"Unusually colourful (its orange banquettes and Perspex back-bar give it a look of a 1980s Top of the Pops set), this Dale Street tap-house serves a mix of quality guest beers (Wild Beer, Mikeller, Burning Sky), and Beatnikz’ hop-forward brews, such as I Smash Citra and Generation IPA. The weekday cask ale deals are notable (recently pie ‘n’ a pint £5, Mon/Tues), as is Beatnikz’s ability to bag high-profile guests for its meet-the-brewer events. For instance Arbor Ales and US star Modern Times. Pint from £3.70, beatnikzrepublic.com"
"Beatnikz microbrewery is located in a railway arch in the Green Quarter, and their taproom used to be too. But they closed it last year and moved to a shiny new bar in the Northern Quarter where they’ve just introduced a beer slushie machine. Head in to enjoy their core range of beers."
"Although it may feel a million miles away from Blackpool’s bustling Promenade, the beautiful and tranquil nature reserve at Marton Mere is just a 20-minute drive from the town centre. A lovely place for all the family to visit, the reserve is free to enter and open all year round. The terrain is flat and features open water habitats, reed beds, and grassland."
"If you want to get away from the loud entertainment, this local nature reserve is the perfect place for you. The Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve is a big lake which is surrounded by grasslands, scrubs, and pockets of woodland. It is the best place to wine down and be engulfed in the sights and sounds of nature."
"The team at Funky Food in Birkdale consider themselves to be 'vegan and gluten-free specialists'. Their Facebook page says "We can cater for any needs including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, diabetic, low-sugar and sugar free."
"Found in Whitworth Park, the Whitworth Art Gallery is part of the University of Manchester and owns more than 60,000 works of art. It was first opened in 1889 and now showcases paintings by the likes of William Blake, Thomas Gainsborough, and Camille Pissarro. There is also an extensive collection of modern and contemporary art, as well as a wallpaper collection, which includes more than 5,000 examples of vibrant papers."
"Address: The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER. Phone number: 0161 275 7450. Part of the University of Manchester, this collection of over 60,000 pieces ranges from historic fine art to contemporary art, prints and sculptures."
"The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester has a very Instagrammable restaurant. With all glass walls it feels like your in the middle of nature. You have beautiful views over the park in which you can find the Whitworth Gallery."
"Contemporary Six – The Gallery is a leading independent art gallery located in the heart of the city centre of Manchester opposite the beautiful Town Hall. Established in 2010 by Alex Reuben, the gallery is known for offering a warm and friendly welcome to art enthusiasts, collectors, and new visitors and explorers to the city. Specialising in original paintings, landscapes, portraits, abstracts handmade prints, sculptures, and ceramics."
"From Darrell Evanes’ scrap metal sculpture to Matthew Bourne’s natural abstracts, Contemporary Six’s repertoire is all encompassing. Having outgrown its former location of Royal Exchange Arcade, the gallery - founded by Alex Reuben in 2010 - now occupies an airy space on Princess Street, where it represents around 40 artists. Best feature: Contemporary Six offers the Own Art Scheme, which allows buyers to pay in monthly instalments"
"CFCCA is the UK leader in Chinese visual culture, with a reputation for debut solo exhibitions and a roster of internationally-renowned artists; impressive considering that, three decades ago, it was just a series of events in Manchester’s Chinatown. As Manchester’s Chinese population is second only to London’s, the centre’s heritage is particularly important; now represented in a new archive and library. Best feature: A vibrant events schedule, spanning film screenings to workshops and even Mandarin lessons"
"Centre For Chinese Contemporary Art is a unique art gallery with a year-round programme of socially engaged exhibitions, events, and artist residencies. They have over 30 years experience of working with emerging and established artists to provide a space for conversation, debate, and cross-cultural exchange. They are the go-to place to discover new artists and explore relevant global issues from different international perspectives."
"Manchester's Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art will reopen both of its galleries on Wednesday May 19. Exhibitions Multiplicities in Flux and Autopsy of a Home, which originally opened in October, will be back until June 13. Booking is advised at cfcca.org.uk but walk-ups are welcome."
"Perhaps St John (The Minster), Preston is your favoured parish church or if you have another connection with it as recognised by the church, we'd love to discuss your wedding day plans. To find out more about associations that enable you to marry in a particular church, see the Church of England's weddings web site for more details. people choose a church wedding for plenty of different reasons, and we'd like to hear yours."
"A respite from Blackpool’s glossy entertainment and arcades, the resort’s largest park is in 260 acres, a mile east of the promenade. The man behind the park’s design in the 1920s was the landscape architect Thomas Mawson, and he was responsible for a couple of the buildings. The most striking is the cafe, in an Art Deco style and overlooking the Italian Garden, adorned with statues (see the two Medici lions) and a beautiful marble fountain."
"Stanley Park is a public park It is Blackpool’s primary park and covers an area of approximately 104 hectares (260 acres). It features a large boating lake, many scenic trails and a huge children’s park, tennis courts, a skate park and more."