Things to do in Cheltenham
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Storyteller
Feel-good comfort food draws the crowds to this enduringly popular restaurant. It dishes up generous portions of barbecue ribs, seafood platters and vegetarian burritos on a menu fusing tastes from as far afield as Mexico and Asia. The place is always buzzing and is a popular spot for parties.
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Boogaloos
Chilled out Boogaloos serves up tasty sandwiches, salads and hot lunches in a cosy Georgian town house with warm colours, big sofas and mellow music. Make up your own sandwich or go for pasta, fish cakes or hot dishes such as chicken with mozzarella and basil.
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Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham is more famous in some circles for its horse racing than its architecture, and its racecourse can attract up to 40,000 people a day during the National Hunt Festival, often simply called 'the Festival'. Held in mid-March each year, this is England's premier steeplechase event and is attended by droves of breeders, trainers, riders and spectators. The racecourse is about a mile north of the city centre via Evesham Rd.
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Holst Birthplace Museum
The composer Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham in 1874, and his childhood home has been turned into a museum celebrating his life and work. The rooms are laid out in typical period fashion and feature much Holst memorabilia, including the piano on which most of The Planets was composed. You can also visit the Victorian kitchen, which explains what life was like 'below stairs'.
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Statue of Edward Wilson
Opposite the Municipal Offices, built as private residences in 1825, is a Statue of Edward Wilson, a local man who joined Captain Scott's ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole. Continuing on from here you'll pass the grandiose Imperial Gardens, built to service the Imperial Spa (now the Queens Hotel), en route to Montpellier, Cheltenham's most fashionable district.
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The Promenade
Famed as one of England's most beautiful streetscapes, The Promenade is a wide, tree-lined boulevard flanked by imposing period buildings. The Municipal Offices, built as private residences in 1825, are among the most striking on this street and face a statue of Edward Wilson (1872-1912), a local man who joined Captain Scott's ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole.
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Pittville Pump Room
Built in 1830 as a centrepiece to a vast estate, the Pittville Pump Room is Cheltenham's finest Regency building. Originally used as a spa and social centre, it is now used as a concert hall and wedding venue. You can wander into the main auditorium and sample the pungent spa waters when the building is not in use for a private event, or just explore the vast parklands and the lake it overlooks. It's best to phone in advance to check the opening hours as the building is about 2 miles from the city centre.
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Art Gallery & Museum
Cheltenham's excellent Art Gallery & Museum is well worth a visit for its depiction of Cheltenham life through the ages. It also has wonderful displays on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as Dutch and British art, rare Chinese and English ceramics and a section on Edward Wilson's expedition to Antarctica.
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Le Champignon Sauvage
This unpretentious but oh-so-delectable restaurant has earned two Michelin stars for its inspired cuisine. The atmosphere is refined but relaxed, the tables big and the decor simple. It's the kind of place where you can just wallow in the food, which is worth every penny. Perfect for a special occasion. Book ahead.
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Pie & Mash
Wholesome to the core, this certified organic restaurant serves up hearty pies, sausages, puddings and flavoured mash designed with meat eaters, vegans, veggies, coeliacs and diabetics in mind. There's even organic beers, wines and champagnes, and live music on Saturday evening.
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Daffodil
A perennial favourite, the Daffodil is as loved for its top-notch modern British brasserie-style food as for its flamboyant surroundings. Set in a converted art deco cinema, it harks back to the Roaring Twenties and features live jazz and blues every Monday night. The atmosphere is suitably bubbly and the food consistently good.
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Beehive
A local favourite with a mixed following, this traditional pub is always busy but still manages to feel like a great place to chill out. There's an open fire in winter, a pleasant garden in summer and a great choice of local ales and ciders on tap.
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Montpellier Wine Bar
Slick, sophisticated and self-consciously cool, this is where Cheltenham's beautiful people come to hang out, sip wine and dine on modern British food. There's an extensive wine list, cask ales and plenty of people-watching.
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Caryatids
Along Montpellier Walk, caryatids (draped female figures based on those on the Acropolis in Athens) act as structural supports between the shops, each balancing an elaborately carved cornice on its head.
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Hub
This late-night club and music venue has two bars, live bands, top-name guest DJs and a groovy attitude. The music ranges from hip-hop and drum 'n' bass to funk, and pulls in the crowds all weekend.
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Brosh
This lovely little place serves excellent eastern Mediterranean food with everything from the merguez to the sourdough bread prepared on site from scratch. The menu is limited but the flavours are superb. For something lighter (£2 to £4), come for the mezedhes bar, which opens on Wednesday to Friday nights.
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Subtone
One of the city's most popular venues, Subtone has three floors of DJs, five bars and live music at its basement club and piano bar. Expect everything from jazz and house to funk and rock. It's a bit rough around the edges but a great spot for music-lovers.
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Montpellier
Montpellier is Cheltenham's most fashionable district. Along with the handsome architecture of the area, there's a buzzing collection of bars, restaurants and boutiques.
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Coach Tours
A rolling programme of day-long coach tours to various locations in the Cotswolds can be booked through the tourist office.
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Everyman Theatre
Cheltenham's main stage hosts everything from Elvis impersonators to comedy and panto.
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Retreat
Trendy bar full of preppie girls and businessmen during the day and a more relaxed crowd by night.
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Hall of Fame Museum
You can visit the Hall of Fame museum, which charts the history of steeplechasing since 1819.
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Walking Tours
Guided 1¼-hour walking tours of Regency Cheltenham depart from the tourist office.
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Monty's Brasserie & Seafood Restaurant
Contemporary-styled brasserie and seafood restaurant with a good bar menu for lunch.
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2 Pigs
Alternative live music venue featuring anything from hard rock to indie anthems.
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