With 12 acres of well planned gardens right next to the Clifton Downs, Bristol Zoo is a popular attraction for families. There are lions, bugs, hippos, cute little red pandas and crazy okapi. Plus, you can get up in the treetops with the gibbons and lemurs in the amazing ZooRopia area: a rope course that runs across 17 themed sections! ZooRopia is designed to be all inclusive, and is safe for children of all abilities over the age of five. Parents will be happy to know the zoo also has a bunch of themed kids’ play areas, perfect for blowing off some steam!

Great for: Day Trips

The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is housed in a stunning building on Queens Road. Its collections include important Egyptian artefacts, natural history collections and plenty of displays dealing with Bristolian local history. The art gallery has links with notorious Bristolian street artist Banksy, whose biggest ever exhibition was held there in 2009 after an entirely secret design and curating process. The gallery houses paintings from all periods of classical and modern art, including many by internationally recognised names. The museum and art gallery are both open year round, from 10am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 10am to 6pm on weekends and Bank Holidays.

Great for: History & Art

Colston Hall is the unofficial home of music in Bristol – and in keeping with the city’s creative heritage, it features tons of alternative and world musicians as well as major bands on international tours. You’ll see everything on the Colston Hall programme, from classical and avant garde music to pop, rock and electronic. The Hall hosts lunchtime concerts, evening shows and special events, and is also a prime venue for comedy, theatre and exhibitions. Colston Hall is linked to Spike Island (one of the warehouses on the waterfront), and often holds exhibitions there too. The respected Bristol International Jazz and Blues festival is often held at Colston.

Great for: Music