12 Best Fun Things To Do In Bristol
Bristol’s a great city to visit - there’s loads going on, so you’re sure to have a great time. Here’s our selection of the 12 best fun things to do in Bristol.
.jpg "Bristol Balloon Fiesta © Paul Box")
Bristol Activity Centre
If you're looking for fun activities in Bristol, then The Bristol Activity Centre offers loads of brilliant outdoor activities for adults and children. Here are some of the highlights:
Paintball: Choose from two themed battlefields - an “Urban Venue” or “Woodland Venue” - with real military vehicles and challenging terrain. Low Impact Paintball is also available for younger guests or those that just want to avoid pain!
Quad Biking: Learn how to ride a quad bike on undulating terrain. Whether you’ve got some quad biking experience, or you’ve never ridden one before, you’ll enjoy this course. You’ll get at least 25 minutes on the 300cc quad bikes - enough time to really get a feel for these exciting machines.
Archery: Mankind has been shooting with bows and arrows for hundreds of years - so it’s about time you had a go! The hour-long archery experience starts you off with traditional targets, then moves on to lifelike animal targets. Suitable for 12 years and over.
Clay Pigeon Shooting: With an allowance of 30 clays to shoot and 30 cartridges, an experienced instructor will show you the correct way to use your shotgun. You’ll shoot on several stands in a woodland area, including the “High Pheasant”, “Dropping Duck” and “Rising Teal”. A great fun activity for ages 18+ (16 if accompanied by an adult). Pull!
Choose from packages offering one, two or three different activities. With so many amazing things to choose from you’re sure to have loads of fun.
http://bristolactivitycentre.co.uk/
Be Locked in a Room
If being locked in a room doesn’t sound like fun, you’ve obviously never been to one of the “escape rooms” that are springing up across the country.
“Locked in a Room” in Bristol, sees you and your team of three or more people locked in a themed room, with lots of tricky puzzles and testing clues. Solve these and you might be able to solve the mystery and get out of the room. But you only have an hour to escape…
There are two rooms to choose from:
“Timelock” sees you cast as scientists working on secret government projects. Professor Samuel Pottinger has just been kidnapped by armed assailants - can you discover the Professor’s secret before it’s too late?
In “Invisibility Gene” a rogue scientist is being questioned - and it’s up to you to examine his lab and find out what evil scheme he’s been planning - before it’s too late.
Locked in a Room can cater for groups of up to 44 players, split into teams, and racing each other to see who can escape first. First ones out can watch the others struggle with the puzzles on live CCTV…
Pit your wits against the puzzles in this interactive and immersive challenge.
Climb Cabot Tower
Why? As well as the sense of achievement, you’ll be rewarded with superb views of Bristol from the top of the tower.
Make sure you take your camera so you can capture the 360 degree panoramic views - and to prove you made it all the way to the top.
Cabot Tower was built in 1897 and commemorates John Cabot’s voyage from Bristol, where he discovered America.
Great activity on a clear day - and best of all, it’s completely free of charge!
Comedy and Magic at Smoke & Mirrors
We all like comedy. And everyone loves magic. So why not combine the two? That’s exactly what Smoke & Mirrors does - with their comedy magic show.
There’s a family show in the afternoon - 90 minutes long, and suitable for over 8s, as well as shows in the evenings aimed at adults.
Situated in the heart of the Theatre District, Smoke & Mirrors is also a bar, ideal for pre-theatre drinks, or Bar Food, and has live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
If you’re inspired to have a go at magic yourself, they also run magic courses for kids or for adults - so this could be the start of a magical career!
http://www.smokeandmirrorsbar.co.uk/
Take a Street Art Tour
Bristol is Banksy’s home town - and there are quite a few of his works still on view around the city. But he’s not the only street artist in town - Bristol’s becoming known for its street art.
Why not take an award-winning Street Art Tour to make sure you find all the best street art, and learn all about it from the knowledgeable guides.
There are two tours to choose from:
1. The Bristol Street Art Tour will cover Banksy, and the street art scene in Bristol from the 1980s to the present day.
Starting on College Green this 2 hour guided walk takes in the best street art in Bristol, and always includes some of the latest works.
The tour guides know the artists (including Banksy!), and will try to arrange for painting to be in progress when the tour passes by.
2. The Banksy and Historic Harbour Walking Tour will let you see 5 Banksy artworks, and includes a tour of the old city, a ferry boat ride across the harbour and more.
You’ll get insights into Banksy’s world and learn lots about the history and architecture of Bristol as well as its street art.
http://www.wherethewall.com/tours
Take a Trip on a Bristol Ferry Boat
You can’t visit a maritime city like Bristol and not take to the water at some stage. Thankfully Bristol Ferry Boats run a regular water bus service, and they’re a great way to get around - and a lot more fun than a bus.
