What an amazing place! We happened to see this museum as we…read morewere walking by and were intrigued by their moving signage. Inside there are plenty of machines that whir and perform small tasks or even make music. Lots of interactive things to see and do, buttons to push, pedals to press, even a magnetic marble track you can build yourself! It's a treat for young and old and definitely worth the small entry fee.

The opening hours are stated for October to March. Opening hours from April to September are a…read morelittle longer (10:30 to 18:30 daily). A friend recommended this place to me thinking that my boys would like it. My friend was right! We did all enjoy the interactive displays. The extent of the interactivity is mainly pressing a button though but it's still good. There is an interesting range of mechanical art and my boys and I were fascinated by the mechanisms. It is quite a small place. It cost £19 for the four of us (2 adults and 2 children) which isn't too bad but, considering we spent less than an hour in there and saw everything, it does seem a little expensive. There are two floors. One very small room on each floor displaying different pieces of art. It can get rather crowded due to the small size, especially downstairs where the entrance/exit is the same. In the same small area, there is a counter where there is a single member of staff who both admits people and serves the gift shop. The gift shop is basically a small portion of the wall within the ground floor of the museum. Many items are over-priced and the selection is very limited. We did enjoy ourselves there and would recommend it but it could get claustrophobic and the upstairs can be noisy (although it does state this on the signage).

What a fun and tacky place! And I mean the good kind of tacky…read more I didn't visit the museum exhibition itself, but booked the Shakespeare tour and the ghost tour they offer. The Shakespeare tour was led by a chap dressed up as, obviously, Shakespeare. He was fun and knowledgeable and the tour through Stratford was top notch! Starting at the birthplace, ending at the grave site with lots of sights and anecdotes in between. The ghost tour leads through the museum at night, in the dark (which was brilliant, they only used two lanterns to light the way) and stories about supernatural things people may have experienced here as well as stories about people who lived and died here. There are no obvious tricks used during the tour, it's more like storytelling in the dark and was a lot of fun! Not super scary, but some visitors did seem quite shaken. I'd definitely recommend the tours they offer as both were great and more than worth the small fee.

I have to admit, I haven't read all of Shakespeare's works, but I've read enough in high school to…read moreknow who he is and appreciate his relevancy. Not to mention all the movie adaptations over the years. When coming to England, this is one of the places that you should stop by. Stratford Upon Avon is a charming city. Heck, it's where William Shakespeare was born. Just walking around the streets is enough to know why people would come here. But let me get to why you should go to Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust. It's the house where he was born. After you pay your fare and make your way into the museum, you have to go through a small series of movie theaters. As you progress through each one you're given bits and pieces of facts and history about Shakespeare from early life and his impact on the world. This is particularly useful if there are big crowds waiting to get in. Once you're done with the movie presentations you go into the house. You see how things used to be during his time. With the "actors" in period dress, they explain to you the rooms you're in, stories about the house, his family, and idioms that originate from his time. Here's an interesting bit: I used to wonder why little boys looked like little girls in all these old paintings from the 1500's-1600s. When you come here you'll find out. Or where the expression "Good night, sleep tight" comes from. Once you're done, there are bookstores dedicated to him and lots of little cafes and shops to spend the rest of the day at. Oh yeah, you can even make your way to the church where he is entombed. OUT DAMNED SPOT!

Being a lover of Shakespeare since high school, this place represents a pilgrimage for me. I've…read morevisited twice. Maybe I'm just more cynical, but the restoration of the property and the "period-style" furniture and other household items put me off the second time. Maybe the house wouldn't be exhibitable otherwise, but I like to see real history rather than a historian's recreated best guess. At least they don't lie to you like other places. I can't discourage anyone from visiting though. I mean--this was actually Shakespeare's house! Quaint garden in the back.

My wife and I have attended mnay performances of Shakespear's work, both in actual theathers and…read moreoutdoors "in the park". So, when we got a chance to visit his birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon, we jumped at the chance. Our tour guide was excellent and shared many details of what it was like living in this house in William's time (e.g. the boys shared one room and the girls were in another - and the boy's room was more comfortable because - in those days - the boys were more valuable. It was fascinating walking through the house where Shakespear actually lived and grew up. The day we were there, there were actors in the courtyard performing snippets of Shakespear's plays and writings. The one actor asked members of the audience to call out their favorite and he would then perform something from that particular play. Fascinating visit and tour.

Okay, it's a house, but then again back in Shakespeare's days, they really didn't have hospitals in…read morethe way that we have hospitals. Mind you, wandering through this house makes you realise how wealthy Shakespeare's family actually was. It's a pretty big house, and quite interesting to explore as well. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

This is a great place for families especially. The staff are wonderful they dress in costumes of…read morethe period. It is really good place, you learn about the period in a fun way and you can play old games. They also arrange things like ghost walks which i have been told are also very good.

Ok, if you are looking for the place where Anne Hathaway grew up, well, you are pretty much in the…read morewrong place, unless the Anne Hathaway you are looking for happens to be the wife of William Shakespeare, then you are in the right place. So, when you get a ticket to the Shakespeare house, you also get admission to this place as well. The thing is that it is a bit of a hike out of town, but it is pretty cool, especially considering that it is a tudor farmhouse.

