Top 10 Things To Do in Manchester

Whether you are a keen day tripper wanting to learn about the city for its world-renowned restaurants, theatres, clubs, and modern art exhibitions, or you really insist on knowing the true city by listening to The Smiths while cheering for Manchester United and Manchester City, the buzzing city of Manchester has a lot to offer!

 

1. Wander Down Beech Road

Beech Road is filled with small local businesses such as cafes and shops that offer Bloody Mary’s, Burgers, and of course, tea! This bohemian high-street may have been commercialized to suit the new lifestyle, but there are still hidden gems along Beech Road that still feature eccentric shops.

 

2. Marvel at the Town Hall’s Architecture

Situated upon Albert Square, this Victorian Gothic Architectural masterpiece has been used as a location of multiple TV shows and movies such as “Hell is a City”, “Queer as Folk” and “Sherlock Holmes” to name a few. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the Town Hall brags its staircase, clock tower, and halls decorated with murals by Ford Madox Brown.

 

3. Flip Through Vinyls

Independent vinyl stores such as Vinyl Exchange, Eastern Bloc, and Piccadilly Records have been world-renowned for their extensive collections. Away from the City-Centre is another vinyl store called Sifters, which has been immortalized in “Shakermaker” a song of Oasis, the famous English Rock Band. Kingbee Records also offers a range of treasures that frequent customers often fly in from New York with empty suitcases just to be able to bring home hidden gems!

 

4. Enjoy Happy Hour with Craft Beer

If you’re a fan of premium craft beer, then Manchester is the City for you! This locale is home to some of the finest beer producers in the world. There are a number of Specialty Bars are scattered throughout the City with craft beer running on tap within walking distance of the Piccadilly Gardens and Rochdale Road. It wouldn’t be surprising if Manchester will be hosting Beer Festivals almost like a Civic Celebration with crowds and crowds of people, live music, and maybe even international Craft Beer producers as well. In Manchester, a celebration of beer will not be surprising as there will always be a local brewery or pub near you wherever you are in the lovely city.

 

5. Visit Literary Hidey-holes

The Manchester Central Library boasts an astoundingly beautiful building inside and out, as well as a wealth of works within. Another incredible feat of architecture is the oldest surviving public library is Chetham’s in Manchester which is known for its dark and wood-paneled interiors that are reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. The John Rylands Library is also another architectural masterpiece worth mentioning because of its Victorian Gothic design which compliments the Town Hall’s design on Deansgate, one of Manchester’s most historic thoroughfares.

 

6. Learn a New Skill or Hobby!

As the whole world is taken by storm with the arts and crafts scene, Manchester is home to craft and design Centers that host regular workshops on traditional crafts such as screen printing, watercolor painting, and silver jewelry making to name a few. There are also lessons on terrazzo tile making, calligraphy, and embroidery hosted by Form, a lifestyle store.

 

7. Immerse yourself in Two Manchesters

What would Manchester be without the football chants and fans? Manchester United and Manchester City are the two teams that rival on the field. These teams offer tours and behind-the-scenes opportunities for locals and tourists alike. If you aren’t a fan of the teams, then you may still want to drop by the National Football Museum, the city center of Manchester where you can easily geek out on your favorite team’s league history, put your football skills to the test and learn about the beautiful history of the game. On a side note, you can find the ‘Sleeping Beckham’ by Sam Taylor Wood, the 1966 World Cup Ball, and a ton of women football players memorabilia from 1906.

 

8. Play Beer Pong in a Victorian Bath

Playing beer pong in a 1900’s Victorian Bath does seem like a long shot, but the now-empty pool does host some of the best events in the City including the Independent Manchester Beer Convention. The ornate design and Edwardian tiles of the poolside changing rooms are left preserved. When the Victoria Baths opened in 1906, they were known as the “municipal bathing institution” and “a water palace for every citizen of Manchester” that provides a space for swimming, bathing, and leisure. This institution features stained glass, terracotta tiles, and mosaic floors, which were common ornate period architectural pieces.

 

9. Chill out in a Millennial Pink Room

Four floors of music, food, and of course, entertainment. Manchester’s music scene is a major part of the culture that is Manchester, and with the likes of Oasis, The Smiths, and Chemical Brothers, bands of all ages and genres have started here and continue to thrive in the global music industry. So you can’t really say for sure that you went to Manchester without experiencing a live gig for yourself, because some years ago, a band played in a faintly-lit and beer-flooded atmosphere that drew a young crowd, and years later they’re going on world tours. Bands that start in small watering holes always find their way to world tours, and Manchester has never been more proud!

 

10. Join the Pride Parade

Nothing says the modern human being more than the annual LGBTQ+ celebration in Manchester, one of the biggest Pride festivals in Europe. Manchester has always been known for its clubs, pubs, restaurants, and communal watering holes, but nothing screams fun like a night out in the Gay Village where lavish pink party people have mastered the art of keeping the night young! Though Canal Street has always been a landmark where the LGBT community can call their own, this major tourist destination is open to anyone and everyone who wants to enjoy a beautiful and delicious slice of life of a locale that was made by and for a community.

 

Top 10 Fun Facts About Manchester

Before you head over to Manchester, you may want to read about what makes the city lively and fun, so you can adjust your schedule and fit everything in your itinerary, because this locale has a lot in store for you!

