For those who want to achieve their leisure goals around Luton, the home of one of the newest additions to the Premier League, we have listed some top scoring experiences to enjoy and make the most of a trip to the area.
The area’s top attractions are just an hour or so from central London. Revel in the range of outdoors activities, cultural sites and stunning landscapes to enjoy experiences out of the city with miles of beautiful countryside including the Chiltern Hills which offer gorgeous views and great cycling and walking trails. Luton is a vibrant, multicultural town home to people speaking more than 100 different languages with a calendar rich with cultural events. Luton boasts its own international airport and great road and rail links to the rest of Britain.
Icons with a modern twist
The Hat Factory art centre is housed in one of the town’s original Hat Factories and now features live music, contemporary dance, theatre, film, workshops and tours. The centre has a diverse programme of events presenting work that is fresh, relevant and surprising by local and national artists, performers and musicians. Luton was renowned for hat making and the Luton Town Football Club are nicknamed the Hatters.
The stately home is now a luxury hotel and host of tours and events. The grounds comprise woodland trails, 50-acre lake formal gardens, tennis courts, golf course and over 1,000 acres of parklands designed by the celebrated landscape architect ‘Capability Brown’. The Spa at Luton Hoo has indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, an infinity swimming pool, vitality pool and heat therapy suite all housed within a stunning oak framed building with treatments including ESPA, OPI and Camellia Tea. The hotel hosts various events throughout the year including tours and Yoga retreats. Fine dining is offered in the Wernher Restaurant with rich furnishings and tapestries and the Adam’s Brasserie is a more casual option.
Culture
Luton boasts a range of visitor attractions and the town hosts a range of fantastic annual events, such as the Luton International Carnival, Europe’s largest one day carnival which takes place every May with a funfair, dancing, stalls for international cuisine, arts and crafts, yoga, live music and more.
The museum is home to the Shillington Roman Coin Hoard made up of 130 mostly gold coins pressed during the reigns of seven different Roman emperors. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts and trades and with walled gardens that display English horticulture.
The country home of Nobel Prize-winning Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The home is full of his possessions, including his desk, writing tools, rotating writing shed, Nobel Prize and a bust of Shaw by Auguste Rodin. There’s a calendar of performances of Shaw’s plays in the gardens in summer, as well as short-term exhibitions on different aspects of his life.
Visitors can explore behind the scenes of the Wizarding World and get up close to real sets, props and costumes in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Immersive and interactive exhibits including riding a broomstick, getting on the Hogwarts Express and playing with a green screen. Special events are held throughout the year including Halloween and Christmas at Hogwarts in the Snow where the great hall and exhibits are decorated according to the season.
Outdoors adventures and activities
The city has a fun and massive centre larger than 10 tennis courts including Ninja Warrior, Gladiator Beams, Competition Climbing Wall, 5 Lane Foam Pit features, for fun and High-Intensity Fitness Sessions and regular events.
In the area there are outdoor options including horse riding, karting, gliding, high ropes courses. Along with golf at the Caddington Golf Club. For those that want to relax the Aqua Sana Spa in nearby Woburn Forest is in a natural setting with six spa areas including saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas and a luxurious list of treatments using some of the finest products including Decléor and Elemis.
One of the nation’s great country estates the grounds include gardens, safari park, deer park and golf course. The house, home of the 15th Duke and Duchess of Bedford, is closed for refurbishment at present but visitors can enjoy the safari park which is teeming with wildlife including rhinos, elephants, lions, bears, tigers, zebra and giraffe. There are also indoor and outdoor activities, and a full programme of keeper talks and demonstrations. In addition, Woburn’s Deer Park footpaths are open and the Woburn Golf Club.
The largest zoo in Britain, Whipsnade is owned by the ZSL (Zoological Society of London), a non-profit organisation engaged in animal conservation around the world. The zoo has cheetahs, Indian rhinos, birds from around the world, a herd of nine Asian elephants, sea lions, African lions, African hunting dogs and a new butterfly house.
In Luton you’re never more than a few minutes from the pretty as a picture Chiltern Hills. Haddington Hill marks the highest point in the East of England and walkers can follow the National Trust’s Five Knolls Wildlife and Heritage Walk to see the sights and find the perfect view, insta shot or picnic spot.
This nature reserve offers more open countryside views on the Chiltern foothills. Abundant with unusual wildflowers which attract colourful array of butterflies and at the foot of the valley is a crystal-clear chalk stream where in the summer months you may see Dartmoor ponies grazing.
The incredible park has a display of ornamental gardens with a wealth of photo ops, branching out each side of the path that then becomes a canal leading to a Baroque pavilion. Designed by landscape architects Henry Wise and Capability Brown, the gardens are now home to more than 40 sculptures and monuments including an ornate bridge, Chinese temple and Neptune sculpture.