you into 90% of the actual museum. Variety of exhibits so it has a little something for everybody. The first floor was the Dive In! Aquarium. It had a very nice anemone tank and a variety of other tanks that had sea life. The second floor is the Bug space, and the beginning of the Natural History space. Both are very interactive and have plenty of kid friendly space. The Return of the Gods exhibit (which costs 8 GBP to visit) was on the third floor, but you could also see what I thought was the most interesting part of the museum which was the World Culture exhibit. The exhibits themselves are nice, but this museum has a novel approach to explaining how Liverpool got its items. Comedian Daliso Chaponda was narrating the process of how the museum procured the majority of its items through good ole colonization (kidding, not kidding). He brings to light the appropriation process through comedic discussion, novel and palatable. The 3rd floor also has the Egyptian Exhibit, which is very good. It's probably the jewel of the museum. The history of the pieces are well explained, and the mummies are displayed wonderfully, some in layers, some in narrative, and plenty of interactivity for the little ones. I didn't spend much time on the fourth floor (Dinosaurs) or fifth floor (Planetarium/Space). The fifth floor wasn't as impressive, but gave those genre's some space for those that are interested. It was the meh portions of the museum. If you have a few hours to burn, consider this museum a good choice for kids of all ages and interests.

Visited the museum especially to see the current special exhibition on the Chinese terracotta army…read morewhich was well worth the cost of the tickets. The building contains a large cafe on the ground floor that was well stocked with good quality food and deserts, this area also has access to free Wi-Fi. The next floor has the Aquarium and treasure house theater. The 2nd (3rd in US) floor has the special exhibition and the Bug House. Next floor contains World Cultures, Ancient Egypt and Western Discovery Center (only open weekends & school holidays. 4th floor holds Dinosaurs, Endangered Planet and Clore Natural History Center. Finally the 5th floor holds exhibits on Space and Time along with a Planetarium - tickets needed from the information desk on the ground floor. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and could not be more accommodating, well worth the visit. I should also add the this museum is free except for the special exhibit which needs tickets purchased either online or at the entrance with limited time slots available each day.

The gardens and cafe are great, si even if it's not a day to visit an art exhibit you still should…read moregive the bluecoat a go.

A beautiful Grade 1 listed building at the heart of the city centre, the Bluecoat is Liverpool's…read moremost ambitious and multi-disciplined arts centre. It's also the city's most stylish after a multi-million pound refurbishment and redevelopment programme a few years ago. The courtyard that once housed the Bluecoat cafe and bookshop has been made into a string of working studios for local designers like Purlesque and Landbaby to exhibit and sell their work whilst there's further studios for resident artists and creative businesses dotted throughout the building. There's also an Espresso bar on the ground floor, a restaurant on the first floor, a multi-purpose reception area, a gorgeous garden and various gallery exhibition spaces. As for the actual art, the Bluecoat runs bi-monthly exhibitions and installations by national and international artists and hosts literary events, poetry readings, live music, comedy nights, performance art and networking events. Admission to the building, shops and gallery is free and clearly, there's enough going on at the Bluecoat to keep visitors occupied for a full afternoon or evening.

I guess because I'm not as familiar with this place as I thought I was, I ended up walking into the…read morewrong pub. You see, I wanted to go and have a beer at the Cavern Club, and discovered that I had ended up walking into the Cavern Pub, which is the sister pub, but not quite the same one (though I believe that the original one is no longer there). Still, this place isn't bad, and you don't have to pay to go inside, which is cool. They also have regular bands, though these bands pretty much play Beatles covers. Oh, and you aren't out of place if you happen to be wearing a Beatles t-shirt (as I happened to be doing at the time).

Quaint , traditional and lovely selection of beers . Staff are super friendly and I was here alone…read moreon a business trip . Felt comfortable on my own .

Highly ornate old building. If you have the chance to listen to a concert in here, it's worth it!read more

St. George's hall is the finest example of neo-classical architecture in the country. Visiting the…read moreheritage centre on St. Johns Lane brings the story of St. George's Hall alive with access to cells, crown court and a viewing gallery enabling visitors to experience the magnificent great hall. Throughout the year, there is a range of exhibitions, talks, markets, performances and events taking place. Full details can be found on their website. The stunning Victorian architecture of the great hall and the great organ are a must see. Entrance to this site is free for all and I would recommend visiting.

The BME could very easily be a tourist trap type experience but I thought they did a good job…read morechronicling many eras and genres of music in British History. It starts with trad and skiffle and progresses to contemporary artists. The interactive screens were a nice touch and I loved seeing all of the memorabilia from my favourite bands. The gift shop had some surprising items and is worth a quick look, though I thought the cafe's selection could have been a bit fancier (perhaps just my personal taste.)

I was really looking forward to this, but perhaps I was expecting too much after having been to the…read moreMOPOP in Seattle a few times. Granted, the MOPOP costs twice as much. However , where I expected historical artifacts, the majority here were reproductions or were often "made for" an artist, or were clothes their fans wore, or were just album covers and the like. Cool stuff, but lacking the historicity I expected. They do have the guitar Andy Scott used to record "Ballroom Blitz," a bass Bill Wyman used on tour, and some handwritten lyrics from Freddy Mercury. I realize these types of acquisitions are costly, so I imagine they're still collecting. There is a cool stage--that eats up a lot of empty space when nothing is playing in it most of the time--where they show holographic performers. We saw Boy George, who I think is ok, and it was really great. Being into rock my whole life, I didn't need to read the story boards about the development of music, though some might enjoy them. There are some mildly fun interactive maps and graphics, and some engaging videos that you can experience as you stroll through. We didn't do the audio tour, so I can't comment on it. We spent a half hour at the end playing instruments they have there for you to mess with. Unlike the MOPOP, they all worked, and the guitars were in tune! As a guitarist, I was impressed that they had real USA Gibsons. I spent most of my time banging on an electric drum kit, however. My wife and 14 year old daughter spent the whole time on an electric keyboard, and had real fun doing it.