Covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we've cherry picked the best new UK attractions you need to visit this year and into 2024, from museum exhibitions to theme park thrills.
If you're a skydiving fan, chances are you've visited many of the UK's indoor experiences. But have you ever skydived against a backdrop of real chalk cliffs? You can do just that with the unique outdoor machine at the Hangloose Adventure Bluewater park in Dartford – it's the first of its kind in the country and it opened last year. Daredevils can also take on England’s longest zipline at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97km/h) and brave Europe’s biggest cliff swing.
When complete at the end of 2024, the King Charles III England Coast Path is set to be the longest of its kind in the world at a whopping 2,700 miles (4,498km). It’s opening in sections; with new stretches including an 11-mile (18km) expansion of the South Cumbria path. To coincide with the planned completion of this epic trail, the National Coastal Tourism Academy has designated 2023 the Year of the Coast, with a calendar of events taking place around the entire English coastline. There's still time to catch Bournemouth’s Christmas Tree Wonderland, taking place throughout November and December, where its Lower Gardens will be transformed into a twinkling 60-foot (18m) trail of glittering trees leading down to the seafront.
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The 17th-century Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings played a major role in the Industrial Revolution and in September 2022 the site finally opened to the public. Four of its listed buildings have been restored – these include the Main Mill, which is dubbed the ‘Grandparent of Skyscrapers’ and which has opened as a visitor destination for the very first time. The ground floor exhibition is split into five themes, exploring the site’s history, workers and legacy, while a multisensory experience in the old Engine House brings the Mill’s original steam engine to life.
In November 2022, the Wirral’s Eureka! Science + Discovery centre opened at the Seacombe ferry terminal. The colourful, interactive site captures kids' interest in science, arts, technology and maths with its three exhibitions (Bodies, Home and Nature). Design your own toothpaste, listen to wildlife in the Nature Den and make and create in a dedicated craft space. Plus, your pass means you can revisit as many times as you’d like for free for the next 12 months. That's our kind of maths.
History-making locomotive the Flying Scotsman turns one hundred years old this year, with the famous train’s centenary being celebrated with a jam-packed programme of events. Currently, families on half term can head to the National Railway Museum in York, where the Flying Scotsman will be on display in the Great Hall until 5 November. Buy tickets for the VR experience for a truly immersive adventure.
400 years ago, William Shakespeare posthumously had 36 of his game-changing plays collated into one volume for the first time: a collection known as the First Folio. To celebrate four centuries of “one of the most important books in Western literature”, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has launched a new exhibition in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon called The Great Variety of Readers. The focal point of the exhibition (running until 5th November 2023) is one of the original copies of the First Folio – one of only 50 surviving in the UK – being displayed at Shakespeare’s New Place, where the bard's family home once stood.
You can now visit a 2,000-year-old reconstructed Roman rampart and gateway in Kent at the Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre site – deemed ‘the gateway to Britannia’. Built on the exact same spot as the one included in the original fortifications in 43 AD, the gateway opened in April 2023, along with a new exhibition of amazing historical artefacts discovered at Richborough. The ancient heritage of the port town stems from its strategic position, providing the main entry point to Britain from mainland Europe for the invading Romans.
The Pendine Sands Museum of Speed explores Pendine Beach’s history as a hub for world-breaking speed attempts. The museum recently underwent a £7 million ($8.6m) development, and you’ll even be able to test your own strength by racing to beat motorcyclist Guy Martin’s 2013 record on a simulator.
After opening its second distillery in Llandudno in 2021, esteemed Welsh whiskey brand Penderyn (named for its original location in the Brecon Beacons) has continued its ambitious expansion this year, opening a third site in Swansea’s historic Hafod Morfa Copperworks. As with its other venues, this also functions as a visitor attraction, encompassing a shop, exhibition area and tasting bar.
The GameShow Studios will keep you on your toes – and your fingers on buzzers – with its one-of-a-kind interactive experience. The scene is set: glossy studio, tense music, bright lights and fun games allowing you to be a TV contestant for a day... without actually having to go on TV. Set to launch this autumn, the new attraction is best enjoyed with pals – if you hate escape rooms, you might love this.
Are you ready to board a brand-new, spine-tingling attraction? The Curse at Alton Manor will take you on a hair-raising journey of the Cursed Manor in the resort’s first major ride since 2018. Brave riders will experience special effects and visuals, so if you’re after an eerie ride full of twists and turns, this one’s for you. The theme park closes for the winter at the start of November, so you have a few weeks left to try it out in 2023; otherwise, the park reopens in March 2024.