I truly wish I could relay how beautiful this cottage is, however before I could even get up the…read moreramp, a most unfortunately assertive individual took it upon herself to run out and greet me with a welcome that only the truly emotionally inept could muster. Apparently my name is "you can't take cases in here", repeated twice in quick succession just on the off-chance I did not hear her on the first flat out rude and blustering attempt. As I looked down at my case, a carry-on size pulley, I thought to myself, c'est la vie, the rules are the rules after all. However, in Shakespeare's land, one might have hoped for just a pinch of emotional intelligence in how to verbally greet a guest about to fork out £23 to see an attraction after they'd already paid £10 in a taxi to get there and per chance deliver the blow with a degree more eloquence? Madam, whoever you are, the service industry requires training of which you are clearly woefully lacking. That, or you are yet another of those odious cretins who relishes in unleashing their one minute of power assertion over... a prospective customer? Bravo! Shakespeare wouldn't bother turning in his grave over this, he wrote of plenty an ass and a fool in his time.

On the edge of town and just up the street from Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare's parish church…read moreand burial place), the home of William's daughter is quite lovely from the outside, but not nearly as impressive inside. After entering through the massive gift shop you will find the original house with period furnishings in the first few rooms. Upstairs is a different matter with modern finishings, including drywall and little historical feel, the main room (which would have never been so large) houses a substandard museum dedicated to Dr. Hall's medical profession. The garden is nice, but with little historical feel and picnic tables for those buying food at their cafè. It is a shame that the majority of this house is dedicated to modern pursuits rather than the historically significant details associated with the property. After all, William Shakespeare himself frequented this home, having lived just around the corner or on his way to or from his church (Holy Trinity) just a 150 yards beyond. CombatCritic Gives Hall's Croft 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

I don't remember much about the actual museum - I do remember there's a nice garden in the back…read more But what I do remember is that Hall's Croft had the MOST AMAZING scones and tea. I definitely went a few times when I was in Stratford. The scones were so soft and buttery and you could up more butter or jam on it...and the tea came with this really creamy milk. PERFECT for a rainy day, which is like every other day in England. I really want some right now. I don't remember if you had to pay to go into the restaurant area, but admission to Hall's Croft is covered by the Shakespeare Four House, Five House, and Birthplace tickets.

Opening night of "Measure for Measure" was ultimately a success. Warning, they have chosen to…read morealienate more than half of Americans with their opening video montage and insinuations. I almost walked out before the play started. However, I wanted to give the actors a chance to overcome the distasteful display of hate and assumptions. When they have Prince Andrew and Mendelson to target, they target the President of the United States. Not every play goer is hateful and against Our President. That said, there are the typical opening night issues. Long pauses that indicated lines were forgotten or missed. The sound was also a bit off. About who showed anger or severe emotional pain by screaming, were hard to understand and sounds muffled and lost. Either the actors were not annunciating or the sound was too high on they're mics. There seemed to be a few missed cues, as well. So if that said, this okay was fantastic and the kinks will be worked out in time. I wasn't sure about the minimalistic staging and lack of scenery, but I couldn't have been more impressed with the way the actors worked the bare stage making my imagination take over and seeing an entirely different experience in my mind. The acting was superb! Luccio came in a little rough, but he really stole the show by the end of the post. Well done! I would recommend the theater, as it is a bucket list for many thespians and okay goers! What an incredible production. Unfortunately, I allowed the RSC website to pick my seats. I ended up in a straight high back chair where my legs dangled and I couldn't see the entire state and videos in the background. It probably helped me be distracted by the disrespect they were insinuating. I would never buy tickets with these seats again. Almost intolerable, so the acting and entire production overshadowed what I didn't care for. Next time, if I'm lucky enough to be back in Stratford Upon Avon, I would return. Tolerance and giving things a chance worked out for me. I also live Shakespeare and am a thespian at heart.

Several levels of seating. Upper seating has railing in front which obstructs view. Need to lean…read moreforward for clear view. The two performances I have been to have been entertaining. Most of cast do a good job. Ushers helpful. Need to open bags for security check. Recommend online ticket purchase.

2.5 stars. Walking…read morein, you enter a dimly lit storefront selling £30 carved wands. It is clear who this establishment is targeting. I can imagine that the gimmicky nature of the Magic Alley is met with more enthusiasm around Halloween. However, during the warm and sunny Spring and Summer months, the last thing one would enjoy is venturing into this dark and cramped haphazard "collection" of "witchy" memorabilia. Everything is so poorly displayed, dustily ignored, and terrible quality, that the "museum" aspect of the Magic Alley is obviously a joke. At least, I hope so. The bulk of my 2.5 stars comes from the ice cream and butterbeer served in the back (also cramped, with room for only around 6 people). The Creaky Cauldron Cafe serves a non-alcoholic butterbeer made of ginger beer and vanilla ice cream. It's quite delicious. So good that a friend of mine asked later on in the week if we might stop by the Magic Alley again. So their butterbeer is a definite success. Likewise, they had several unique flavours among their handmade ice creams. My favourite being "honeycomb" with actual bits of soft and chewy honeycomb throughout. Thick and creamy, it was an ice cream revelation. There is a 5 quid admission per person to access the "museum" and other features on the upper floor. Avoid. It is a tourist trap and offers nothing of significance. However, if you find yourself thirsty after touring Shakespeare's birthplace, venture over here for a refreshing butterbeer or cold treat.