Glasgow Travel Guide
Glasgow has gathered some of the most inspiring art collections in the UK, outside London, as well as work from Scottish Art and the famed Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
This offers great things to do in the city. Visitors and locals alike can head to places, such as,
The University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, boasts nationally important art and history collections. They even have a fantastic reconstruction of Mackintosh's own house. The Mitchell library is home to a noted collection of works by Robert Burns and a large family history and genealogy centre. This is a great port of call for American and Canadian visitors who have roots in the city.
Glasgow's major museums offer a year-round itinery of classy exhibitions. Contemporary art is represented by the Gallery of Modern Art, Tramway and the Centre of Contemporary Arts. Glasgow has also produced two winners of the Turner Prize and 30% of Turner Prize nominees since 1985. The city continues to evolve, new or renovated places of art and culture include,
- The Riverside Museum
- Science Centre
- Kibble Palace
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Eclectic music and performing arts go hand in hand with Glasgow and provide great things to do in the city. The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the restored City Halls and the Old Fruitmarket boast a broad range of music genres. The theatre scene in Glasgow is vibrant. The Theatre Royal, together with, The Kings Theatre, attracts audiences of over 500,000 every year (glasgoweconomicfacts.com). The city hosts crowd pulling performances in the Arches, the Citizens' and new venues such as the Tramway. The city is proud to host the majority of Scotland's national arts companies including,
- Scottish Opera
- Scottish Ballet
- The Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
- The National Theatre of Scotland.
The city has been named as the top destination to shop in the UK outside the West End of London and is predicted to retain this position for the next ten years (Experian Retail Ranking 2009). There are over 1,500 shops in the city centre! The city's main shopping haunts can be found at Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street, Argyle Street and Ingram Street ( Better known as The Style Mile).
The Merchant City sits in the historical heart of the city and is the home place of Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Cross and the grand buildings of the Merchants that date back to when the city was the Second City of the Empire. Today this quarter contains a vast array of shopping, hotels and restaurants.
Tourism is rapidly replacing the shipbuilding industry on Glasgow riverside. The waterfront has an excellent selection of leisure attractions and a series of proposed developments. Attractions include,
- Science Centre - one of the city's most popular attractions
- The Tall Ship - Get on-board and learn the realities of life at sea.
- Titan Clydebank - This is popular with locals and tourists alike. You take the lift to the top of one of Scotland largest cranes and are rewarded with breathtaking views of the Clyde and city.
- SECC - Scotland's leading conference and concert facility.
- Braehead - Draws in 1000's of visitors to it's shopping mall, maritime museum and leisure facilities.
- Renfrew Ferry - a busy entertainment venue on the River.
- Xscape - Scotland's first indoor real snow ski slope.
- Springfield Quay - cinema, restaurants, casino, and other leisure adventures.
- Riverside Museum - this museum is still in progress and will house the well known Transport Museum which was based at the Kelvin Hall
Where to Go in Glasgow
TOP PICKS BY OUR LOCAL EXPERTS
The Family History Centre at The Mitchell
The Mitchell North Street Glasgow
Glasgow family history assistance
