Things to do in Bury

Hop on board a beautiful heritage steam train and take a trip through Bury’s green countryside.

The railway is run by volunteer members from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS). Today over 60 individual steam and diesel locomotives reside on the railway, along with over 140 carriages, wagons and utility vehicles. Based out of Bury’s Bolton Street Station, the 12 mile long East Lancashire Railway stretches to Rawtenstall in the North and Heywood to the East. The railway is open every weekend of the year and holds a number of themed events and galas throughout the year which include steam and diesel events amongst others, and also offers driver experience courses as well as "Family Engines Big Day Out" events featuring engines with faces, such as "Jimmy the Jinty".

The East Lancashire Railway is also home to Bury’s Transport Museum which is currently undergoing renovation work to make the museum experience bigger and better than before.

Reopening in spring 2010, Bury Transport Museum has undergone a major £3M refurbishment which has been funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Find out about what happened in this old goods shed building and learn about the people who worked there. See our collection of vintage buses, a tram, tractors and steam engines and even test your driving skills driving our simulator.

Find out more about events at the ELR or Bury Transport Museum in our Events section or log on to the East Lancs Railway website  to download the 2010 timetable.

If culture is your thing then the Met is a must for your trip to Bury.

The Met presents contemporary and classic theatre, music and comedy touring nationally and internationally. The Met is hosts an array of new and exciting artists who go on to become household names as well as established artists performing to sell-out audiences all over the world.

Audiences at The Met have enjoyed a pre-Partridge Steve Coogan, legendary performances by Joy Division and The Pixies, pre-Elbow Elbow, pre-Hollywood Lee Evans and live music and theatre that leaves people inspired and enriched.
With the assistance of our funders and sponsors, we maintain affordable prices for our events so that everyone can enjoy our programme. We are committed to offering first class live entertainment – and welcoming you to the friendliest live arts venue in the North West of England!

Find out what’s on at the Met in our Events section.

Delve in to the fascinating history of the Lancashire Fusiliers with a trip to this brand new state of the art museum.

The Fusilier Museum opened in Bury town centre in September 2009. The museum is home to a fascinating collection of items from the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, which chart it’s 300 years of history and heritage.

The museum allows visitors to learn about the history of the regiment as they walk through the exhibitions and engage with interactive displays and hands-on activities.

Special exhibitions and events are held throughout the year to focus on particular parts of the collection which helps explain the Regiments past, present and future roles.

Also on site is the Regimental HQ and Army Recruiting Centre which provides the museum and local community with strong links to current and future soldiers and ensures that this remains a focal point for the Regiment.

The towns Tourist Information Centre is also situated in the museum entrance, together with a new gift shop and relaxing café which offers light lunches and tasty snacks.

Find out more about the history of the borough of Bury and view work by world famous artists

Just across the road from the Fusilier Museum, situated in Bury’s culture quarter the town’s Art Gallery is home to world-famous Victorian paintings, challenging contemporary art, mysterious historical objects and fascinating objects from Bury’s past.

The Art Gallery was initially built to house the Wrigley Collection, which contains over two hundred oil paintings, watercolours, prints and ceramics collected by local paper manufacturer Thomas Wrigley. His family donated the collection to the town in 1897 to be enjoyed by all.

Alongside this collection there are also famous 20th Century paintings by Pasmore, Burra and a growing collection of contemporary artists.

The gallery hosts regular temporary exhibitions and more details about these can be found in the events section.
Find out more about what’s on at the Art Gallery and Museum in our Events section.

Lights, Camera, Action..Catch the latest block buster at a state of the art cinema

The new Rock development is also home to a 10 screen cinema, 24 lane bowling alley and  8 new restaurants. The Vue Cinema features a 3D screen and a Xtreme screen, which is the size of 4 double decker buses and bigger than any of the premier screens outside London.


For more information log on to http://myvue.com/burytherock/?gclid=CPjbypWy96ICFSMulAodiCIRjg

AMF's brand new bowling centre will offer an entertainment experience like no other, with:

•24 fully computerised lanes
•A modern bar and diner area
•A fantastic amusements area offering the latest arcade games, plus 'Play To Win'
•Large screen TVs with SKY sports
•Fun for all the family!
AMF Bowling is one of the largest Tenpin Bowling operators in the country with 32 centres across the UK. As the 'Original Bowling Company', AMF prides itself on offering great service and a family-orientated

leisure experience with fully automated scoring and bumpers, Xtreme Bowling and the latest in dining and amusements.

Please call 0844 826 3043 or log on to http://www.amfbowling.co.uk/centres/details.aspx?centreId=37 for more information .
 