 

1. Mummies in Manchester

The University of Manchester is the only school in the world where you can study BSc Biomedical Egyptology, or in other words, Mummy studies. What started as research in the 1970’s had developed into an entire methodology and process for the study of human and animal mummification. Investigatory projects began in the year 2000 and was then inaugurated as the Ancient Egyptian Animal Bio Bank in 2010. This Bio Bank holds data for over 807 animal mummies and shared these artifacts across the continent and North America.

 

2. The Vegetarian Society

You heard it right! Manchester is where the meat-free diet started, during the 1800’s as Reverend William Cowherd advocated a vegetarian diet. In a small Salford Chapel Cowherd invited those who might be interested in supporting his claim that “If God had meant us to eat meat then it would have come to us in edible form, as is the ripened fruit.” Salford Chapel then became the first vegetarian church in the city, then grew the Vegetarian Society, the very first long-term organization to have a meat-free diet. With more and more people turning to Vegetarianism, some even go the extra mile as to opt a vegan lifestyle.

 

3. Rolls meet’s Royce

When it comes to cars, there really isn’t much you need to say about a Rolls-Royce. The Rolls is traditional, expensive, and tailored only for the very few, which makes it easy to loudly whisper attention and respect. Who would’ve known that on May 1904 Charles Rolls drove in Henry Royce’s 10hp car and eureka! It was a match made in heaven as Charles had finally found what he had been searching long and wide for. They then agreed to make the best cars that people had ever seen and sold them under the name Rolls-Royce.

 

4. The Origins of Football

The World’s first professional football league created in the Royal Hotel in Manchester on April 17th, 1888. The original name was “Association Football Union” but was found to be named too close to the “Rugby Football Union” therefore changing the name entirely to “The Football League.” On September 8th of the same year, the very first season started with 12 clubs, which include Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Everton, to name a few. As years went by, sponsorship for the league kept drastically changing, and the league was called different names. Finally, in the latter part of 2016, the league rebranded itself to the “English Football League” which is also the name of the governing body. Unfortunately, the Royal Hotel is now long gone, but a commemorative red plaque remains on the site where it used to be on Market Street.

 

5. The Invention of the “Car-puccino”

As odd and ridiculous as it may seem, in 2010 a car was driven from London to Manchester, but it was no ordinary car. This vehicle had run completely on coffee beans. You may be wondering how the “Car-puccino” ran precisely on 11,000 espresso equivalents? The answer is simple, really. Coffee granules contain a small amount of carbon, which is key in making a car run. It can reach speeds of 60 mph and an average of around one mile per 56 espressos. Now if your cup of coffee can’t get you started on your day, know that 56 of them could get a car moving forward.

 

6. Multi-lingual Manchester

 With a population of around half a million people, Manchester is known to be the most linguistically diverse city in England. Not only does it have a reputation of having a variety of Indian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Turkish and Persian Food, summing up to the Curry Mile of Manchester, but this also entails a melting pot of cultures and languages in the area. Everyday over 200 languages are being spoken in the City of Manchester, showcasing how diverse and unique the locale is, with an estimated half of the population being able to converse in another language and not just English.

 

7. First Ever Free Public Library

Sir John Potter, the Mayor of Manchester in the year 1850 passed The Public Libraries Act and decided to raise money to buy a building to fill it with books. This public library did not need a subscription, and in fact, residents can simply borrow a book for free. The Royal Family was in full support of this initiative that Prince Albert wrote to the Mayor and donated 18 ‘handsome’ books. He then adds that the books in the library should be freely accessible to people of all classes and with no distinction. Charles Dickens was also very involved with this project and was with them every step of the way until the library was ready.

 

8. Home of the First Computer

The Small-Scale Experimental machine or the Manchester Baby was specifically the world’s first electronic stored-program computer and ran for the very first time on June 21, 1948. This revolutionary machine was built by Frederic Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill of the University of Manchester. This invention was not intended to be used as a practical computer but was designed as a testbed for the random-access memory (RAM). 50 years after the invention of the Manchester Baby, the Manchester Mark 1 acted as a prototype to the Ferranti Mark 1, which was developed to be the first commercially available general-purpose computer. A full-scale working replica of the Manchester Baby has been placed on display at the Science and Industry Museum.

 

9. Splitting Atom

Although not everyone is knowledgeable in the field of advanced sciences, including their importance, it is worth mentioning that for the first time, an atom was split in Manchester. This scientific breakthrough is a world changing result of Ernest Rutherford’s work in 1917 at the University of Manchester. This discovery established the existence of an atomic nucleus, thus establishing the field of nuclear physics in Manchester. Long-term developments from this discovery includes the creation of radiotherapy and nuclear power. The identification of different parts of an atom has been crucial in the field of science as this is a basis of knowing how other elements and atoms interact with each other.

 

10. A City of Awards and Prizes

Manchester was awarded a City of Literature status by Unesco in 2017, joining only 28 other countries in the world. In 1653, Humphrey Chetham left some money together with his will to fund one of the first reference libraries in England, which proves a sustained history of writing activities in Manchester. With more than 40 arts and culture festivals, including the Manchester Literature Festival, 4 historical libraries, 23 public libraries and 2 writing schools, it isn’t surprising that this City will be awarded “City of Literature,” it was only a question of when.