Family Fun, Outdoor Adventure, Award-Winning Festivals & Cultural Delights
25th July 2017
Bournemouth is renowned as the South Coast leader when it comes to Blue Flag beaches, quality accommodation, outdoor pursuits, award-winning festivals and family fun. Not only does Bournemouth have a Premier League football team but it also boasts seven miles of first-class soft, sandy beaches set against a breath-taking backdrop of majestic cliffs.
New for 2017 are the stunning Bournemouth Beach Lodges – contemporary two-storey accommodation for up to four adults and two children – each with its own hot shower, flushing toilet and galley kitchen. Combining home comforts and a stylish base on the coast, the lodges offer spectacular sea views and are available to book for a three-day weekend or four-day mid-week mini break. Prices start from £275 for a winter break.
In August, the award-winning international Bournemouth Air Festival will be celebrating 10 years with four days of entertainment in the air, out at sea and on the ground, as well as new displays (to be announced). To top off a busy season of music, food and running events, Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival takes place in October, showcasing cultural delights from the world of music, film, dance, arts and performance.
Bournemouth’s perfect location by the sea in picturesque Dorset means that it has both the New Forest and the Jurassic Coastline on its doorstep. It’s a great base to explore and try new open-air adventures like paddle-boarding, kayaking and rambling. Outdoor sports such as cycling and walking are big in Bournemouth – there are acres of space to explore and every view is a photographer’s dream.
Family fun oozes from every corner in Bournemouth and not just down on the sand. There are award-winning attractions within strolling distance of the beach and town centre including an aquarium, indoor rock climbing, two iconic piers, land trains and a brand new 10-screen cinema complex (due February 2017). The Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) hosts pop concerts, conferences and exhibitions throughout the year, while the Pavilion Theatre is home to West End shows, dance performances and pantomimes.
Bournemouth has seen a huge surge in regeneration over the last couple of years, including the creation of a re-landscaped public area on the approach to the pier, complete with a new Tourist Information Centre and waterplay area. Not forgetting the resort’s iconic beach huts which have had a makeover over the last few years in a spectrum of pastel colours which appear on Instagram accounts the world over! There are 2,000 beach huts along the promenade – including the country’s first – available to rent on a daily or weekly basis.
The history and culture of Bournemouth is still prevalent to this day and the beautifully sculptured gardens that run from the town centre to the beach still bloom with Victorian-themed plants and trees throughout. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum sits proudly on the clifftop – showcasing a fascinating chapter in Bournemouth’s history.
This cosmopolitan town is re-inventing itself on an annual basis and 2017 is set to see a new influx of visitors to the town to add to the 6.88 million visitors that already visit each year.
