Leeds - 4 great reasons to visit by Darren Cronian

By: Darren Cronian

Leeds has gone, and to some extent, is still going through, a period of change. The city has a lot to offer tourists and has an exciting future, with the development of the Leeds Arena, a 13,000-capacity music venue. I hope that England will win the bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, because Leeds will be one of the host cities. Sure, I am bias because I am Leeds born and bred, but these are genuine reasons to home city.

Place for culture vultures

Choose from the Grand Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse or Carriageworks for your fix on theatre productions. The City Varieties theatre will re-open in 2011 after its £9m refurbishment. Rather than watching a film at the purpose built cinemas, take a trip to Hyde Park, originally built as a hotel in 1908 and converted to a cinema in 1914. Leeds has a ton of museums, art galleries, and of course the very impressive looking Temple Works, which is the host of many independent and local art events.

Fantastic local markets

Leeds Kirkgate is the largest covered market in Europe, selling products predominantly by local traders. You will find anything from spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, to fish, electrical goods and fashion accessories. Outside of the city centre, towns like Otley, Pudsey and Morley all have regular markets. On the last Saturday of the month between May and September, you will find the Pannier market on Granary Wharf, next to the waterfront.

Walks and open space

For walking enthusiasts, the city has tons of places to spend hours taking in the Yorkshire scenery! You can walk along the Leeds & Liverpool canal for miles; have a wander around the Leeds owl trail. Temple Newsam, Yeadon Tarn and Harewood House are popular places to go for a walk, especially with families.

Great real ale pubs

The Great British pub is struggling to survive due to the ridiculously cheap alcohol sold at supermarkets, but in Leeds, we seem to have seen an emergence of real ale pubs thanks to local breweries. Midnight Bell, Brewery Tap, and the Hop are my favourite pubs, but a must visit is the North Bar, with its menu of beers from around the world. The city�s oldest pub is Whitelocks, previously known as the Turks Head and has been serving locals since 1715.

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About Darren Cronian

Darren Cronian, for the last five years has written about the issues that consumers have with travel on his Travel Rants Blog. He became frustrated at the lack of good quality content, so created a locally written guide to provide locals and tourists with information on places to visit and stay in Leeds called My Life in Leeds.