We’re a few weeks into 2016 now and everyone’s recovered from Christmas enough to start making plans for the New Year. Not “Go to the gym” plans, or “Finally sort out my budget spreadsheet” plans, but good plans for cool stuff you can do for the rest of the year. Fortunately, there are some fantastic places for days out in the UK. Here are just a few suggestions:
Alton Towers
Everybody loves Alton Towers. Some come to admire the stately home, some come for the charming children’s rides, and some come for the rides that actively try to make your life flash before your eyes. This year that latter category is won by the new “Galactica” ride. This ride uses the same “Dangling you face first over the floor so it looks like you’re flying like Superman” trick as their “Air” rollercoaster, but this time you’re wearing a virtual reality helmet so it seems like you’re being catapulted through the cosmos. You’ll come out the other end either awe struck by the majesty of the universe of clinging onto the ground and promising you’ll never let it go again.
London’s Many Museums
If you’re in London one thing you have to do is check out their many, many museums. They’re free and they’re epic in size. You can spend an entire day in the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum or the Victoria & Albert and still not see everything, and all three museums are positioned closely together, so if you do want to skip from want to the other you’re only ever a short walk away. Whether you want to see the dinosaurs, the actual real life Apollo module, or the wealth of amazing outfits at the V&A, there’s something for everyone here.
Harry Potter Studio Tour
The Harry Potter Studio Tour is the perfect day out for anyone who’s ever seen an owl out in the wild and been disappointed that it wasn’t carrying mail. If you’ve got a prominent and recurring bruise on your forehead from every time you’ve passed the wall between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross station, then this is the place for you.
A fanatic chance to explore the actual movie sets from the Harry Potter films, visitors can stroll down Diagon Alley, get a glimpse of Dumbledore’s office and inspect the ancient furniture in the Gryffindor common room.
National Space Centre
When you think “Space age” you can be forgiven if “Leicester” isn’t the next name that jumps to mind, but this city in the Midlands is actually home to the biggest space museum in the country. The National Space Centre boasts planetarium shows, two real life rockets and a piece of actual moon rock alongside hundreds of other fantastic exhibits.
And this year things are bound to get exciting as a host of new events are being scheduled to coincide with British astronaut Tim Peake’s time aboard the International Space Station!
Wherever in the country you are, and wherever your interests lie, the odds are there will be something exciting coming your way in 2016.