Top Things to do in Warwickshire
Top Hotels in Warwickshire
- 1. The Old Fourpenny Shop Hotel
- 2. Hotel Indigo Stratford Upon Avon
- 3. Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa
- 4. The Belfry Hotel & Resort
- 5. Premier Inn Stratford Upon Avon Waterways hotel
- 6. Hotel Du Vin Stratford-Upon-Avon
- 7. Swan's Nest Hotel
- 8. Burnside Hotel
- 9. The White Swan Hotel
- 10. Travelodge Regent Hotel Leamington Spa
Countries
10 Gardens in Warwickshire That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Warwickshire, United Kingdom including The Garden of Heroes and Villains, Guy's Cliffe Walled Garden, Bancroft Gardens, Anne Hathaway's Cottage & Gardens, Hall's Croft, Packwood House, Jephson Gardens, Avon Bank Gardens, Hill Close Gardens, The Mill Garden.
Restaurants in Warwickshire
1. The Garden of Heroes and Villains
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
2. Guy's Cliffe Walled Garden
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
The Walled Garden was originally part of the kitchen garden for Guy’s Cliffe House from at least the 1770s to the late 1940s. In recent years the garden had become totally overgrown & derelict. Clearance work on the site started in January 2014. Since then volunteers have contributed over 17,500 hours of work to bring the garden back to life.
3. Bancroft Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 276 reviews
Located in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and alongside the River Avon, this delightful park and garden area has a holiday feel with open-air performers.
Reviewed By 251Stephanie123 - Chesterfield, United Kingdom
This was our first time visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon. The place is beautiful and this area is a must see. There’s the statues, barges, buskers, Street entertainers, cafes, restaurants and shops all within close proximity to these gardens. An ideal place to take a picnic or snap a few photos as well as a meeting place for friends and family. There is also lots of parking close by- all very reasonably priced.
4. Anne Hathaway's Cottage & Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,200 reviews
This fifteenth-century, charming thatched cottage was the childhood home of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's sweet-heart and wife. Experienced guides share tales about the Hathaway family who lived here from the mid-1500s to the early 1900s. There are nine acres of gardens and grounds to explore including a woodland walk, the Shakespeare arboretum and a living willow cabin where you may listen to some of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Reviewed By F12MPpeters - Rome, Italy
Review covers a visit to Anne Hathaway’s family home at Shottery a couple of km outside the commercial centre of Stratford-upon-Avon. William Shakespeare – English poet, actor and playwright and generally considered the best-known writer in the English Language. And here we were briefly exploring the place where the Hathaway Family lived and where, it is reputed that William courted, impregnated and married Anne Hathaway – in that order; the first of three children – Susanna – was born to the couple six months later. William was just 18 at the time and his wife 26. Anne Hathaway’s cottage, in reality the farmhouse where she lived as child that has, since1892 (when it was acquired by the Shakespeare Birth Trust) evolved into today’s tourist icon - part of the Shakespeare Heritage Industry based upon Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare and his work are part of the background of English/Anglo school kids everywhere - those of us who read/learned/explored/acted their Henry V or Much Ado About Nothing or Midsummer Night’s Dream for their school-leaving certificates and/or amateur dramatics and/or because we liked the stories, enjoyed the plays, treasured the history or simply became captured by the language. Following through with an interest in the man and his times is an easy option and more particularly when the weather is fine for exploring glimpses of Tudor England in the 21st century. We had left London early that morning on a elegant train hauled by a period steam locomotive for a day of adventure in the Midlands. At Warwick we switched to coaches with which to follow in ‘William’s footprints’ – although not literally; like most rural people of 400 years ago he would have had to walk everywhere. We had comfortable wheels. It was our first time in the area and things had clearly changed from those original days. Anne Hathaway’s place is now a twelve-roomed farmhouse – so only a ‘cottage’ in the sense that it started small in the 15th century – the lowest/stepped down part of the existing structure. In fact, it was not originally a cottage at all, but an enclosed barn-like hall with an open hearth at centre (and, presumably, a hole in the roof). The original building was converted into a comfortable farmhouse in Shakespeare’s time with the addition of a second floor and a couple of chimney flues – wooden frame, lathe, plaster, fill/cladding and thatched roof. Voilà, here’s your image of a typical English country cottage – robust/efficient/low-cost design that was still being used countrywide through to the early 19th century. By the mid-1700s the structure had doubled in size with the addition of the larger/up slope part of the structure. And, later still, a short brick/wooden framed extension was added to the lower end of the original building. A couple of useful/descriptive wall boards on site provide an easy to follow timeline in pictures over the years. Stand at the highest point in the garden – where there’s an artistic woven seat overlooking the farmhouse, and you can sit and study the flow of the thatched roof over the upper windows; the snug and tidy condition of the entire building. Three chimneys, two of which are internal and centred on the roof line – imagine just how warm the building would have been in winter. Where would the livestock, stored feed and equipment, hand-tools, etc. have been kept? Where did the family store their bulk farm food? There may originally have been 36 ha of farmland, but the cottage today has 4 ha that include orchards, sculpture garden and an arboretum that contains all the trees mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays (so the guide says). We wandered the garden next to the cottage which had a veritable team of gardeners tending the decorative beds, plants and shrubs. This is where you wait your turn for the guided tour of the property – so lots of time in which to enjoy the ambience of the house within its immediate garden. Once inside you follow the guide and her stories through the narrow passageways, around the sharp corners and up (and down) the narrow staircases taking in the different rooms, making sure to clear those low and potentially hazardous roof beams and door lintels where required; people were small in stature in those days. There were beds in the upstairs rooms some with canopies and others without (and, again, small by comparison with today), books open next to the beds described the Hathaway Family’s debt and the early history of the ‘Shakespeare Courting Chair’. There is a robust well-serviced kitchen too on the ground floor with late 19th century images. What you see is what you get – this sanitized glimpse of a family home from the 15th century firmly, if briefly, linked to the life and times of William Shakespeare. And William Shakespeare? Following their marriage the couple went to live in Stratford town, but London eventually dominated his working life. Annual visits kept him in contact with his wife/children who remained in Stratford. He returned after retiring from the stage to spend the final years of his life where he had started … and died in 1616 aged 51. And Anne Hathaway’s cottage? The last of the Hathaway Family – tenants at the time - left the place just over 100 years ago in 1911. Many interesting stories then … of this the world’s most famous English writer … but, we had a train with an iconic English locomotive to catch for our return to London that evening. Peter Steele 27 May 2020
5. Hall's Croft
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 911 reviews
Explore the beautifully furnished Jacobean home of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband, the physician John Hall. Wander into the tranquil walled garden and discover the fragrant medicinal herbs, as John Hall would have used in his remedies. Explore 'Method in the Madness', a new exhibition exploring medicine John Hall. Enjoy refreshment in the cafe.