Following a massive £15 million ($18.2m) transformation, Manchester Museum reopened in February – with good reason to get excited. They've kicked off with an exhibition of golden mummies from ancient Egypt and Sudan (running until the end of 2023), but there are some 4.5 million more objects guaranteed to awe at the free museum, covering human cultures and natural sciences.
LEEDS 2023 is a dynamic Year of Culture festival, designed to showcase this West Yorkshire city to the nation (and the world) as an exciting destination. The year-long extravaganza is sweeping all 33 of the city’s wards, featuring contributions from local communities and world-class creatives across a diverse spectrum of disciplines. The fit-to-burst programme includes music, art exhibitions, theatre, astronomy sessions, themed tours and loads more, with plenty of events taking place in November and December.
Christmas will never end at this new fantasy village in Northumberland. Lilidorei is the world’s largest play structure, with the fantasy homes of fairies, elves and hobgoblins built in a forest clearing at The Alnwick Garden. Get around the site by zipwire, climbing walls, bridges, slides and multiple towers, all while surrounded by 1,400 Christmas trees and giant baubles.
Step aboard a restored steam train and take in scenic views of the Rheidol Valley with the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Recent additions include a ticket office and platform, but new since spring/summer 2023 is a steam engine museum housed in an engine shed, plus a new café. Trains started operating for the season in February and are now running daily until the wintertime.
A devastating fire sadly destroyed the Crannog Centre in June 2021, but a new museum and visitor centre have now reopened in its place. Located on the northeastern side of Loch Tay, the centre showcases an outstanding archaeology collection, plus recreated crannogs (ancient houses built over water and connected by bridges). Learn about life as a Crannog dweller from 2,500 years ago by booking an Iron Age crafts workshop.
Chessington’s newest area includes Mandrill Mayhem, a terrifying roller coaster that sweeps around the World of Jumanji to a summit of the 55-foot (16m) tall Jaguar Shrine, before repeating the journey – while going backwards. There’s also the Ostrich Stampede, the Mamba Strike ride and the Jungle Maze to get hopelessly lost in. Plus, you can stay at Jumanji-themed rooms in the Chessington Safari Hotel. The park is open on most dates from March until November each year.
There’s real change happening at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, which has opened just eight miles (13km) from Loch Ness. Drawing on connections to Gaelic culture, the centre encourages you to ‘rewild’ yourself by enjoying its forestland, natural amphitheatre, pond habitat and 'Bothy storytelling space'. Explore accessible trails and learn about how a pair of golden eagles have successfully reared a chick here for the first time in 40 years.
The historic Blenheim Palace unveiled a brand-new attraction in its grounds on 1 April 2023. The Lost Garden, a giant outdoor adventure play attraction, features quirky wooden structures, interactive water features, play trails and winding walkways. There’s also an elevated Wilderness Play area with aerial walkways, rope bridges and tunnels, ideal for older children. Adults can watch from the terrace overlooking the central water play area.
A colourful new playground has hit Butlins’ Skegness resort – and it’s included in the price of your stay. SKYPARK features epic climbing towers, trampolines, tube slides and the UK’s longest interactive seesaw, with several wheelchair-accessible attractions. Plus, the towers and slides light up, meaning that the fun can continue after dark.
While the Cliffhanger – the Isle of Wight’s only rollercoaster – closed down at the end of October 2022, Blackgang Chine has welcomed a new arrival in 2023 in celebration of its 180th birthday. Named Extinction, this fully rotating pendulum swing reaches giddying heights of 59 feet (18m), making it the largest ride in the UK's oldest amusement park.
You can currently catch the international smash-hit musical SIX at London’s Vaudeville Theatre, but if you can’t make it to the capital, fear not – the historical heartbreak pop-concert about King Henry VIII's wives is going on tour across the UK and Ireland in 2023. Cambridge, Belfast, Newcastle and Portsmouth are just a few of the cities where you can experience this unmissable show, before the tour concludes at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal on 26 November.
