Swansea Things to Do

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Swansea's new National Waterfront Museum is a combination of a massive industrial warehouse (built in 1901) and a £30 million extension, opened in October 2005.

The new extension has been designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and looks stunning. It uses slate for its walls in three different colours - yes, slate comes in different hues!

Swansea, like Cardiff, was once a thriving industrial port, a centre of world industry, exporting coal, copper, tin and other products by sea. The museum tells the story of Wales' role in industrial history. It replaces the 'Maritime and Industrial Museum' that was demolished in Cardiff to make way for the 'Cardiff Bay' development. So Wales now has a museum to be proud of again!

The new Swansea museum is totally FREE to enter. Lots to see for adults and kids. Lots of the latest technology 'touch-screens' and interactive displays. Outside there are several ships moored in the harbour, particularly 'Lightship 19' which is open to the public. Just along Swansea Marina is a Bus & Tram Shed with old buses and trams (no surprise there then) on display.

Open 7 days a week 10am to 5pm

There are 3 caves in total to explore. All are lit, footpathed and have tours.

There is a farm (with a petting zoo), a dinosaur model park, a gift shop, a restuarant and much more!

I have been and I loved this place since I was a kid.

Oriel Gelf Glyn Vivian, as it is called in Welsh, is always a must-do activity when I visit Swansea.

Like all public galleries it is free to enter!

The building is pleasant, airy, early C20th. It has a permanent collection of Welsh paintings, glass and ceramics.

However, it never ceases to amaze me how good the visiting exhibitions are. They are always consistently good. Even the Summer open exhibition of local art was 95% excellent.

Open 10-5, Tuesday to Sunday. 5 minutes walk from Swansea railway station.

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The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea (Situated within the Guild Hall) is certainly worth a quick look if you’re in town, There are various displays and some information about the welsh poet as well as the original doors to the Wooden garage in Laugharne that he used as a Writing shed. If you like you can also sit and listen to some of his poems.
If this doesn't tempt you to visit then what is probably the best bit about the Dylan Thomas Centre is the lovely Cafe / Book shop where you can pick up some really good new books about everything from Dylan Thomas (of course) to Castles and Burial chambers. There are also shelves and shelves of second hand books.

It is open 10am - 4.30pm every day.

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Swansea castle was first mentioned in 1116 as having been attacked by the Welsh, at this time tha castle was made of wood but it was rebuilt again in the early 13th century after again being atacked and then demolished by the welsh. Nothing remains of this stone Building but some excavated foundations. In the late 13th c early 14th c the New castle was built within the grounds of the Old and it is to this castle that the remains you can see today remian. Sadly there is not a lot left but there is enough of it to make a nice feature in Swansea's city centre.

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As you walk along Swansea sea front you will come across a very odd looking structure built literally on the beach. Is it a bird, is it a plane?? No... it's Swansea's very own Observatory - known as Marine towers. In fact is is the largest interstellar observatory in Wales, utilising the second largest Shafer-Maksutov telescope of its type in the world. Splendid stained glass feature at the head of the tower's spiral staircase with excellent views of the bay and promenade below, in addition to the skies above! Sadly this facility is due to close in October 2009 as Swansea Council have had to withdraw their financial support which has paid for the upkeep of the facility over the years. It will be interesting to see what happens to this lovely unusual building.

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There is a fabulous Coastal path which begins at the Maritime Quarter in Swansea City Centre and ends 2-3 miles down the coast at Mumbles. It is a lovely flat, wide path which runs alongside Swansea bay giving you spectacular views of the coastline along the way.

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The Tawe Barrage was completed in 1992 creating a new marina at the mouth of the River Tawe offering further boating facilities here.

The barrage structure includes a boat lock, spillway, fish pass and generator turbine. The turbine serves a dual use: acting as a power generator for the National Grid as well as being used to pump water back into the Tawe river system.