Nottingham Uncovered
From Hooters to happy nursing students. Nottingham's got everything a feller needs to have a first rate stag weekend. It's not all bangers and drunk interns, though. Dive in and find out what else is on offer in Robin Hood's 'hood...
RESTAURANT SAT BAIN
Fancy a proper slap-up meal to send your best mate off into married bliss? You could do a lot worse than Restaurant Sat Bain. On the plus side, the food's epic. On the other hand, you have to travel to Lenton to eat it: a 3 mile trip from the city centre. Get the chef's table for a full-on VIP experience, and go for the tasting menu. It's one of the best in the country.
ANNIE'S BURGER SHACK
Annie's legendary Burger Shack has been moved from the Navigation pub to the Lace Market, right in the middle of the city. It still pulls in the crowds. Giant portions, all burgers freshly cooked and more epic TripAdvisor reviews than you can shake one of those flag-on-a-cocktail-sticks at make Annie's a firm favourite. If you want top nosh with no distance to go, Annie's is where it's at.
WOLLATON HALL
Got a hangover? Got a picnic basket? Get your inner hipster out and go for something completely different: a chilled day spent in the grounds of Wollaton Hall (aka Wayne Manor from the last Batman movie). The park is free to get into and on a summer's afternoon you can't beat it. Wollaton Hall is a 15 minute taxi ride from the centre of Nottingham.
YE OLDE TRIP TO JERUSALEM
Frankly, you just have to. One of many pubs claiming to be the oldest in the UK, the 'Trip' is possibly the only one to be built into the foundations of a castle. Fused to the limestone cliff on which Nottingham Castle still sits, the Trip serves proper pints in an atmospheric location. Food is also awesome. Tall chaps beware the looooow ceilings!
DUSK TILL DAWN
They might not be able to spell 'Til', but the fellers at Dusk Till Dawn certainly know their poker! This place gets banging reviews from everyone who goes there, especially the aficionados. Basically a retro poker room with some blackjack and roulette thrown in to keep non-serious gamblers happy, Dusk Till Dawn routinely attracts big name players, huge tournaments and massive pots. It's just down the road from Sat Bains, too, so when you scoop the big win you can go celebrate with posh food.
ESCAPOLOGIC
You've tried the rest, now try the best... OK, so you probably haven't tried every escape room in the UK, but if you're into the genre already you'll know that Nottingham's Escapologic beats the others hands-down. Escape rooms are like levels in a real-life computer game, in which your team of stags has to solve puzzles and beat mechanical riddles to get out of a locked scenario. Escapologic will make you feel like a mad professor. Or Indiana Jones. Or just a total badass. Do it!
THE BEACH
You don't have to go to Barcelona to get some city beach action. Nottingham's legendary Riviera event, which takes over Market Square for the summer weeks, starts on July 23. It's a combination of beach bar, live music, and plenty of rides and attractions. They've even got their own sand. The Beach Bar opens on July 16, a week early, to take advantage of the cricket. Aloha, dudes!
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