The Lavender Theatre is a new open-air performance venue surrounded by scented lavender fields in the south of England. The 250-seat auditorium (don't worry, it's covered to fend off potential rain) opened to ticketholders this summer with a revival of Annie, Get Your Gun. You'll also find a full-service glasshouse restaurant, but if you’d rather enjoy your pre-show meal among the fragrant lavender rows, there are plans to offer picnics to audience members. The 2024 season line-up is set to be announced this autumn.
Between 16-19 November 2023, be amongst the thousands of visitors to Lumiere Durham, a spectacular public art event that makes for a dazzling winter evening. Local and global artists will temporarily transform Durham’s buildings and public places with vibrant works; pictured here is the In Our Hearts Blind Hope artwork projected onto the mighty Durham Cathedral.
Belfast’s Titanic Quarter has now welcomed a new whiskey distillery in its historic Titanic pump house. Offering four different tours with tastings included, Titanic Distillers at Thompson Dock allows visitors to walk in the footsteps of dock workers who would have worked the site where RMS Titanic lay in wait for her doomed maiden voyage, after being built on the city's slipways.
The V&A Dundee began hosting its flagship exhibition, Tartan, on 1 April and it runs until 14 January 2024. It takes centre stage as the first major exhibition curated by the must-visit museum. Discover the global story of this unique textile and its complex history, and look at loaned items from around the world including offerings from Dior, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
Bristol has so many causes for jubilation in 2023, with a year of notable anniversaries including 200 years of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery plus 60 years since the landmark Bristol Bus Boycott anti-racism campaign in 1963. All this and more is being honoured with Bristol 650, a year-round celebration to mark the 650th anniversary of Bristol getting its royal charter. There are new attractions being unveiled, such as a unicorn-themed sculpture trail, and you can even take a hot air balloon ride over the city until 8 April 2024. Pictured here is the annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, which will next take place from 8-11 August 2024.
Coming soon to London’s County Hall – situated next to the London Eye on the Thames embankment – the Paddington Bear Experience takes the story of the much-loved bear from darkest Peru and gives it a multi-sensory makeover. Marking 65 years since author Michael Bond had his first Paddington Bear book published, this interactive experience will follow the kind-hearted bear and his adopted family, the Browns, on a new escapade as they prepare for “a very special day”. Tickets haven’t been released just yet, but keep an eye on the website for details.
This well-heeled London neighbourhood is famed for its five-star hotels, swish restaurants and world-famous department stores – but once upon a time this part of London sat on rural marshland and was preyed upon by petty thieves. On a walking tour you'll learn fascinating facts about the area's evolution and history, from the legend surrounding how it got its name, to its development into a shopping area in the 1800s with the arrival of Benjamin Harvey’s linen shop in 1831 (now Harvey Nicholls). You'll also wander past Hyde Park Barracks, which since 1795 has been home to the Household Cavalry and their trusty steeds, who emerge in their plumed finery each week to clip-clop through Hyde Park for the Changing of the Guard. The self-guided walking trail map is available at knightsbridgeldn.co.uk or for a guided experience, Sophie Campbell, a Blue Badge Guide who researched the map, offers tours for up to 10 people for £280.
In 2024, the National Gallery will celebrate 200 years of bringing people and paintings together, with a suite of projects known as NG200 set to kick off in May 2024. Spread across the UK, 12 museums in 12 regions will celebrate the National Gallery’s bicentenary. There'll also be two travelling art studios touring the UK on an Art Road Trip, bringing workshops and learning activities to 200 communities. The highlight is bound to be the Summer on the Square festival held in Trafalgar Square, directly outside the London landmark (pictured).
The sad news is that Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery closed in 2021 for essential building work. The good news, though, is that when it reopens in 2024, many of the centre's beloved objects and artworks will also return. In the meantime, a selection of their exhibits are temporarily housed at different museums; the Staffordshire Hoard – the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found – is currently on display at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, for example.
Discover what (and who) makes Blackpool shimmer at Showtown, an immersive museum located on the Promenade (pictured) and set to open in 2024. There will be six galleries about seaside holidays, shows, dance and the legendary Blackpool Illuminations, and you'll discover the comedians, dancers, acrobats and characters who have put Blackpool on the map. Or why not get on the dance floor or design your very own Illumination?
Thanks to LEGOLAND, those inevitable rainy days in the UK are sorted with the addition of an indoor mini golf course at their Windsor site. It's not due to open until 2024, but the new attraction will cover four themes (including pirates) and form part of LEGOLAND Windsor's other new addition, a hotel village.