Stroll along shady tree-lined paths in the century-old Ashcombe municipal park. After a spot of tennis, bowls or pitch and putt, you can relax at one of the tidy picnic tables.
Available :
Daily
Visit Somerset's Cheddar Caves & Gorge to discover cathedral-like caves carved by Ice Age meltwaters and meet the 9000-year-old Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest complete skeleton. A controversial exhibition brings the fascinating world of Stone Age Britain vividly to life.
Available :
Daily
Escape from the beach at Weston and enjoy the quiet among Uphill reserve's wild flowers. Explore the ruins of the ancient Norman Uphill Old Church or enjoy a cosy pub meal in The Dolphin or The Ship in Uphill village.
Available :
Daily
Choose from kiss-me-quick amusements, crazy golf, kite-flying or donkey rides on Weston Beach's sandy stretch. Adrenalin junkies love the helicopter rides and seeing bikes jump obstacles during the Weston Beach race each October.
Available :
Daily
Follow the mile-and-a-half long, grade II-listed decks out to sea to find adventure at Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier theme park. Whirl on the big wheel, try your hand at ten pin bowling or get lucky on the slot machines.
Available :
Daily
Grove Park is an oasis in Weston's town centre. Soak up the colourful displays in Jill Dando's memorial garden, or listen to a summer concert beside the bandstand.
Available :
Daily
Within Somerset's mysterious Mendip Hills lie the wonders of Wookey Hole, a series of brightly-lit caverns carved out by the River Axe. The caves also have their own museum, offering a detailed history of local archaeological and anthropological discoveries.
Available :
Daily
For all the X-Files fans out there, the truth may be found at the Glastonbury Symposium, one of Britain's largest crop circle conferences. Debates and presentations aim to dissect the truth about crop circles, what they symbolise and how they materialise.
Available :
Jul 2013 (annual)
Somerset's Glastonbury Abbey, 2000-year-old burial place of King Arthur and reputedly Britain's earliest Christian sanctuary, is surrounded by 36 acres of tranquil parkland, ponds, orchard and wildlife areas. Costumed guides tell tales of monastic life and King Arthur's court.
Available :
Daily
The Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival brings the town to life with a spectacular parade of illuminated floats, live bands, street entertainment and "squibbing"... Unique to Bridgewater, this is the simultaneous firing of lots of large fireworks (squibs) on Bridgwater High Street.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
The magnificent estate of Ashton Court covers 850 acres of woods and grassland, with views over Bristol. Watch red deer and fallow deer frolic in the grounds among ancient trees, including the famous Doomsday Oak.
Available :
Daily
Gentle giants fill the sky over Ashton Court Estate every year for Bristol's International Kite Festival. The aerial extravaganza is the UK's leading showcase for designers, operators and manufacturers of inflatables, play structures and air sculptures.
Available :
Sep 2013 (annual)
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park in Penarth is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Cosmeston Medieval Village, within the park, is a unique heritage attraction that takes visitors back to the 14th century.
Available :
Daily
The University of Bristol Botanic Garden is on a secluded site near the edge of the Avon Gorge. A peaceful oasis away from the city, it's also a learning experience.
Available :
Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sun only
If mega eco-friendly describes you best, head to the CREATE Centre, where an exhibition shows you all you need to know about recycling. Meanwhile, the next-door Ecohome is full of ideas and information on eco-friendly construction and living.
Available :
Daily
The Bristol Harbour Festival is one of the highlights of the city's summer events programme. It features tall ships and a variety of other vessels, music, dance, circus and street theatre, markets and a spectacular fireworks show.
Available :
Jul 2013 (annual)
Are you mad about moving pictures? Fusing the Brief Encounters and the Animated Encounters film festivals, venues around Bristol's Harbourside play host to the Encounters Short Film Festival - a highlight in every Bristolian film buff's calendar.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
Pick up tips and advice on how to live an eco-friendly, vegetarian life. Bristol Harbourside's Eco Veggie Fayre features vegetarian cooking demos and classes, live music on two stages from lunchtime onwards and children's entertainment.
Available :
May 2013 (annual)
Bristol goes wild for the annual Festival of Nature, held every summer along the picturesque harbourside. With events ranging from a local food market to interactive workshops, the whole family is invited to come and explore the natural world.
Available :
Jun 2013 (annual)
The Clifton Suspension Bridge, spanning the Avon Gorge in Clifton, is Bristol's most distinctive landmark. Designed by British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the bridge was opened in 1864 to carry horse-drawn vehicles, but now around 12,000 cars cross daily.
Available :
Daily
Tucked within an unassuming building, Bristol's Lam Rim Centre offers a welcome respite from hectic city life and you really don't have to be a Buddhist to benefit from the meditation courses it offers. Nor indeed, to enjoy the countless complementary therapies that its Health Centre provides.
