Free Activities with Children in Bristol

Bristol is an amazing, vibrant city, with lots of history and culture. It also offers a wealth of colourful entertainment options all year round. From festivals, to amazing street art, including this year's Gromit Unleashed 2 trail, there really is something for everyone. It's easy for the costs to add up though, when you suddenly have children to amuse all day. If you are wondering how you are going to entertain the kids on a budget this summer, here is a round up of all of our favourite free things to do in the city, keeping the costs down, without skimping on the fun!

The Spectacular Miss Saigon: A Bristol Hippodrome Review

I love going to the theatre, which might be apparent to anyone not new to the blog. This is the main reason why I get so excited when we get invited to review performances at the Bristol Hippodrome, and Miss Saigon was no exception. What might be a bit more surprising is that, despite its 29 year history, I've never seen it before. It has an impressive reputation and is considered one of the greats, alongside Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and other stage masterpieces, and I've always wanted to see it. So the big question is, did it live up to its hype? Could a show almost in its 30th year still wow an audience? Damn right, it could. 

The Band Musical Theatre Review - A Fantastic Nostalgic Show

Take me back, take me back, to where I used to be... 

I have been to quite a few Bristol Hippodrome productions as a reviewer, but this one was a bit different. I was a huge Take That fan in my youth and I was anticipating a walk down memory lane, experiencing all the songs and dance moves I remembered from my dim and distant past. It certainly didn't disappoint on that score, but there was so much more to it. This is the story of how I ended up watching what could have been part of my own life story unfold on stage, in the hilarious and touching tale that is The Band Musical.

Toby Carvery, Almondsbury - Review

Considering how close we are to a Toby Carvery, it's quite surprising that we've never been. I'd heard good things about it and driven past many times, so when I was asked if I'd like to review the menu and newly refurbished interior, in return for a free meal, I jumped at the chance. As always, the meal was offered as compensation for my time in writing this review and does not affect my opinions. I have actually booked a table for tomorrow that I'm paying for, because my husband wants to go, now I've told him how good it was. You will also find that this review contains lots of photos of the lovely food and decor and the camera never lies!

Halloween Spectacular at The Wild Place Project, Bristol

The Wild Place Project, near Cribbs Causeway in Bristol, is a sister park to Bristol Zoo. It opened in 2013 and we have been regular visitors ever since. It has been lovely to watch it grow and expand and it is obvious that the staff and keepers have a great affection for the place. The emphasis is very much on the welfare of the animals and their habitats and this is my favourite aspect of the park. It is very close to our house, so we visit a lot, but this time we were invited to review the new Halloween Spectacular, taking place over half term (21st-29th October) and received free admission in return for letting you know what we thought about it.

Bristol Zoo Events for Children

It's been over a year since our last Bristol Zoo Review and this post is a bit different to the last one. This time, I really want to focus on the additional events that are provided on a seasonal basis, as part of your ticket price  Bristol Zoo puts a lot of effort into making the venue even more entertaining for children in the school holidays and so we're going to be reviewing the recent events we attended, as well as those that are coming up in the near future. Most importantly, the next activity in the Zoo's calendar; the Halloween Festival. Obviously, we can't actually review it, as it hadn't happened at the time of writing, but we can tell you all about it. 

My Sunday Photo: Lemur Baby Love

My Sunday Photo: The Lord Mayor's Chapel, Bristol

Sister Act: The High- Energy Musical Extravaganza

I had been looking forward to this performance for weeks. This has been a favourite film of mine since the 90's and it was so exciting to imagine it transferred to the stage, it is such a show-stopper anyway. This is our review of Sister Act The Musical, which turned out to be pretty surprising in many ways. It's always interesting to see how a film transforms on the stage and Craig Revel Horwood's direction brought some twists and turns I was not expecting. We are lucky enough to get press tickets for shows at the Bristol Hippodrome and you can read our previous reviews of Gangsta Granny and Dirty Dancing by clicking the links, if you would like to.

My Sunday Photo: Long Nose Shrew

SS Great Britain Summer Events Programme

School is finally out for us and the last few weeks have been crazy busy. Along with school plays, leavers' celebrations and other events, we somehow managed to squeeze in a visit to one of our favourite Bristol tourist attractions to find out what's on over the summer. The SS Great Britain is somewhere we have always been fond of, as it has a way of growing with children. Each time we go, we discover something different that we hadn't appreciated before. During the summer break, you can get even more for your ticket price with the addition of some amazing extras that will amuse your brood, whatever their age.

My Sunday Photo: Clash of Ages