An evening in Inverness is not complete without music and whisky. (Unless you don't like one of…read morethose things, in which case one or the other will do...for us, it was both!) We spent one of our 4 nights in town at Hootananny...It's a lively spot with a full restaurant and bar and good whiskey recommendations from the bartender. On this night, it was a jam, as opposed to a frontal performance...these jams you'll find throughout Scotland are really not performances, but musicians who gather together in the front of the venue, sitting in a circle, typically with a group of them with their backs to the audience, who play for each other, for the sheer and obvious love of the collaborative music. They ran through all kinds of traditional Scottish tunes, occasionally with instruments put aside to let a couple of them sing a cappella. It was a beautiful experience to watch "performers" immersing themselves in each other's music, with us, the audience, grateful, if not incidental, receivers of it. They've got a decent whisky selection too, and, as I found throughout Scotland, every bartender seemed knowledgeable in what was offered and willing to have a conversation to help guide you to what you might want to drink that night. (I had a Bunnahabain dram.) If you've got a few nights in town, this is one of the main 3 venues you should check out...the other two we experienced were more direct performances, also good, but to experience a musician's jam circle like this, is truly a wonderful and unique experience to have when in town.

Make a reservation ahead of time! They do require a credit card guarantee for your booking, but…read moreabsolutely worth it to enjoy dinner and a show. We sat in the upper level over looking the live music. The drinks came quickly and were cold & tasty. The food was standard fare, but they took great care to make accommodations for gluten free needs. After dinner we moved down to the benches by the stage for another drink and to enjoy the next musician that came out. The vibes in Hootanany's were top notch, just come with the understanding that they are busy and patience while you're on vacation is key!

July & October 2024…read more While we strolling along the River Ness in Inverness, a drenching rainfall came down quickly (it's the Scottish way!). We were very close to the Eden Court Theatre so we took refuge in this large glass building. We were happy to find the restrooms and the cafe. The restrooms are large and very clean. I appreciated the hand dryers as I was able to dry my shirt and hair just a bit. There are lots of toilet stalls so no waiting. The cafe was simply perfect! We enjoyed cappuccino's and soups to warm us up. I had the potato leek soup and my partner had a vegetable soup. Soups were served with a chunk of delicious bread. You place your order at the counter and sit wherever you like. There is abundant seating that includes booths, tables and chairs. You can dine outside on their patio or on the grassy lawn. We loved it so much that we ate sandwiches there the next day. During our return trip in October, Eden Court was on the top of our list to visit again for a quick, affordable bite. We didn't see any of the shows or movies but really appreciated the delightful cafe and clean accommodations.

If I lived in Inverness, I'd be so proud of this place. I…read morewas really grateful for this place. I had to cut my holiday short because of the weather. And this was just what I needed to perk me up. I went to the bar and I went to the cinema here. They pick some good films to watch. It was just what I needed. I am also grateful to the manager of the restaurant whom I asked for recommendations for places to eat as a vegetarian. He recommended The Mustard Seed as the best place in town and the Caribbean restaurant as well, Kool Runnings. The cinema has a really great rake, so you can see the screen from wherever you are sitting with no worries about who will sit in front of you. The seats are really comfy and not too comfy. Good sound too.

Great boat tour with Loch Ness by Jacobite! We enjoyed the views, especially of the Urquhart…read moreCastle! And being able to see the depth of the loch underneath us and the trajectory of the boat on the monitors as the boat moved about the very deep loch was interesting. The narration was informative and helped us learn more about the loch and its history. The legend of Nessie was leaned into, in a fun way!

We took this ride as part of our Highland Tours trip…read more After shopping at the gift shop we made our way under the bridge to the dock. You have some great views from here but it just gets better. The boat has both in and outside seating. We did go outside to the front to take some pictures but spent most of the time inside as it was about 45 degrees. The ride from Inverness to Urquhart castle is 1/2 hour. The boat ride which includes admission to the castle (one way) was 20 GBP & well worth it. The Whisky hot chocolate is a must try! Well worth it given the multiple breathtaking views as well the chance to search for Nessie

Although the beers produced at Cairngorm Brewery aren't some of the most innovative or earth…read moreshattering, but they are award winning and tasty. The brewery is located to the north of Aviemore. Probably walkable if you have time on your hands or a short taxi if not. The tour is informative but don't expect to see anything new if you've done a brewery tour before but the highlight is the amount of beer you get to try. We had a taste of pretty much every bottled beer they do and as others in the party weren't that thirsty, ended up getting a lot of beer for not much money!

I'm a big fan of the beers from the Cairngorm Brewery which are available from various outlets…read morearound the country. The brewery is worth a visit as they offer brewery tours which are very informative.

Good club, Good venue, Good beer, Good company. Good community asset.read more

Inverness is small ("wee" in the vernacular) and no one should expect collections of the caliber of…read morethe Met, Louvre or even LACMA but in addition to temporary touring exhibitions, this facility hosts the Highlander history in art, crafts, music and weaponry. Whiskey will not be found here even though it's tributes are worthy. This assemblage merely hints at the greatness of the Celt, Viking and Highland peoples and encourages further study on your leisure. One item I found of particular interest were the gold neck torcs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torc) ancient warriors wore not only as a symbol of their rank within their community but also a potentially lucky block to a neck-chop sword hack. This is a land with a troubled past. That's probably why they invented scotch. You won't spend much time here but time spent here is time well spent. Dig it? (I was surprised to see I wasn't the first Yelper to review this place so "Cheers" to bonnie Adrienne G!)

Small but perfectly formed,…read more Inverness was my first taste of Scotland and it was surprising and wonderful. Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is a must visit in the city. As it's unlikely to be torrential sunshine it's a perfect spot to wile away the hour or so. A really simple and informative exhibition with some really effective interactive touches marking it fun for all the family. I very much enjoyed the taxidermy. If you're a stuffed beast enthusiast, you'll find yourself right at home here. The Art Gallery was in the middle of a reshuffle so was closed during my visit, so add a bit extra time for some highland art. Go get your learning on and have a visit.

We purchased two Robert McAulay paintings from Kilmorack Gallery and we were delighted with the…read moreexperience from start to finish. We live in California, so we did everything online - from viewing the pieces using the virtual tool (very effective) to emailing with the gallery owner Tony, who was very responsive. He took care of all the packaging and shipping, and the two pieces arrived safely in California. We look forward to purchasing more from Kilmorack in future!