Glasgow Day trip

[Jasmine4891]

Hello,
I would appreciate any help to plan my day trip to Glasgow in early August.

I'm going with 3 teens and I will be driving.
So far I have the following:
Science Centre
Tall Ship
Kelvingrove Art Museum

Would love some feedback on whether this is feasible, order preference for activities, and whether there are other things more suited for 3 teens. Additionally, any advice on driving/parking would be super helpful too.

Lastly, any recommendations for must try vegetarian food places.

Thank you!

The tall ship is good but undergoing some improvements so some sections might be closed off. If you were going then you may as well go to the Riverside museum as you will park in the same car park.

I would start with the science centre, it’s quite interactive with a few different levels. Parking is right there but you pay to park.

I love Kelvingrove, sometimes parking is a bit of a nightmare but I’ve always been able to find a space if I keep driving round for a while.

It is possible to do all 3 in the same day but you would probably be skipping a lot to try fit it all in. I would start with the one you most want to visit and then plan the least wanting to visit third incase you run out of time.

Thank you so much Hiddenvoice.
Listing activities in order of interest is a great idea, I unknowingly did this too.
With your update on the Tall Ship, I may reconsider the list order.
Thanks again

Ox and Finch in Finnieston is fantastic for vegetarians. One of my favourite restaurants.

I've been to the science centre recently and I don't think I could have spent more than 90 minutes there. A majority of the exhibitions are geared towards young children so I think your teens might be bored rather quickly.

I'm in Glasgow most weekends and have a West End day out booked next month for my daughters 16th birthday Our plans are:

Kelvingrove Museum in the AM
'Valaria' on Byres Road for brunch/coffee & cake ~12noon
Wander around Botanic gardens, maybe feed some squirrels ~2pm
Oran Mor/ Ashton Lane for mocktails ~3pm

You could see if Oran More has any 'Pie, Pint, Play' sessions on, which are usually really good.
You also have the Grosvenor Cinema for a vintage-feel cinema experience.

Just taking the time to wander around the West End and pop into some of the quirky little shops along the side streets and lanes can easily kill an hour or two.

Thank you for sharing your plans MaryBethMayfair. Looked up TripAdvisor reviews after your comment and many are also saying the Science Centre is geared more for under 10s but I had to search the thread for 'older children' to find those reviews.
West End sounds good, will look it up!

Thank you Plump82 for the recommendation, would you happen to know whether they sell veggie haggis by any chance?

@Jasmine4891 they don't, it's more a sharing plates kind of place but if you're after veggie haggis then I'd recommend Straveign which is in the West End also so handy if you're basing yourself there for the day.

Thank you Plump82, so helpful to know. Definitely want to try some veggie haggis.

I’d say if you’re doing science centre then I would do the riverside museum as the two are near to each other. Tall ship is just next to the riverside.

There are lots of good vegan food places around the Patrick area which isn’t far- non viet vegan for Vietnamese, the 78 for Mexican, and Suissi for Malaysian, there’s also a fully vegan bakery called plant blonde which sometimes also has soup and sandwiches. If you had time (and I think it would be a push) then Kelvingrove is just along from these places.

With teens I would probably skip The Science Centre/ Tall Ship and stick to the west end. Kelvingrove is great, as is The Hunterian at Glasgow University where the grounds are also good for a wander and photo opportunity. If you have time you could subway to the city centre and do the mural trail https://www.citycentremuraltrail.co.uk/

My almost teen DD has definitely outgrown the science centre, unless going with younger cousins.
She still enjoys the Kelvingrove, the Riverside and Huntarian (Glasgow uni).

Ka Poa do great vegetarian/vegan fare - highly recommend the corn ribs.
Valeria is very nice and instagamable for teens but no good if anyone’s vegan.
Loop and scoop is popular with teens for dessert.

If you’re at Kelvingrove I’d walk through the park and up to the Huntarian at the University. They might like the Hogwarts feel of the courtyard and university buildings and the museum has an eclectic collection.

oc & Finch v good but book ahead. Mother India nearby if they like curry.

depending on the weather (and if you have similar near where you live) the botanical gardens are nice with the glasshouses. You could have a picnic there or in Kelvingrove, and pick up items on Byres Road.

Centre of Glasgow is fine but you’d find similar shops anywhere (although dd enjoyed urban outfitters as there isn’t one near us!) Merchant City/ the murals might be interesting

Pizza Paesano near the university might be fun too.

Thank you so much for all your replies!

Got a great selection of veg places to look into.
And thank you also for mentioning teen orientated things, it's always a tricky age to fathom what will be not too old/not too young for them.

My tip if you’re driving around these different venues is that parking is now expensive! The council car parks at the museums require you to use RingGo, so get that downloaded if you don’t already use it 👍 The machines don’t take notes or cards, only coins, so bring cash if you struggle with RingGo.
You’ve had loads of good suggestions! I would add: if you park at KG for the day, you can do the museum, park and then Byres Rd, even up to the Botanics. Byres Rd is great for teens who enjoy vintage shops, there are lots of really good charity shops 😊

Kelvinbridge carpark is the best value. West end parking can be £££.

Just wanted to provide an update post day trip. We parked in KG car park (forgot to take enough coins, but there was a phone number to call and pay for parking, as well as the Ringo app). The car park also hired out e-bikes. Visited the Tall Ship first, you access it via the free Riverside Museum. Tall ship was great, had interactive elements such as smell buttons and sound sensors, as well as video footage to sit and watch. It felt like we had stepped back in time. Could access all parts of the ship and entry price was reasonable. Also had a cafe below deck. My teens enjoyed the Tall Ship.
After the ship went onto River Clyde powerboat ride which was next door. This was pricier but the person running it was fab. My teens got to sit on the inflated part of power boat on return trip and really enjoyed this. You get views of main town area and the working dock area along the river. A hit with teens, went for 20 min option but there was a 45 min option to go to Erskine bridge, would have preferred this but was out of my price range. However the lovely person did go over the 20 min and was very generous with his time.
We visited Riverside Museum next, this was another gem. It had a Victorian street, with shops you can go inside of. Some of the trams/buses were open to go in and explore. Felt very interactive. Teens were impressed.
After this, walked back to KG museum, a good 15/20 minute walk, but routes are signposted really well and spotted some murial's along the way.
KG was another impressive museum, could have spent half a day here. Teens were busy with animal display area and I loved to see works by artists I had read about. The Dali painting is stunning. They also play the huge organs at 1pm but we had missed it. The building itself is stunning and plenty of exhibits to keep teens entertained. They also had a cafe.
In the gift shops in both museums there was merchandise with the phrase 'people make Glasgow '. This was very fitting, the people are lovely and a memorable part of the experience.
Thank you to all who replied with suggestions, it made the day trip so much easier to plan.
Had a lovely day trip in Glasgow, highly recommend it!

Thank you for the update, glad you had a great time!

That’s a shame they charge for Tall Ship now it used to be free, but glad price was reasonable for you anyway.

@kikisparks I was just about to write the same thing.

Hope you found somewhere nice ti eat too @Jasmine4891 .