They’re great value too. You can get an all-day ticket and hop-on and hop-off whenever you like.
They also run a range of Public Trips, including Waterside Wildlife, exploring the wildlife of the Avon Gorge where you might see lapwings, redshanks, common sandpipers, oystercatchers and grey herons.
The Classic Avon Gorge Trip is a great way to see the entrance to Bristol, the SS Great Britain, the Avon Gorge, and sail under the iconic Bristol Suspension Bridge.
SUP Bristol
If you’re feeling adventurous (and have a good sense of balance), then there’s another fun way to see Bristol from the water - try a Stand Up Paddleboarding adventure with SUP Bristol.
They run taster sessions in the evenings, where newcomers can learn the basics, and be standing up paddling by the end of the session.
At the weekends, you can book a Harbourside Adventure where you can learn how to paddleboard, and explore Bristol Harbourside’s historic waterways under your own steam.
Both experiences include full instruction from qualified guides, and hot showers and changing facilities are available - just in case.
Leap of Faith
If you like your fun with a healthy dose of adrenaline, then Leap of Faith might be just what you’re looking for.
With a 30ft climbing wall, high wire ladder and rope race challenge, there’s lots of exciting challenges to enjoy.
The Giant Swing (30ft) sees you clipped into a harness and winched up to your chosen height - low, medium, hight or extreme - before being allowed to swing freely. Get ready to scream!
Can you take the Leap of Faith? Get clipped on and scale a 30ft wooden pole. Stand on the small platform, and see if you can make yourself jump across and grab the inflatable bag.
It can be moved further away if you’re feeling brave, so you’ll be leaping into the void for the ultimate adrenaline rush.
Clip ’n Climb
A fun, colourful and exciting climbing experience, that will appeal to kids of all ages (and grown-ups too).
Enjoy a variety of climbing challenges, including the Jungle Gym, the Skyscraper or race up two identical walls against the clock.
Or for the ultimate head-to-head challenge - race each other face-to-face up either side of a transparent climbing wall.
You'll be safely harnessed in, and clipped to an auto-belay device which will lower you gently to the ground if you fall off.
Clip 'n Climb is suitable for ages 4+ and weights of 23 stone or less.
http://www.clipnclimbbristol.co.uk/
At Bristol
“At Bristol” is one of the biggest science centres in Britain, and has loads of interactive exhibits and activities to make science fun!
At Bristol has hundreds of hands-on exhibits to choose from - and they’re organised into exciting exhibition spaces including: Build It, Animate It, Food, Our World - no more waste, Flight Zone, Move It and more.
There are loads of Science Shows throughout the day, including Brainworks (emotions and illusions), Splash and Bubble (liquids, gasses and explosions), How My Body Works (including using a model heart to pump fake blood), Launch It (discovering rocket science) and lots more.
At Bristol is home to Britain’s first digital 3D Planetarium - and there are 14 stunning shows to choose from where you can explore the Solar System, the Earth, the Galaxy or tour the Night Sky. A really enjoyable and engaging experience.
The centre also offers engaging Workshops exploring topics as diverse as Fossils, Electricity, DNA, Psychology and more.
Although lots of exhibits and activities are aimed at children and linked to the National Curriculum, there’s loads of fun and interest for enquiring minds of all ages.
Bounce off the Walls at AirHop
Just one of the many cool things to do in Bristol this weekend is AirHop - the world’s largest trampoline park with more than 135 trampolines?
The main court is home to 50 interconnected trampolines, covering a vast area of floor - and there are trampolines on the walls too!
There are also 5 foam pit lanes so you can practice your more acrobatic moves, 2 dodgeball courts, battle beams, slack lines and more.
There’s also a viewing mezzanine and a cafe - so if you just want to watch the fun - that’s ok too.
http://www.airhop-bristol.com/
Bristol Balloon Fiesta
If you can arrange your visit to Bristol to be on the weekend of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - you’re in for a real treat.
Running from Thursday to Sunday, the fiesta offers four solid days of free family fun. Over 150 balloons from around the world attend the fiesta each year, making an unforgettable sight as large numbers take off en masse.
You’ll love the “nightglow” at dusk when tethered balloons glow like giant lightbulbs. There are fantastic firework displays too.
Activities such as model hot air balloon competitions, and entertainment, activities and games from Cirque Bijou mean there’s fun for the whole family.
For the ultimate experience, you can buy a flight in a hot air balloon from one of the balloon experience companies that attend the fiesta.
.JPG "Bristol Balloon Fiesta © Paul Box")
The event itself is free to attend - with just a charge made if you want to park on site.
http://www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/
As you can see from the 12 brilliant activities above - Bristol’s a great place to visit.
There’s a huge variety of fun things to do in Bristol for adults and children alike - we’ve only scratched the surface, so whenever you visit, you’re sure to have a great time.
If you’d like to know more about Bristol, check out our other articles:
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