The Irwell Sculpture Trail bends its way through the borough and visitors can discover interesting and insightful pieces of public art along its path, including the Ramsbottom Urn, a giant Rat Trap at Burrs Country Park, James and the ball of fire – a giant dinosaur found in Close Park as well as the Chococupcake Boy. The Irwell Sculpture Trail is a journey of discovery and exploration.

Burrs Country Park is home to the only Caravan Club site in Greater Manchester. Set in scenic countryside by the side of the River Irwell and just 1 mile from Bury town centre, the country park has a lot to offer including an activity centre, canoe slalom course and a series of events organised by Bury Ranger Service which take place throughout the year. Check out the events section to find out more.

Bury has lots of award winning food and drink establishments… so much so we think you will be Bury surprised

Bury town centre is home to a range of restaurants which offer a variety of food throughout the day. Automatic situated next to the MET offers a friendly and relaxed environment in which to eat. Katsouris Deli on Bury Market offers a range of take away treats where as Verona offers pizza and pasta.

Download a full directory of restaurants in Bury town centre here. 

A list of restaurants such as Pizza Express, Nando's Frankie and Benny's at The Rock development can also be found here

One of Bury’s most critically acclaimed restaurants is Ramsons in Ramsbottom, which was crowned ‘Which? Good Food Restaurant of the Year 2008’ and has recently been ranked in Britains Best 50 Restaurants in the 2010 Good Food Guide.

Slattery’s in Whitefield is well known across Greater Manchester for its beautiful cakes – including those made for several celebrity weddings. The shop sells a range of luxurious foody treats, cakes, deli items and it’s dining room offers breakfast, snacks and speciality dishes.

Ramsbottom is home to the Chocolate Café… if Chocolate is your passion then this is a must visit attraction. The café adds a chocolatey twist to brunch, lunch and afternoon tea. The café and local businesses also organise an annual chocolate festival when the town goes chocolate crazy in an attempt to beat a number of suitably themed chocolate world records.

Check out this review of Falshaw Farm Shop in Bury by Manchester Evening New's City Life team who gave some really positive feedback.

League 2 side Bury FC or ‘the Shakers’ play at Gigg Lane. Currently, in a fight to secure promotion to League One a trip to see Bury FC at Gigg Lane is a great sporting day out for all the family. To find out more about forth coming matches log on to www.buryfc.co.uk

Bury is home to several high quality hotels if you fancy making your trip to Bury a weekend away. Information about hotel reservations.

The Village Hotel 

• 128 bedrooms, all non-smoking
• VILLAGE health & fitness
• 25m pool
• health and beauty treatments
• verve grill
• the victory pub & kitchen
• café

Book your stay at the Village Hotel by clicking here.

The Bolholt Hotel

Set in over 50 acres of beautiful parkland between two lakes and still only 10 minutes from the motorway network. The Best Western Bolholt Country Park location is perfect for business or pleasure. .

• Set in over 50 acres of beautiful park land between two lakes
• Extensive leisure facilities: Sauna & jacuzzi, Gym, Aerobics Studio, Beauty salon
• Free parking for up to 200 cars
• 2 Heated indoor pools
• Short drive to Manchester

Book your stay at the Bolholt Hotel by clicking here.

Premier Inn

Book online to stay at the Premier Inn in Prestwich by clicking here.

Coming soon... a brand new town centre Premier Inn hotel. Keep checking back to the site to see how the development is progressing.

Yet again Bury retained its winning stance in the 2009 North West in Bloom contest and, in the national Britain in Bloom finals, pulled off a silver gilt award; the highest score so far in the national contest.

Bury retained the regional title of ‘best large town in the north west’ for the 6th year in a row proving that Bury truly is a distinctive town of character, personality and success.

On top of these two great accolades North West in Bloom awarded Bury two discretionary awards ‘The Heritage Award’ and ‘The Local Roots Award’.

The Heritage Award was given in recognition of the recently refurbished Gallipoli Garden and the Land Rover feature display attributed to the Fusiliers’ Lancashire.

The Local Roots Award was given to acknowledge the numerous town centre feature displays embracing Bury’s history and local connections. These include the tribute to the East Lancashire Railway, the water wheel at Library Gardens and the market barrow feature at Market Place.

Britain in Bloom is the largest horticultural and environmental competition in Europe and demands extremely high standards. North West in Bloom is the voluntary regional organisation that runs the competition in Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

To continue to be at the forefront of the competition and retain a winning stance for six years running is an incredible achievement and one that everyone connected with Bury can take pride in

If you come to Bury  and need more information there is a Tourist Information Centre on Moss Street in Bury or a customer information point in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre... we are here to help so just ask.