Weekend in Bristol with my teenage daughters - what to do?

[NigellaWannabe1]

Hi, we’ve got this hotel booked in Bristol to have a girlie weekend and celebrate one of my daughter’s birthday. For context, they’re 13 and 15.

its going to be so very hot though - 32 degrees on Saturday. And I don’t know Bristol very well at all. What can we do considering the weather? Please also let me know if you have any recommendations for restaurants. Thanks!

Wake the Tiger

Wake the tiger
Gromit trail (walking around the city)
Shopping

I was going to suggest Wake the Tiger too.
I think you need to book

We love visiting M Shed, you could definitely kill a couple of hours in there.

We had a few nights in Bristol last year with 2 teenage girls. We did Wake the Tiger and loved it. Also checked out the Banksy’s wandering about. There is also one in the M Shed which would be on my list for doing next time we visit. Wandering about the wharf is lovely. Spitfire BBQ for food was a massive hit. As was Swoon for ice cream up on College Green. We jumped on the water bus which was fun and a good way to see the city.

SS Great Britain is fun.

Go Banksy spotting.
Visit the SS Great Britain
Sometimes the Matthew (replica of tudor ship that John Cabot sailed across the Atlantic) is moored up. If you get chatting to the crew they may let you on board.
Use the ferry to get around the harbour. You can get a hop on hop off ticket.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Aerospace Museum (concorde is there).
The Wild Place
The Wave (need to check it's open. There's been problems with it facing closure).

Another vote for wake the tiger! Me and DH went and I loved it.

Where are you staying? Some of my suggestions are on the northern edge of the city and will need a car.

We won’t have a car, unfortunately. I must check the Wake the Tiger thing, I’ve no idea what it is.

Wander around Clifton Village (near the suspension bridge) - lots of little independent shops and cafes.

We The Curious is a science museum, lots of fun interactive things to do and I think it’s air conditioned. Planetarium too.

Harbourside including SS Great Britain, M Shed, Aquarium, We the Curious, Clifton Village including Suspension Bridge, Observatory and Giant’s Cave, shopping at Cabot Circus and Quakers’ Friars, Castle Park and water bus.

You won't need a car in central Bristol. Plenty of buses, although admittedly the service is a bit creaky on the outskirts.

It's this coming weekend, is it? Maybe check to see if there are any music festivals up on the Downs. Forwards is good, but that's on 23rd/24th August this year.

Where are you from? If you’re from London the shopping will seem awful, but if you’re from a small town it’ll seem amazing!

It’s Pride this weekend in Bristol (mostly Saturday, I think)

Wake the tiger, shopping at cabbot. If it’s really hot and you don’t want to be in the city there is a water park with inflatable assault corse. Gromit trail, hang out down by the harbour side.

Can someone explain what Wake the Tiger is please (in simple terms for Numpties like me!?) I've looked on their website and I'm none the wiser! 😆

It's the harbour festival this weekend.

Lots of music on different stages.
Zaazaa bazaar is a fun place to eat, but book a table.

SS Great Britain
We The Curious
Gromit trail
Bristol Aquarium
Moulin Rouge - age rating 12+ - Hippodrome Theatre - don't sit upstairs if it's hot though as I've heard that it's horrendous when its hot

Harbour Festival is next weekend 18-20th
Pride this weekend

Thats kind of the point TBH, It's arguably a better experience if you have no idea what to expect. :)
We went a couple of years ago - I'd explain it to my kids who went with us as an interactive art exhibition.
We all loved it and I came on this post to suggest it.
Also second above poster - It's Pride on Saturday. You'll probably want to avoid the Broadmead / castle park area because it will be so busy. That is unless Pride is something you and your kids want to get involved in.
I'd also recommend the Gromit trail - there will be an App you can download with a map of all the statues.
Also a Banksy walk will be good especially if either of your kids are interested in art.
If your kids like animals get a bus out to Bristol Zoo project which is north of the city.
Broadmead has some run down areas and with Pride as well deffo look to go around Clifton for any shopping.

It isn't, it's on 18th to 20th - so next weekend.

I live locally & spent a couple of hours yesterday evening walking round the harbourside (carrying right along to Underfall Yard) and it was just so lovely, with boats on the water & balloons going over and all the bars & restaurants buzzing, as well as lots of people just hanging out by the water. So in this heat I'd recommend that rather than getting stuck indoors for the evening. Saturday afternoon/evening the Pride festival will be on the Downs - my Dd is going to that and avoiding the centre.

It’s an “immersive experience” you wander around an intricately designed setting, lots of different rooms and spaces with various themes. There’s puzzles and clues and doors to open, you’re encouraged to open boxes, or go through fireplaces or doors to see what’s on the other side. It’s genuinely brilliant. There’s a vague story / quest but it’s not something you have to think too much about.