Five Groovy Things to Do in Bristol, UK, Bristol, England

Spending a weekend in Bristol always includes looking at famous Banksy murals, but there’s much more. This funky town southwest of London sparkles with part wild west and part mariner. On our stay in Bristol, a lorry fell into the sea, a train jumped its tracks, and a freak storm knocked down trees. But that didn’t stop us for putting on our walking shoes and exploring this hidden gem.

As for Banksy, it’s where our story starts and ends on our visit. Walk to one of Banksy’s most famous pieces in Bristol, Well Hung Lover on Frogmore Street. The story goes that Bristol’s elected officials were debating the question of what is graffiti, what is street art, and would Bristol citizens accept or reject either. The night of the big vote, Banksy unveiled his piece on a sex health clinic’s exterior wall in direct view of the council’s chambers across the street. While voting, they had to view Banksy’s art. Is street art, art? The vote passed, allowing street art in Bristol, yet the chamber’s decision is still contested daily through different forms of graffiti writing and street art done nightly.

To learn more about Banksy and the ebb and flow of street art politics in Bristol, be sure to do a street art walking tour while there. We loved our tour; the guide is famous in the street art scene and is someone who people call from around the world when a suspected new Bansky art piece shows up. He helps to verify if the new piece is a Banksy or not. Don’t know who Banksy is? Read this piece just for fun. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).