'Chets'. Perhaps more famous for being the subject of one of ITV's huge range of reality…read moredocumentaries - don't you remember? They had a spate of them back in the day including Redcoats, Airline, something about vets and sewage cleaners and... heck, they had one for everything. Chets tended to get shunted to the graveyard slot along with Redcoats which made the two programmes essential student viewing after a few beers and a stumble round Manchester. While the aforementioned image I've offered may give the impression that Chets is an establishment of debauchery (it was certainly the case with Redcoats), nothing could be further from the truth. Visually, anyway. If you thought the Royal Northern College of Music was posh you ain't seen nothing yet. Again. Visually. Housed in one of the most stunningly beautiful buildings in Manchester adjacent to the painstakingly rebuilt ancient pubs in Exchange Square, the school is on the site of a manor house and Manchester Castle. Now comprising buildings way back from 1421 and several more (including an orphanage in 1653 and the Long Millgate building in 1978 as well as brand newies, it's a school of music with the motto 'Love to Live to Play'. Chets is open. You'd think by looking at it that you'd have to win scholarships or have parents with 'the third' at the end of their name (you being 'the fourth') to even go near the place but that's claptrap. Over 290 students attend the school between the ages of 8 and 18, and anyone can become a Chet regardless of background or financial situation. All students are entitled to government funding and all a potential student has to do is audition. The school offers essential academic qualifications alongside the principal study instrument and usually a secondary one too. (Remember, one's instrument can be one's voice.) Students can choose to board or not, so if required this can be one heck of an intense musical experience. Chets has some impressive alumni and it's definitely worth a shot if music is your life and you can't imagine yourself doing anything else. It's great preparation for university studies or life as part of an orchestra or choir, and I can safely say it's one of the most beautiful places you can go to school.

Chetham's School of Music is definitely up there with the top selling points of Manchester as a…read morecity to rival the capital. The student culture in Manchester is second to none, and the city is home to the best young talent across the disciplines, not least the youngest and most talented musical genius! Along with the Royal Northern College of Music and The Martin Harris Centre (home to The University of Manchester's musical population), Chetham's is in the top musical venues in the city. Whereas the Royal Northern College of Music and The University of Manchester deal with university age children, Chetham's is for musicians aged eight to eighteen, and it is home to nearly three hundred of them. Situated in the city centre, right next to the Manchester Wheel and the Manchester Cathedral, the setting is nothing short of idyllic. The buildings in which the school is situated are some 600 years old! And the Chetham Library (see Yelp) is a piece of architecture and local heritage not to be missed out upon! Between these aforementioned landmarks in the area is a lovely square with several of Manchester's best pubs, so this little part of the city is worth a visit for literally everyone (thats to say, if you don't like anything else, and you will, at least you'll like the pubs) If you go onto the website you can see all the upcoming events, many of which are free and some of which don't even require booking. Some of the more popular events are around the £15 mark, but still cheap for what they are. They even have lunchtime concerts. A really fantastic place to study, see live music or even walk around and have a look at the architecture. 5 stars without a shadow of a doubt!

Launched just a few weeks ago as part of the Manchester International Festival, the Biospheric…read moreProject is years in the making, and like nothing you have ever seen before. The Biospheric Project is part urban farm, part research project and part genius. Built (and grown) in a disused mill in a sunny spot on the River Irwell in Salford, the Biospheric Project is a living laboratory investigating new ideas for farming and food production in urban environments. The project has taken over three stories in the disused mill, as well as the roof and surrounding land in a small and radical farming project. Using connected systems like aquaponics, hydroponics and forest farming, the project is combining radical techniques and inventing new technologies to farm food and feed the planet's growing needs. All of the different elements of the 'biosphere' are connected, as they are in nature, and you can see the entire ecosystem from start to finish - from the earthworms creating new soil to the produce being harvested and sold locally in the community. (They even have an indoor/outdoor beehive, and chickens on the roof!) The Project is wonderfully presented, with information boards explaining the different elements and ideas, as well as the researchers themselves who offer exceptional guided tours and explain their projects fluently and passionately. You are watching people's PhD projects unfurl before them, and it is hard not to get excited with them about the fantastic and groundbreaking research they are conducting. The Project is closed to the public for a few weeks whilst the team there take a break after unveiling their work at MIF. But never fear, the Project will be growing and developing over the next ten years, so there will be plenty of opportunities to take a look. Check their website for details of upcoming talks and tours. (There are also lots of activities for schools and groups).

A trip back in time that is attempted to be restored. Next time I go should try and do some…read moreswimming.

A real architectural gem, this Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming pool and Turkish Baths has…read moreserious kerb appeal, though to be honest it's not in the greatest of surroundings - demolition and urbanisation over the years has seen to that. The repair and restoration of the building, inside and out, is still a work in progress but there are lots of stunning original features throughout, not to mention its layout of corridors and random doorways means you uncover its character bit-by-bit. To aid the on-going fund raising, the Baths have regular events held within the walls - one of the biggest in recent years is Indy Man Beer Con (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/indy-man-beer-con-manchester) which utilises much of the space brilliantly (where else can you sup a large range of beers whilst sat in large, empty swimming pools?). For the first time this year I also went to The Vintage Home Show which saw the building crammed full of retro furniture, home ware and clothing. They regularly hold 'Getting to Know VB' tours and participate in heritage open days, so check out their website for upcoming events, it's a beautiful place and needs every penny to bring it back to its full splendour.

