AROUND TOWN | Museums & Attractions
EDINBURGH
■ CAMERA OBSCURA & WORLD OF ILLUSIONS Castlehill, 226 3709, camera-obscura. co.uk Daily 10am–6pm until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr 9.30am–7pm. £12.95 (£10.95; under 16s £9.50; under 5s free). The ‘camera’ is a giant periscope inside a Victorian rooftop tower on the Royal Mile, giving a spectacular 360° perspective on Edinburgh, plus there’s interactive optical fun galore. The building also contains three galleries and lights up at night. ■ DEEP SEA WORLD Battery Quarry, North Queensferry, 01383 411880, deepseaworld.com Mon– Fri 10am–4pm; Sat & Sun 10am–6pm (last entry one hour before closing). £13.50 (£11.50; under 13s £9.50; under 3s free; family £40–£44). Home to everything from seals to piranhas, this marine life centre has a petting area and underwater tunnel so you can get to grips with the deep. Approximately a 20-minute drive from Edinburgh.
■ EDINBURGH CASTLE AND NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Castlehill, 225 9846 (info)/ 668 8081 (bookings), edinburghcastle.gov.uk / nms. ac.uk/war Daily 9.30am–5pm until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr 9.30am–6pm (last entry one hour before closing). £16 (£12.80; children £9.60; under 5s free). Perhaps Edinburgh’s most visible landmark, the Castle perches on top of a rocky outcrop at the head of the Royal Mile, and includes ceremonial rooms, fortifications, dungeons and Scotland’s Honours or crown jewels. Inside, the National War Museum delves into the past 400 years of the country’s military history. Next of Kin Opens Fri 18 Apr. A look at Scotland at war, and how people at home deal with the absence or loss of loved ones. ■ THE EDINBURGH DUNGEON 31 Market Street, 240 1001 (info) / 0871 423 2250 (bookings), thedungeons. com Mon–Fri 11am–4pm; Sat & Sun 10am–5pm until Thu 3 Apr; from Fri 4 Apr daily 10am–5pm. £10.95–£16.50 (£10.50–15.60; under 16s £9.50–£12.60; family £39–£49.80). A grizzly look into historical Edinburgh, with actor-led tours and rides, just above Waverley Station. With special opening hours around Hallowe’en
■ EDINBURGH ZOO Corstorphine Road, 334 9171, edinburghzoo.org.uk Daily 9am–5pm. £16 (£13.50; under 16s £11.50; under 3s free; family £35–£59.95). Visitors can see the headline-grabbing giant pandas, the famous Penguin Parade and over 1000 other rare and interesting animals and birds at this site three miles west of the city centre.
■ HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. The main entrance to this large royal park, east of the city centre, is flanked by the Palace of Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament Building. Its main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill which has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it.
■ MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. Kids can learn about the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past in this Royal Mile museum. Nostalgia for grown-ups guaranteed. ■ MUSEUM ON THE MOUND The Mound, 243 5464, museumonthemound.com Tue–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 1–5pm; closed
5 REASONS TO GO TO . . . BBC RADIO 4’S CHARACTER INVASION DAY
1. It’s a unique chance to discover the inner workings of the BBC This is a day of nationwide events and programmes centred on characters featured on Radio 4, from Alan Partridge to Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the BBC’s impressive Glasgow Pacific Quay base is opening its doors as part of the fun. Tickets are free, but limited. 2. Witness real-life luvvies divulging the secrets of character creation It’s all in the voice, darling. Seasoned radio actors Siobhan Redmond and David Ashton are in conversation with Scottish broadcasting hero Janice Forsyth, discussing how they get under a character’s skin when all they have to work with is spoken words. 3. See how radio magic happens Even in our whizz- bang digital age, radio drama maintains a charm all of its own. At Pacific Quay there are opportunities to watch scenes being recorded, then see how engineers add in background and effects to bring the story to life. 4. Kids are included too Characters from Katie Morag’s CBeebies programme are in the building to coincide with an episode screening and a look behind the scenes of the show. 5. You don’t even need to leave the house to have the experience The Character Invasion will be happening all day on air on Radio 4, with (we’re promised) ‘popular characters from drama, comedy and literature popping up in unexpected places throughout the day’. (Paul Gallagher) ■ BBC, Pacific Quay, Glasgow, Sat 29 Mar.
38 THE LIST 20 Mar–17 Apr 2014
Mon. Free. Hosted inside the Bank of Scotland’s head office, this museum is all about money. Learn how money has evolved over the past 4000 years or try cracking a safe. ■ NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM SCOTLAND Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, 663 7519, scottishminingmuseum.com Daily 10am–4pm. £7.50 (£5.50; children free). Nine miles south of Edinburgh, this museum is one of the best-preserved Victorian collieries in Europe. Learn about the life of a miner by taking a tour around the site.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms. ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a beautiful naturally lit atrium space. Mammoths of the Ice Age Until Sun 20 Apr. £9 (£7.50; under 16s £5; family £25; members & under 5s free). Ever wanted to see a woolly mammoth? This interactive touring exhibition allows you to feel mammoth fur, have a close look at their tusks and meet Lyuba, a detailed replica of a 42,000 year old baby mammoth. Power of Ten: Inventing Logarithms Opens Fri 28 Mar. Learn about the extraordinary work of 16th century polymath John Napier, whose invention of logarithms made possible huge advances in physics, maths and even music theory. ■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. Following the redevelopment of the National Museum, two new collection buildings have also been added to the storage and conservation centre at Granton. From vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones – it’s all there.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth. co.uk Wed–Sun 10am–5.30pm; closed Mon & Tue until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr daily 10am–5.30pm (last entry 4pm). £11.50 (£9.75; under 16s £7.50; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s throw from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat.
■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection.org. uk Daily 9.30am–4.30pm until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr daily 9.30am–6pm (last entry 1.5 hours before closing). £11.30 (£10.30; under 17s £6.80; under 5s free; family £29.40). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace was once home to Mary, Queen of Scots and now houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents. ■ REAL MARY KING’S CLOSE 2 Warriston’s Close, High St, 0845 070 6244, realmarykingsclose.com Daily 10am–9pm. £12.95 (£11.45; children £7.45). Beneath the Royal Mile lies a warren of hidden closes where citizens of Edinburgh lived and died in the 16th and 17th centuries. The underground tours are led by guides in the character of real people who lived in the close.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £5 (£4; children free). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as high- profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House.
■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/ vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 7.30–9pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings.
■ ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 10am–3.30pm until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr daily 9.30am–4pm. £12.75 (£11.50; under 18s £7.75; under 5s free; family £36.50). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence (and the naval quarters below) and learn about life aboard the yacht, which served the royal family for almost 50 years. ■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.75–£52 (£10.25–£26; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite.
■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish. parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.
■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Daily 10am–4pm (last entry 3.30pm) until Mon 31 Mar; from Tue 1 Apr 10am–7pm. £4. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument of any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city, plus occasional exhibitions. ■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk Mon– Sat 10am–6pm; closed Sun. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £5 (£4; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture.
■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum. rcsed.ac.uk Mon–Fri noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events.
EVENTS
Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to sport@ list.co.uk for sport or around- town@list.co.uk for all other events. Listings compiled by Jaclyn Arndt. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
GLASGOW
Activities & Events ✽FREE Future City | Glasgow: Future Hacks Fri 21–Sun 23 Mar, Times vary. The Whisky Bond, Dawson Road, 07717 178342. Citizens are invited to come together to envision how