Places To Visit
It's not all about Liverpool. We're justly proud of our city, but we'd hate to give you the impression we're a one-spot-wonder. Entertainment and experiences aren't just confined to Liverpool - Merseyside is as exciting as it is diverse. Just minutes outside the city, you'll find a quintessentially English holiday resort at Southport, the Safari Park in Knowsley, and all-conquering Saints rugby team in St Helens.
Southport's beautiful beaches back onto the tree-lined boulevards of Lord Street, with its pavement cafes, elegant Victorian shopping arcades, and the oldest iron pier in the country. Play a round of golf at the Royal Birkdale - host of the Open in 2008. Did we say there was something for everyone? That's not the half of it...
More information about Southport
A hop across the Mersey on the ferry to Wirral gives you the best views of Liverpool's Word Heritage waterfront, from the tranquility of Birkenhead Priory, Merseyside's oldest building. Wirral - the peninsula formed between the Mersey and Dee rivers - is by turns rugged and industrial, but always diverse, from the shipyards of the Mersey to the sandbanks and sunsets of the Dee.
Knowsley - east of Liverpool - is home to the National Wildflower Centre (one of only two in the world). But if that sounds too tame for your taste, try the neighbouring Knowsley Safari Park, which boasts the largest herd of African elephants in Britain, not to mention the lions, tigers, giraffes and irresistible meer cats.
More information about Knowsley
St.Helens sits east of Knowsley. A hotbed of activity at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, St.Helens is the home of the train. Others may have scoffed, but it was here that George Stephenson first tested his Rocket steam engine - he also designed the soaring Sankey Viaduct, now Grade I listed. Glass making remains one of the dominant forces in the town's history - you can see the glass blowers at work today in the working museum.
More information about St.Helens
Halton has an eclectic mix of hertitage sites (with its own Norman castle and monastery), plus activities for the family such as miniature railways, ski slope and nature reserves. There's also something for grown-ups including Creamfields and The Brindley, Halton's purpose-built theatre and arts centre.
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