So here's the deal. For £35 you get 1 hour and 25 minutes to tour this iconoclastic soap opera set…read more It's all outdoor only so try to plan for a dry day and it's not run by ITV rather it is farmed out to a 3rd party private sector company. The fact of it being only outdoor clearly vexed many of our group and with the price charged it's not good enough. Our guide was Amber. She was wonderful not only at her scripted job but could answer lots of questions on characters and locations. She was 5 star great. Nothing fazed her. She told us it's the largest set of its kind in the world and it's certainly impressive. I'm not the big fan, my wife is, but it is likely the greatest soap opera ever put on a screen. There is a professional photographer there who'll take your photo but only at the pub - the Rovers Return Inn - that you can buy at the expensive gift shop at the end of your tour. Not only do you get your photo (I think £10) but you get a code to download it too. The only bargain of the day. The biggest problem of the tour aside from no inside sets was tours running into each other. They are not far enough apart. It marred the experience to an extent too. The Street means much to undoubtedly millions of people. It is iconic in its truest sense. It has all the ingredients of greatness: the posh TV executives didn't think it any good; they only commissioned a few shows, the original name was awful and on the day it aired it wasn't even named Coronation St but according to Amber the press mis published its name (I think Jubilee street) and the tv crew has to change all the names on the sets on the day the first programme aired. It was also quirky with strong female roles as Tony Warren it's creator didn't just use actors but old vaudeville acts and club singers who had retired again; like the show itself he was a genius - in the truest meaning of the word. I love the story that he picked hard nailed Violet Carson as Ena Sharples (nee Schofield) because she was a real life harridan. Finally parking is difficult around the area so walking and the ability to do so for a few hours is very necessary or if you are pushing a wheel chair you'll need stamina. The toilets are in raised portacabins once you are through security with a validated ticket and surprisingly even though ITV have farmed it out they allow it very much to be disabled unfriendly; not a good look. If there are disabled facilities I couldn't see them. I couldn't check in on Yelp as it told me that I was too far away when standing on the set.

Went on the corrie tour it was magical to see all the sets like the platts house and Carla ' s…read moreflat. Was even better once we got on the cobbles seeing all the shops and the Rovers loved every minute. Would definitely recommend.

As a football ( soccer ) coach and fan, my wife and I stopped by here to check out some history. It…read morewas located in a nice area surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, pubs, and entertainment. There weren't too many people in when we visited so we had the opportunity to use the interactive exhibits (most of which were free, you just had to grab the ticket hanging on the lanyard next to the scanners to use). My wife and I had a great time and got a good work out in using the interactive exhibits such as the passing, shooting, and penalty blocker games. Great place to take the kids as they will be napping good after.

National Football Museum is the largest football museum in the UK, and even as a big football fan…read morewho follows Manchester City all over the country I was a little disappointed in general, and found that ever since the museum now charges it just doesn't offer value for money any more at £10 entry, I really do think the donations basis was better as obviously the museum does receive great funding from Manchester City Council, and for someone who works in the city centre even though I live just outside the city region, it is quite dissapointing that the free entry isn't rolled out to all Greater Manchester residents. When it was built, Urbis was one of the most recognisable and cool buildings in the city centre, being next to the Corn Exchange, Printworks and Victoria Station, but with Manchester's impressive and growing skyline that has been dwarfed slightly. They do have replica premier league and FA Cup trophies which are a nice addition considering they are some of the main domestic trophies within England, but with the current holders of both trophies being Manchester City, my club have been excellent in bringing the real trophies on a "trophy tour" at various points within the city centre such as bringing them to Selfridges nearby, or to WHSmith in Piccadilly Station and even the women's team trophies to the Manchester Arndale. They do have some interesting changing exhibits including from 1966, where football came home and England won the world cup, defeating West Germany 4-2 in the World Cup Final, but I do think they could have more information focused on more recent history. A cool museum but I'm yet to see the improvement to warrant the enterance fee, and it just left me a little disappointed. 2*

We were advised to go to the museum in a bar the night before. It was a pleasantly surprising…read moreexperience. You have free entry to an excellent walk through of English history in light of worker rights and living conditions. It takes you from Peterloo to current day by exploring the impact of class distinction, the industrial revolution and onwards. Very interesting and insightful.

