Bath

[ForeverbyJudyBlume]

DD has a German exchange staying and next weekend we're taking them to Bath. But I've just been researching the Spa stuff and discovered that you can't book in advance, and under 16s can only go in the Cross Bath - and only with one adult per child attending, annoying because there'll be five of us - two dc and the exchange - aged all under 16.

The Cross Bath looks tiny. I guess I want to know is it easy to gain entrance without long queues and how fierce are they about the age policy (exchange is 15 and looks 16) because we won't all be able to go if they strictly enforce it.

Any other suggestions on what to do in Bath with uncultured teenagers who don't care about Jane Austen etc. I'd been counting on the Spa for entertainment.

Can you take them to Bristol instead?

I wouldn’t think it’s worth it. I’d find something else for them to do. They’ll probably like the shops in Bath more anyway!

Lol, no to Bristol ... we've booked a hotel in Bath. OK, they can just go shopping and maybe dh and I will go the adult spa bit

There’s a good crazy golf course in Royal Victoria Park, just along from the Circus. My ds enjoyed a tour of the Roman Baths but does quite like historic things.

Walcott Street has some vintage style shops and a tucked away comic store.

You can hire boats to go along the canal.

Ooh, crazy golf sounds good

I think I may insist on the Roman baths - they can blame me in therapy for ever after!

There are lots of shopping and eating opportunities in Bath, plus various cinemas and so on that might appeal to teenagers - the new boutique cinema might be good for a treat: www.tivolicinemas.com.

I have heard positive reviews of the evening Ghost Walk tours, but haven't done one myself.

If your DD and her exchange are not into history but more spa-type stuff, then you could try booking them in for a makeover or makeup session at one of the shops - there's a standalone Mac shop, and lots of counters for the main brands in Jolly's (House of Fraser) and Debenhams.

Thank you exexpat that all sounds great. I think they might really like the ghost tours - will google. Is there anyway in particular you'd recommend for eating?

don't try to sneak under-age teens into the spa. it's bad enough when there's a hen party and I wish they would increase the age minimum to 21 and not allow group bookings of more than 3 people but we can't always have what we want.

the skyline bus tour is worth doing. there are a lot of chocolate cafe places. the Roman Baths are educational and interesting and exactly the right level of torture to force the kids through before giving them some spending money and sending them off to enjoy the afternoon without you whilst you and DH enjoy the spa without them.

You can get pretty much anything and everything in the way of food - it really depends what you and your teens like eating.

DD (17) is veggie, and likes the Comptoir Libanais (Lebanese chain, very colourful and fun atmosphere), and Yen Sushi (conveyor belt sushi place tucked away on a side street), and the Green Rocket (vegetarian). Yak Yeti Yak is good for Nepalese food. But you will be spoilt for choice if you just do some googling. There are also lots more traditional places if you want to give the exchange student a cream tea or Sunday roast.

The Botanist on Street is a lovely place to eat or have a coffee. Often has live music and is quite unusual inside.

Milsom*

If you really want to take them to a spa, center parcs st longleat have aqua sauna where they can go from 14. Bit of a trek from bath though. But its a lot nicer then the therme spa. For bath. Bath bus tour is good for a few hours. Plenty of cinemas, bowling at the sport center and trampoline park. Crazy golf at viki park (glow golf after dark) ghost tours. Theres also a treasure hunt thing you can do via your phone. Escape rooms. Theres a craft shop where they hold crafting sessions (the makery) theres a little market in the guildhall which is nice to walk around if its raining. This is on top of the normal bath things (roman baths, costume museum, abbey tours, herschel museum, american museum, chinese museum, holburn museum). The art gallery by pultney bridge is free and sometimes run activities.

Proof of age is asked for at the Spa, so no older looking teen can sneak in. But you will enjoy n it soooo much more on your own.

Ps the Cross Baths are lovely, but not as exciting as the roof top.

Bath is fantastic and so much more to do there than just the bath element.

You guys are AMAZING. Going to start googling all these suggestions - hopefully, as you say, I can dispose of teenagers and go to spa just with dh

I think Bath Thermae spa is really disappointing. Crowded, the pool at the top is ok for a while, and the one downstairs is normal pool temperature. Steam rooms are ok but big and impersonal.

Bath is lovely for shopping, there are nice places to eat, there is a great cinema - the Tivoli - where you get sofas and can order food to eat during the adverts. The roman baths are interesting too.

The Fashion Museum is worth a visit. You can try on replicas of clothes from the Georgian and Victorian eras.

I was joining this thread to post about the Costume Museum. It’s way more interesting than it sounds and it has one of Queen Victoria’s black dresses from her widowhood. She was tiny (height) but DH and I reckoned the dress was as broad as it was tall. The American Museum at Claverton Down is good too (outskirts, near Bath Uni) and some of the temporary exhibitions in the Orangery building are great - may be worth checking what’s currently there.

Thanks again everyone, we're back now - sadly too late for the Fashion Museum, which would have been a great call. We had a fabulous time visiting the Roman baths and dh and I went to the Grayson Perry exhibition while the teenagers pottered. Amazed at how impossible it was to get a table for dinner - I tried to book in advance with no luck anywhere so on the night we ended up having to wait 90 mins for a table at Wagamama's, which meant we missed the Ghost Walk. We'll have to go again soon, my uncultivated dc really enjoyed it (they did insist on a lot of shopping) and German exchange was blown away.