Liverpool has dramatically transformed over the past 20 years. It’s a shadow of the city I once visited as a young lad. While the city might be known for The Beatles and the Mersey ferry, it’s so much more than that.
UK city breaks really don’t get much better than Liverpool – so check our 5 things you didn’t know you could do…
Bill Shankly Memorabilia
I’m a pretty big footie fan – so one place I had to visit on my last visit to Liverpool was The Shankly Hotel. Football fans across the world have great respect for the late, great manager. It takes a man of passion, skill and foresight to pull a Division Two club up to Premier League champions, but Shankly done just that.
Just last year, The Shankly Hotel, a brand new hotel in Liverpool, opened its doors to the public. As guests enter the reception area, they will be immediately immersed into Bill Shankly memorabilia. Unseen items from Bill Shankly’s private collection have been kindly donated to The Shankly Hotel, and are on display through the reception area and The Bastion Bar & Restaurant, including items such as his original LFC contract, clothing, OBE and personal typewriter. The staff were all fantastic, too, and I even had the opportunity to meet Bill Shankly’s grandson, Chris, who seems really proud of his family heritage and the hotel.
Shiverpool
Prepare to be spooked at Shiverpool Historic Ghost Walks, which offers the perfect mix of street theatre, scary stories and dark humour. Unearth the spooky history and paranormal secrets, told by a talented tour guide who will guide you through the city’s eerie streets. For example, did you know that people have been known to enter a different time period when walking down Rodney Street? Seriously.
You can take a tour all year round on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays – but the best time to enjoy Shiverpool has to be during their October Halloween Festival. There are various tours to choose from, including The Famous Hope Street Shivers Ghost Walk, The Shiverpool Ghost Bus Tour and The Auld City and Vaults of Doom Tour.
Mersey Tunnel Tours
The thought of walking under a tunnel didn’t fill me with joy, initially. After all, I’ve spent enough time in them trying to get onto the motorway. However, the Mersey Tunnel Tour was amazing.
You can venture beneath the city, walking along the tunnel road service to visit the Emergency Escape Refuge, the Control Room in Operation and the giant ventilation fans. You can guarantee you won’t embark on another tour like it – as it is an engineering feat.
Knowsley Safari Park
You might not expect to find any rhinos or lions in Liverpool – but that’s exactly what you’ll see when you visit Knowsley Safari Park. For a truly wild day out in the city, jump on your car to enjoy the 550 acre Safari Drive, which offers more than 700 wild animals, including camels, baboons, tigers and wildebeest.
You can also take a stroll around the Walkaround Area to enter the Bat Forest, which offers 100 Egyptian fruit bats, or you could introduce yourself to some birds of prey. You don’t have to be young to enjoy it, either, because I loved it more than my nieces and nephews.
There really is more to Liverpool than meets the eye. The above probably doesn’t even scratch the surface. So, if you are looking for a city break in the UK. I honestly couldn’t recommend a better destination.