I'm going to do something really bad right now. I'm going to review a museum... café! Without…read morereviewing the museum itself, you see. So last Saturday I sidled in here, sheltering from the Mancunian drizzle, to get me some lunchtime eats. I was greeted by a very pleasant man who seemed to be running the show by himself, and there were countless comfy sofas and chairs and vertigo-inducingly high tables and stools dotted around. It was quiet, and that's the way I like it. The Left Bank café's incredibly sleek, as one would expect from a Couture Café enterprise (my, all Manc's museum eateries seem to be in bed with one another!). I clocked the chalkboards behind the dude in charge and saw 'vegetarian hot sandwich'. SOLD! Only then I was crushed, because as soon as I started saying it the gent told me the chef doesn't work on weekends so the options were pre-made sandwiches and soup. But this is where the place started to shine. When I heard tomato I winced, thinking, 'If this is cream of tomato, I'm outie.' Nope! Inspection of the self-service vat revealed a vegetably proper Italian soup, and since it was self-service, I totally abused my bowl. The bread was also help yourself, in a cute little box behind the soup, with options of white and granary. Very nice it was too. Combined with a very good strong coffee my lunch only cost me a little over a fiver, and I was full to the brim. I made a mental note to go back on a weekday and try more of their options. Oh, and I might have to check out the museum too. PHM, thankies for providing me with a most pleasant weekend afternoon!

This is a very impressive museum full of artifacts and exhibits. We loved everything about this…read moremuseum and the best part was the entrance is free! They have artifacts from Egypt, Africa, and many locations. They have quite a bit of wild animal exhibits representing the different species in the UK. They have a nice cafe to sit and rest also. They have a lift. I definitely recommend this museum. So nice and so much to see.

Imagine it is 150 years ago, and you are a rich, white English dude. You travel the world and…read moresimply help yourself to whatever catches the fancy of your magpie little brain. You plunder flora and fauna, antiquities, important cultural objects from other peoples. You compete with other rich, white dudes to create the biggest collection of the most random things someone could think of. "I have one of every butterfly on each of the inhabited continents!" "Oh yeah, my stuffed 2-toed sloth is bigger than yours!" Fast forward to the present, and the current caretakers of this hodgepodge of objects of dubious provenance are tasked with creating cohesive exhibits for the public. There are some really interesting pieces in the museum. I was able to hold a 2,000 year-old carved stone perfum vial. See the cross section of a turtle skeleton (so cool how the spines follow the inner curve of the shell), admire a stuffed porcupine. It was fascinating to think about what caught the fancy of people in the past. I would have loved to have seen more discussion of how these objects came to be, and what that tells us about classism, racism, and the history of imperialism. Be that as it may, I'm glad to see that someone's past light fingeredness is at least entertaining and educating the public today, instead of collecting dust in a storage facility somewhere.

What an amazing and historic landmark! I would recommend anyone tour through the Library. The…read morearchitecture is beautiful and the rare manuscripts and artifacts they house are incredible. They are having a special display of one of Shakespeare's plays, one of the oldest New Testaments, even artifacts from King Nebuchadnezzar's palace. They will all be on display which will be quite amazing to see. This is a must see in Manchester! Truly amazing how it has stood the test of time.

Love spending time in libraries while on holiday (vacation) Stunning late-Victorian neo-Gothic…read morelibrary , John Rylands Library opened at the turn of the 20th century and is a gorgeous remnant of Manchester. Potter-heads would appreciate the look and feel inside the library is inspired the design for Hogwarts. I'm not sure if the Factory Records exhibit is still on display, but I'm a huge fan of Factory Records bands (ie. New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays etc.) and bands that came out of Manchester, the Smiths, James, Buzzcocks, The Fall to name few. It was an experience seeing original handwritten lyrics, instruments played, old punk zines, photos and badges on display.

Expensive for what it is. Staff are helpful but the place struggles to justify its priceread more

The Heights of Abraham are the most famous tourist attraction in the very touristy spa-town of…read moreMatlock. Many a family comes from the surrounding cities of Manchester, Derby and Sheffield to spend the day exploring Matlock, and few can resist the CABLE CAR RIDE up to the attraction of The Heights of Abraham. To travel on the cable cars and enter The Heights of Abraham, one has to part with a steep ten pounds. The cable car journey itself is great fun, and if you haven't done it before, has novelty value, but if I'm honest, it's the best thing about the entire place, and it only goes downhill (no pun intended) from there. At the top you will find a shop selling memorabilia but as you can imagine this is largely tat, and much of it bears no relation whatsoever to the area or the place. You will also find a greasy canteen style café selling tea and coffee, baguettes, cakes, hot dogs, soups and jacket potatoes. The food is nice, but very overpriced, so expect to be stung yet again. There's also a restaurant, but its not much of restaurant as it only sells burgers, paninis and salads. These are nice, but also expensive, with a burger setting you back a good seven quid. Your ticket also includes the chance to explore two old disused mines which are pretty interesting and definitely worth seeing, though half an hour is enough time to cover both of these. There's also a rock museum, the boredom induced by which speaks for itself. On the whole it's a close call as to whether its worth it. Perhaps one should go once if in the area. The cable cars are good, and cost some millions to make, but its very expensive to go and once you're there. Basically yelpers, I'm leaving it up to you.