Bristol might not be at the top of the list for any visitors to the UK - you are probably more likely to visit cities such as Bath, Edinburgh or York. But this thriving city shouldn't be overlooked.... Bristol has a fascinating industrial and maritime heritage which is still evident all over the city, but today the river is more likely to be filled with pleasure boats than with barges. And it also has an exciting and vibrant nightlife with one of the best live music scenes in the country. And to top it all off there are also some excellent cultural attractions, including the oldest working theatre in the UK. Bristol’s always been cutting edge; John Cabot sailed from Bristol and became the first European known to set foot on mainland America in 1497. A perfect replica of his ship, The Matthew, is open to visitors in the Harbour. Brunel designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge, city icon, which still carries traffic 300ft above the Avon Gorge. Admire the view from the Bridge and see the Visitor Centre. Down in the Harbour lies the great iron steam ship the ss Great Britain. Brunel’s revolutionary design cut journey times for passengers to America and Australia. Go below decks to see cabin life of the time, there's even a glass blower on site. Visit Georgian Clifton Village; wander around its antique or specialist shops and re-discover quality and old fashioned service. Take a heritage walk around Bristol’s Old Quarter, where merchants paid on the brass Nails, frequented coffeehouses and built in the Venetian style. Stylish bars and top restaurants have now colonized this area. Enjoy! Methodism began in Bristol and you can visit John Wesley’s Chapel, the world’s first Methodist Chapel, where he used to preach. Bristol is famous for building Concorde, for the industries of glass making and printing and infamous for its role in the Slave Trade. See the exhibitions at The Bristol Industrial Museum on the quayside by the cranes, relic of a time when the City Docks were a major trading port. This is a city that has been at the cutting edge of discovery and creativity since the Middle Ages and is still reinventing itself - with avant-garde attractions like the unique Harbourside development and a buzzing nightlife scene. Fashionable, artistic and creative; a melting pot of food, history, and culture waits for you in Bristol
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