Here’s another great list of things to see and do in Glasgow Scotland from our friends at Visit Britain.
1). Riverside Museum – Glasgow’s iconic new Riverside Museum is a fitting home for the city’s world-class transport collection and is a place that will inspire, educate and entertain. The stunning building is located where the River Clyde meets the River Kelvin at the heart of Glasgow Harbour. The design reflects internationally-renowned architect Zaha Hadid’s dramatic interpretation of the collection.
One of the undoubted stars of the new attraction is the Tall Ship SV Glenlee, which has moved to a permanent berth at Riverside – a move that reinforces The Tall Ship‘s position as a major visitor draw and an icon of Glasgow’s shipbuilding heritage.
www.thetallship.com
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
2). Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – One of Scotland’s most popular free attractions. It is home to 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying an astonishing 8000 objects. The collections are extensive, wide-ranging and internationally-significant. They include: natural history, arms and armour, art from many art movements and periods of history, and much more.
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
3). Glasgow School of Art – Charles Rennie Mackintosh was one of the most creative figures of the 20th century and a leading figure in the European Art Nouveau movement.
The Glasgow School of Art, completed in 1909, is thought to be his greatest architectural achievement. Still a working art school, the regular guided tours take visitors through the corridors of this fascinating building, into the Mackintosh Room and furniture gallery, and finishing in one of the most celebrated interiors, the Mackintosh Library.
4). Mackintosh House, University of Glasgow – The Mackintosh House is a reconstruction of the principal interiors from 78 Southpark Avenue (originally 6 Florentine Terrace), the Glasgow home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, the artist Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh from 1906-1914. The Mackintosh House opened as an integral part of the University’s Hunterian Art Gallery in 1981 and great care has been taken to ensure that the sequence of rooms mirrors that of the original.
5). The Burrell Collection, Pollok Country Park – More than 8,000 art objects amassed in a lifetime by the Glasgow shipping magnate Sir William Burrell are housed in the award winning Burrell Collection in the beautiful woodland setting of Pollok Country Park. The collection ranges from work by major artists including Degas and Cezanne, to important examples of late medieval art and Chinese and Islamic art.
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
6). Gallery of Modern Art – The Gallery of Modern Art, housed in an iconic building located in the heart of the city, is the most visited modern art gallery in Scotland and is home to a range of cutting-edge painting and sculpture and a wealth of innovative installations. For over 100 years the building was a centre for business and commercial exchange where information and goods were traded.
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
7). Scottish Football Museum, Hampden Park – The Scottish Football Museum celebrates the unique football heritage of Scotland and is home to some of the world’s most impressive national collection of football related objects, memorabilia and ephemera, including the oldest national trophy, the Scottish Cup. The fourteen galleries allow you to explore the development of the modern game in Scotland, from the 19th century to the present day.
www.scottishfootballmuseum.org.uk/
8). Glasgow City Chambers – The City Chambers, the headquarters of Glasgow City Council is over 100 years old and Glasgow’s finest example of 19th Century architecture. The City Chambers is an impressive symbol of Glasgow’s political strength and historical wealth.
www.glasgow.gov.uk
9). Glasgow style mile – Glasgow’s style mile offers the best shopping in the UK outside of London’s West End. Sauchiehall, Buchanan and Argyll Street are packed full of well-known brands and are home to numerous malls and department stores including Buchanan Galleries, John Lewis, St Enoch Centre and House of Fraser. Princes Square houses a range of designer favourites and the Merchant City is home to exclusive brands and luxury boutiques.
www.glasgowstylemile.com
10). Music in Glasgow – Glasgow has been hailed by Lonely Planet as having one of the best live music scenes in the world and is also a UNESCO City of Music. The city hosts an average of 130 music events each week and it is estimated that music businesses generate some £75 million a year for Glasgow’s economy. Glasgow’s legendary music scene stretches across the whole spectrum from contemporary and classical to Celtic and Country. Its venues are equally varied and include King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut (consistently voted the top live music venue in the UK) www.kingtuts.co.uk, the Barrowlands www.glasgow-barrowland.com/ballroom.htm, O2 Academy www.o2academyglasgow.co.uk, the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centrewww.secc.co.uk, Glasgow Royal Concert Halls www.glasgowconcerthalls.com and many pub and clubs throughout the city.
11). Contemporary Art in Glasgow – No fewer than five Turner Prize winners (Martin Creed, Douglas Gordon, Simon Starling, Richard Wright and Susan Philipsz); six Turner Prize nominees (Christine Borland, Phil Collins, Nathan Coley, Jim Lambie, Cathy Wilkes, Lucy Skaer) have hailed from, trained in, or worked out of the city in recent years. Innovative spaces such as Trongate 103 www.trongate103.com and The Briggait www.thebriggait.org.uk in the heart of the Merchant City); CCA on Sauchiehall Street www.cca-glasgow.com and Tramway on Glasgow’s South Side www.tramway.org are just some of the cutting-edge venues at the very epicentre of the city’s creativity with their year-round programmes of thought provoking events and exhibitions.
12). People’s Palace and Winter Gardens – The People’s Palace, set in historic Glasgow Green, tells the story of the people and city of Glasgow from 1750 to the end of the 20th century. The Palace is home to a wealth of historic artefacts and paintings and film and interactive displays all of which give an insight into Glasgow life.
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
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