Chairs in here are extremly comfortable! Have great shows here and seats positioned for a great…read moreviewing! Well layed out place. Great day out for the whole family

They have a good range of shows and events here and a small art gallery…read more You can book tickets online but there is a £2.50 charge for doing so. There is usually parking spaces but you do have to pay around £1.50 to park for the length of a average show, and that includes evenings and weekends. The main theatre is small but adequate and doesn't feel too cramped. The view is great from any seat and they are layered well enough that a big person in front will not obstruct your view. They do a range of activities for children during term time and holidays. The drama lessons are great as my daughter has been to them. They also do adult ones but I haven't been so can't comment. The restauarant is expensive compared to eating in twon but comparable with other places that have a captive audience! You can order drinks for the break and they have them ready for you to save time. They will not do hot or speciality drinks during intervals as the bar obviously gets very busy. They sell tiny tubs of ice cream that are quite expensive but very nice and locally produced. The toilets are clean and plenty enough. There is a small play area for children under the stairs which is good for occupying them while you have a pre-show drink. The interior of the building is very fresh and open but the outside is starting to show signs of wear and tear. For parents, there is a great play area at the end of the carpark so do cheack that out if you want to let them let off steam. It doesn't belong to the theatre but has a very good range of well maintained equipment for all ages.

Lovely little place. Admission free so pop in! Nice old furniture. Informative talks.read more

A prominent place in high town. Definitely worth a visit. Admission is free. Very informative talks…read more& lovely selection of very old furniture etc to look at in the different rooms of the house.

Charming free (donation only) local museum geared for children and adults with a small art gallery…read morein the back, worth the stairs to the second floor for a look. The displays are quite nicely thought out and the hands on for the kids is very considerate and fun.

Lovely art displays in here and is a great little place to look around. Loved it when i went here…read morewith my old school. The art displays will fasinate you for hours. Libary downstairs which is very handy!

I was invited to the grand opening of the Heineken bar at Symphony hall this week and thought it…read morewould be rude to refuse. So I grabbed a couple of friends and headed down after work. The bar is located on the third floor entrance but is usually only available to Symphony Hall ticket holders. It's a nice open space from which you can see views of the city. The Heineken is served at minus 1 degrees which is very refreshing. They also serve limited wine options and a couple of other drinks. Bostin Brass played a great set during the event and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere. If you are going to see a show I would recommend that you have a look. Why not?

Birmingham Symphony Hall is, without a doubt, the best classical concert venue in the Midlands -…read moreblessed with a superior local orchestra (one of the best outside of London) and conductor, fine acoustics, and a nice, traditional concert atmosphere. You would never expect such a traditional-looking venue when you approach and enter the larger building that is the Convention Centre. When I visited in February they were tearing down the front of the Convention Centre, not interfering with the concerts. And I can't blame em, the old front sure was ugly enough. ;) - It's located a 10 minute walk from the New Street area. A pity that my latest concert, though featuring an attractive programme and an internationally recognized soloist, was rather sparsely attended: The place was half-empty. How is it possible that a 1+ million town cannot fill a symphony hall on any given night? Weird.

If you want to learn about history of cider-making this is the right place!…read more Discover for yourself how apples were harvested, milled, pressed, fermented and finally turned into that drink that we know today. You would also learn about apple varieties, colours, and even get a brief glance into apples in history and geography. There is also Bulmers board room and managers office, as well as old cellar. Throughout your visit there are quite a few films, audio explanations and interactive displays which breaks up standard reading. The cafe is very reasonably priced with teas served in china.

I really liked this, it was informative and brought together a lot of aspects I knew something…read moreabout already, which made it all make sense to me. It does entail a lot of reading though, so may not be too good if you don't learn much just by reading. Or in fact if you've got toddlers or young children. There's a lot of glass (bottles etc) on display so you couldn't really read everything and ensure none get smashed at the same time! For older children there are little quizzes and colour-in pages to keep them interested. The displays are also quite colourful and some are interactive. There is a lot to go through in a small space though and it is well worth a visit. The ticket price includes a self-guided tour and a taste of some of the produce. There is also a gift shop and a café which are reasonably priced.

Surely the best hidden gem Bristol has to offer…read more Its not often Sam N and I find ourselves in the very centre of Bristol. Historically the haven of neon bars, scantly dressed girls and hot headed lager louts. However, to be fair, the centre has changed somewhat in recent years, and while those places still exist, there are a lot more reasons to visit the centre than to avoid it these days. Smoke and Mirrors lies on Denmark street, a seemingly uninteresting road just beside the hippodrome and the main cluster bars, chicken shops and kebab houses. Its, almost clandestine, location suits it perfectly and it just wouldn't have quite the same amount of charm if it was anywhere else. It labels itself as a theatre pub and I guess thats as a fair description as any. I fell in love with it as soon as I entered. It just feels like a hidden gem immediately, even before you are struck by all the quirkiness that lies within. Quirkiness aside, the place itself is a rather old fashion, small, but quint pub. The whole place is an oxymoron in as much as the very fact that it doesn't try to be 'cool' makes it one of the coolest places I know. Despite its small size there has been live music several times we've been there. Its a very non offensive variety of live music, the kind you can get involved with, enjoy as a backdrop or ignore completely. I feel like there are few places left like this, where you can drink to the backdrop of live music rather than it being so in your face. Last time we were there we had an absolute blast shouting endless requests at the guitarist, who indulged every one of them. He was so good we grabbed a card off him. The bar itself serves all manner of fairly mainstream drinks, it would perhaps be more fitting for it to serve one or two local drinks from the many of the firmly established local breweries bristol has to offer. There is a happy hour on cocktails, my recollection of such times is understandably hazy. They also have a rather tasty array of bar snacks. The scotch eggs and sausage rolls are really rather lovely and basically mean that you never have to leave :) Not surprisingly its a Saturday evening is when its at its peak, and can get rather busy, however it does so without ever feeling too busy, perhaps this is down to the magicians that roam through the crowd blowing everyones minds with various card tricks. Its great fun and never feels over the top. It just adds to the mood, and one of the many compounding factors that make it such a special place in my eyes. There is a small room the back which they use for intimate shows, the dates of which they mix up a bit. It appears that generally Monday it is an open mic comedy night where as Fri and Sat usually hold performances from the house magicians. However they are frequented by special guests so I guess its worth keeping an eye on the events calender. All in all, smoke and mirrors is a great place to go and by far my favorite place in central Bristol.