Available :
Daily
Amoeba in Clifton is an ideal place to spend an evening people watching out front or quietly chatting with friends on the terrace. The drinks menu includes cocktails, spirits and beers from around the world including refreshing fruit beers.
Available :
Daily
British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel's 19th-century iron ship is now a meticulously restored showpiece. The largest and most powerful ship built in her time, ss Great Britain dominates the waterfront along Hotwells and reflects Bristol's proud maritime history.
Available :
Daily
Glastonbury has been held on organiser Michael Eavis' property, Worthy Farm in Somerset, since its inception almost 40 years ago. Commonly regarded as the UK's biggest and best music festival, it attracts the world's most famous and celebrated musicians. 2012 is a rest year but the festival will return in 2013.
Available :
Jun 2013 (annual)
Bristol Zoo Gardens, located in large award-winning gardens in Clifton, carries out conservation projects and breeds endangered species. The Seal & Penguin zone is particularly popular, allowing visitors to see creatures beneath the water's surface, through transparent tunnels.
Available :
Daily
Anywhere with reindeer has a headstart on festive celebrations, so Bristol Zoo Gardens is just the place to spend a Fantabulous Christmas! For two days, entertainers, bands, storytellers and Santa himself are on hand to ensure everyone feels some Christmas cheer.
Available :
Dec 2013 (annual)
Get less bang for your buck at Bristol Zoo Gardens this Guy Fawkes Night! As its animals are distressed by the conventional clamour of fireworks displays, the zoo holds a special, but silent, fireworks spectacular to celebrate this usually cacophonous night.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
Housed in an historic transit shed in a stunning dockside location, the Industrial Museum showcases Bristol's industrial heritage. The Museum will close on October 28th 2006 and is scheduled to open again in the summer of 2009 at a new location.
Available :
Daily; not Thu or Fri
The Bristol IMAX Theatre is the only IMAX screen in the Southwest and measures a gigantic 21 metres wide and 15 metres tall. Choose from a selection of scenic, beautiful or action-packed films and prepare to be swept away by the spectacular visual effects.
Available :
Daily
An award-winning family attraction, Explore-At-Bristol interactive centre reveals an amazing world of science and discovery. Science is brought alive through visuals and interactive exhibits. Enjoy a planetarium show or join the live science team for fun experiments and activities.
Available :
Daily
The Arnolfini, by the Harbourside, is a leading contemporary arts venue in a converted warehouse showcasing new and innovative works including arthouse films, live art and dance. Five galleries have regularly changing exhibitions and these are open free of charge.
Available :
Daily; not Mon
More than 50 artist bookmakers, dealers and small presses fill Bristol's Arnolfini to show and sell their work. BABE (Bristol Artists Book Event) provides a chance to meet and talk to artists and buy their works of art.
Available :
Apr 2013 (biennial)
If you're a nascent Sylvia Plath or Seamus Heaney, this literary affair at the Arnolfini Harbourside and throughout Bristol is for you. It offers an opportunity for closet poets to get some creative exposure and see the experts at work.
Available :
Sep 2013 (annual)
Once the home to a West India sugar merchant and his slave, Bristol's Georgian House, in the city centre, has been restored and furnished to show a typical 18th-century house, including the elegant living rooms, servant quarters and kitchen.
Available :
Apr - Oct 2013 (annual)
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in Clifton houses permanent displays of local, national and international interest and excellent temporary exhibitions, usually with a local theme. The top-floor galleries include Old Masters and a collection of British and modern art.
Available :
Daily
The natural world is brought into fresh focus with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery. Travel the globe through the eye of a lens, from the cold Arctic to the deepest tropical rainforests.
Available :
Nov 2012 - Mar 2013 (annual)
Bordeaux Quay, on the Harbourside, sources most of its food from the South West and serves delicious, seasonal European-style food. The menu changes frequently but often includes fresh, roasted sea bass. There is a brasserie downstairs with a bright upstairs restaurant which surrounds a central atrium. The effect is simple but sophisticated.
Available :
Daily
If the sight of someone slipping on a banana skin leaves you in stitches, then Bristol's Slapstick Silent Comedy Festival is for you. Relive classic silent movies and view live comdey shows at the Watershed and other venues around town.
Available :
Jan 2013 (annual)
Bristol's first art gallery, the Royal West of England Academy in Clifton was founded in 1849. Housed in a magnificent grade II-listed building, the gallery contains many fine works bequeathed by the academy's main benefactor, Ellen Sharples, plus new additions.
Available :
Daily
The Royal West of England Academy presents its most popular exhibition of the year. The Autumn Exhibition features over 500 watercolour, oil, paint, print, sculpture, photography and drawing works chosen from 1500 pieces submitted by well-known and little-known artists.
Available :
Oct - Dec 2013 (annual)
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