Ways to beat lockdown boredom at home

We’ve gathered up some of the best ways to enjoy #BristolFromHome, to help you find fun things to do during lockdown.

Visit Bristol from your sofa

While businesses can’t welcome you in person right now, you can experience what many of them have to offer from the comfort of your sofa via virtual tours and online exhibitions. Take a night off flicking through Netflix and explore top attractions, museums, historic houses and even a virtual hot air balloon ride, plus much more in between.

Search through our Instagram Challenge blog posts for more views of the city, based around different themes like winter, balloons, architecture and green spaces. Follow @VisitBristol on Instagram to take part in the challenges.

Image - Banksy's Girl with the Pierced Eardrum

The Bristol From Home Cookbook

Expand your cooking repertoire and bring a taste of your favourite local restaurants to the dining table with our online Bristol From Home Cookbook. It features great bakes, breakfasts, snacks, mains and drinks from top chefs and owners who have kindly let us in on recipes for their popular dishes.   

Image - Bravas

Take a night off home cooking with a takeaway

When you don't feel like faffing around in the kitchen and are craving a meal cooked by someone else, there's only one thing for it: order in a takeaway. Find food and drink you might know and love or future favourites among these restaurants offering delivery. 

Image - Three Brothers Burgers 

Games and activities with a Bristol twist

How would you like to build a rocket launcher, design a hat for Brunel or be an archaeologist at home? These are just some of the games and activities on offer from Bristol businesses – perfect for filling lulls in lockdown activity and for keeping little ones occupied too.

We’ve also got a stack of colouring in sheets designed by Bristol artists and depicting the city’s iconic landmarks, landscapes and attractions. When you’ve completed your masterpiece, tag us in a photo on social using #BristolFromHome! Head to our online shop for puzzles, colouring in books, cards and even more offline entertainment too. 

Look out for the launch of Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up on 18 January. It's a brand new augmented reality adventure with the two iconic Aardman characters that you can play from home. With every in-app purchase of the ‘Gromit’ premium pack until the end of February in the UK, 10p will be donated to Bristol Children’s Hospital. 

Catch up on Bristol-made TV

From the leafy green edges of the city to grand buildings and well-known landmarks, Bristol plays a starring role in a long list of TV series. Many of those are available to watch now on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon. With big-hitting series like Poldark, Sanditon, Sherlock, Bridgerton, Skins and His Dark Materials among the selection, you might already have caught Bristol on the small screen without even realising it!

Image - Sanditon, credit ITV and Red Planet Pictures

‘Travel’ to Bristol with a book

Whether you fancy escaping to the city through a novel or topping up your local knowledge with non-fiction, add some of these brilliant Bristol books to your to-read list for 2021. There’s thrillers, history, street art, cookbooks, poetry and more.

• Read about literary Bristol

Learn something new

It’s the perfect time to throw yourself into a new hobby or geek out over one of your interests. Many local businesses are running online events and workshops to help you hone skills or offering a deep dive on fascinating topics. They vary from Bristol Museum’s programme of late lunch talks and winter lectures, to 6 O’clock Gin’s virtual tour and tastings, to the Royal West of England Academy’s drawing school.

You can also catch up on Bristol Zoo's Conservation Lectures from last year and check out Bristol Festival of Ideas' online programme of discussions and debates. 

Leave lockdown as a Bristol expert too, by filling your head with facts from our all about Bristol, local history, famous people from Bristol, Bristol inventions and literary Bristol pages.

• Search all upcoming online events and workshops

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A post shared by 6 O'clock Gin (@6oclockgin)

Get your walking boots on  

Keep your spirits (and daily step count) up by getting out for a good walk or run. Discover nearby green spaces with help from our guide to walking routes in the city as well as the best winter walks, for a change of scenery from your usual stroll around the block. Or swap walking boots for your bike and make the most of Bristol’s many cycling routes.

Please follow the latest Covid-19 guidance about leaving your home for exercise. 

You might also like:

• More ways to enjoy #BristolFromHome
• How to 'Pay It Forward' in Bristol: Vouchers, gift cards & donations
• Things to look forward to in Bristol in 2021

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