Reviewed By 674lizk - Grange-over-Sands, United Kingdom
We went from the RSC along the river to the Holy Trinity church and then to Halls Croft...and there was hardly anyone there! (In August!). Lovely house to look round, some interesting medical history, as it’s Shakespeare’s daughters house (married to a physician). Has a really peaceful garden and great cafe. Friendly staff. Definitely do this one- you can walk down into the mayhem that is Henley St afterwards. Is part of the £22 ticket so well worth it.
6. Packwood House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 992 reviews
Reviewed By PaulA3222ZH - Willenhall, United Kingdom
Always in here when we visit baddesley clinton only about a mile away Lots of history to this place and lovely cream teas in the coffee shop best scones around house very interesting and gardens are amongst top 10 in the country we were told well worth a visit for a few hours
7. Jephson Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,429 reviews
Jephson Gardens is a beautiful formal Victorian park in the centre of Leamington Spa. It's the perfect place for a relaxing stroll or family picnic. Lots of colourful flowerbeds and interesting sculptures make for a great day out. Things to do: Visit the Glasshouse - interesting tropical plants and goldfish pond Eat at the Aviary Café - a beautiful Victorian tea pavilion Hire boats at Leam Boat Centre in Mill Gardens Explore the Sensory Garden - taste garden, mirrored arch and colourful planting Visit East Lodge Garden - garden with insect-friendly planting and beehive Trees - around 140 species of native and non-native trees Explore the sculpture collection and find the rhino, dragon and hedgehog Watch ducks and geese on the lake Play area across the river in Mill Gardens Jephson Gardens is open every day from 8am. Closing times vary between 4pm and 9pm depending on the time of year. See entrance gates for current closing times.
Reviewed By Lora-x182 - Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
We are very lucky to have such a beautiful park in the town, the grounds and gardens team do a wonderful job and the park always looks bright, vibrant and interesting. It's always so nice to have a walk through the park. There is the lovely Aviary Cafe too.
8. Avon Bank Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55 reviews
Reviewed By Boro_Steve
We were visiting Stratford-upon-Avon for the day and decided to follow the river via the footpath. Beautiful autumn colours on the trees and it was great sitting and watching the swans ducks and canoeists on the river. We walked along one side and came back along the other bank. It was a great way to pass away a couple of hours. I guess it would be fab in the summer months for little ones to run around!
9. Hill Close Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 132 reviews
Hill Close Gardens are a rare and unique example of Victorian detached leisure/pleasure gardens. Once used by townsfolk who lived above their businesses and wanted to escape from the crowded town centre. Owners and tenants came here after work or on Sundays to tend their flowers, fruit and vegetables or to relax. These gardens have been fully restored to their original charm and boasts a visitor centre that can be hired out and is used as a tearoom on weekends and bank holidays through the summer months. The gardens are open all year during weekdays. Plant / produce / gift sales. Special events are put on throughout the year. Come along and step back in time.
Reviewed By JDW275 - Kidlington, United Kingdom
The gardens are beautiful, all different with stunning, unique little summer houses. A truly special place, so atmospheric and peaceful and a glimpse of a bygone age that is rare to find today. Wonderful descriptions of the original and subsequent owners bring the gardens alive. The volunteers were lovely, so welcoming and informative and the tea and cakes were superb. I bought some gorgeous plants, very reasonable prices also some homegrown delicious tomatoes. We loved the gardens and are in awe of the work the volunteers do to keep everything going. If I lived nearer I would love to help out. We will be back to this truly special place. Thank you to all who make it possible for us to visit such a special place.
10. The Mill Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 448 reviews
This garden lies in a magical setting on the banks of the River Avon beneath the walls of Warwick Castle. Winding paths lead round every corner to dramatic views of the castle and ruined Medieval Bridge. This informal cottage garden is a profusion of plants, shrubs and trees - beautiful throughout our opening season. Open daily 1st April to 31st October from 9am to 6pm. Partial wheelchair access. Not suitable for electric wheelchairs or large pushchairs. Disabled parking and drop off only. Please use nearby car park at St Nicholas Park, approx. 6 minute walk.
Reviewed By elenazE4263QC
I took a long walk on Easter Day to Warwick town centre, to my surprise and great happyness, the garden was open. Every time I visit it is more beautiful, Iam a regular visitor, and can't wait to visit again soon. Lovely hosts and so hard working! Breath taking views of the local castle and medieval bridge, the garden itself is exquisite, the most beautiful, colourful flowers. A must see location, highly recommended.
