Something a little bit different.  The Eden Project, one of the UK’s leading environmental visitor attractions is using a helium filled balloon to enable their staff to inspect the tree top canopy in the Rainforest Biome.

There’s new experience at Palm House in Kew Gardens which has introduced the ‘Whispering in the Leaves’ experience.  Listen to the interview with wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson on the Guardian’s website.

Four Sea Life Centres across the UK are to have Animalive’s Chatterbox Minis installed. The centres include Brighton, Birmingham, Weymouth and Scarborough.  They offer live interactive animation.

The National Brewery Centre, the much-anticipated, world-class visitor attraction, will open on Saturday 1st May 2010.

Situated in the heart of the town that is synonymous with the British brewing industry, Burton upon Trent, the new centre will serve as a focal point for the celebration of the far-reaching influence that the town’s pioneering brewing methods have had throughout the world.

The site was originally home to the Bass Museum and more recently the Coors Visitor Centre, which closed during the summer of 2008. With the support of the brewer Molson Coors UK, Planning Solutions Ltd, the company behind this new venture has made some fundamental changes, which will broaden its appeal – particularly to families.

Mike Stickland, chairman of Planning Solutions, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to The National Brewery Centre.”

“We have been overwhelmed by the level of support in the town and from the industry as a whole. We’ve assembled a fantastic team here in Burton and they have all been working very hard to get everything ready.

“I’m sure that the visiting public will be pleased with what we have done to the site. Brewing history will come alive.”

‘Pepper’s Ghost’ – a holographic presenter starts off the tour, leading visitors on an entertaining journey through the evolution of brewing, from its ancient origins right through to the present day. After this introduction, visitors can explore the hundreds of displays, artefacts and exhibits that are located around the site, including a vast scale model of Burton in 1921 – showing the true extent of the mighty capital of brewing at that time.

There are six performers on site who, in authentic period costume, recreate real characters from the town’s history, including: Michael Thomas Bass II, brewery workers, a school mistress and an inn keeper. They will stay in character and interact with visitors, taking them back to a bygone age – offering an insight into life in Victorian times.

Adults will be able to sample four different ales in a beer tasting master class – learning how the different ingredients and techniques can influence taste, aroma and appearance.

Transport played an important role in the development of the industry and it is well represented at The National Brewery Centre. The mighty Shire horses, Major and Trooper, will be in the Centre’s stables during weekends, school and Bank Holidays. People will be able to get up close and meet the magnificent creatures.

There’s a collection of vintage vehicles that have been used in the brewing industry, from fire trucks to a 1920s Daimler in the shape of a bottle that was originally used to deliver advertising materials to pubs.

Steam enthusiasts will appreciate the No.9 Locomotive and Directors Carriage alongside a mock-up of a Victorian station platform. There’s also a working Robey steam engine that was once used to power a maltings.

After fully exploring all that the Centre has to offer, visitors can relax in the café, or dine in style in the Brewery Tap bar and restaurant. The restaurant offers a high-quality gastro-pub menu that is sourced from fresh local produce, where available.

There are also a range of ‘Beer Bites’ available which are a similar concept to Spanish Tapas. These dishes have been designed as the perfect accompaniment to the selection of six real ales on offer – many of which will have been brewed specially for the Centre by the on site White Shield micro-brewery.

It is planned that this brewery will be moved into a new area of the site so that it can become part of the visitor experience. This is expected to take place during the late summer months of 2010 and it will enable visitors to see at first hand how some of its famous real ales are created.

Steve Wellington, head brewer, said “I’m absolutely delighted to see the Centre open. We’ll now have the opportunity to recreate some real ales for visitor in the new William Worthington Brewery– many of which won’t have been commercially available for decades. Visitors will also be able to see the process of brewing first hand whilst in the old Joiners Shop, where the new brewery will be located. It really is a very exciting project and one that that I am proud to be part of.”

Leading beer writer and historian, Pete Brown, whose latest book called Hops and Glory, retraced the route of Burton’s famous India Pale Ale (IPA) from Burton to Calcutta. He commented: “Burton-on-Trent is the spiritual home of British brewing, renowned around the world as one of the most historic and important brewing sites on the planet. In recent years it’s been heartbreaking to see this legacy seemingly being lost. The National Brewery Centre is a giant step in restoring Burton to its former glory.”

Graeme Whitehead of Destination Staffordshire, the Destination Management Partnership (DMP), commented: As the primary marketing agency for tourism in Staffordshire, we much regretted the closure of the previous visitor attraction on this site. So we are overjoyed that it is to be re-opened with a wider scope and appeal and in the capable hands of operators, who we respect and know will make the new centre work. The Centre will prove, I’m sure, to be a key addition to the already strong and broad range of Staffordshire’s tourism product.”

Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide, who campaigned for the museum to be re-opened, said: “Britain has a fascinating brewing history and Burton-on-Trent has been at the heart of British brewing for centuries, first with Burton Ale then India Pale Ale and pale ale – beer styles that transformed brewing on a world scale. That history will now get the attention it deserves with The National Brewery Centre, which highlights the key role of Burton in developing Britain’s unique beer styles.

“But the centre is about more than history — it’s also about the future, too. The revival of both real ale and craft breweries in the Burton area chime with the opening of the centre. As well as audio-visual displays and artefacts, the centre will have a living, working brewery producing beer of the highest quality. There will be rooms and suites for meetings, seminars, conferences and research. I urge all who love and treasure British beer to use the centre to the full.”

Further details can be found at the website www.nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk

Plans for a new discovery centre at the University of Manchester’s Jodrell bank Observatory have been submitted to Cheshire East Council. The discovery centre will incorporate a orientation centre and café and there will also be a multi-purpose events, exhibition and education space.

Plans are in place for Edinburgh to get its own version of the London Eye in a hope that it will bring thousands more tourists to the capital. The 120 ft wheel is planned to be erected at the Leith Waterfront, tying it in with the new transport station.

Chessington World of Adventures has submitted palns for a new gorilla enclosure. Plans are for a 1,275sq m enclosure, with a 53sq m viewing platform and would be home to the new western lowland gorillas.

Our sister company Planning Solutions Limited has got good coverage in Attractions Management with their plans to re-open the former Coors Visitor Centre as the National Brewery Centre.

Twycross Zoo, in Leicestershire, is set to open a new £7m visitor centre in February this year. The centre will look out onto the snow leopard enclosure and will include a 300 seat restaurant, retails space, function room for conferences.
The centre will also act as a Tourist Information Centre, particularly focussing on promoting the National Forest and supporting local tourism and environment.

Demolition has begun on the Mary Rose Ship Hall in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, making way for the £35m development of a new museum dedicated to the warship. A boat-shaped museum building will be built over the dry dock containing the Mary Rose, due for completion in 2012.

Improving the visitor experience:

The Famous Grouse Experience, Scotland, has invested £0.5m to create a new interactive 3D show using revolutionary new technology. The show will support multi-person interaction and combines realtime 3D with ‘photo realism’ in a multi-channel format.

Two former landfill sites, in Southport, Lancashire, have been transformed into a new £1.78m community woodland, as part of the wider Newlands Partnership. The Northwest Regional Development Agency provided funding towards the scheme.  As part of the scheme a viewing platform overlooking the West Pennine Moors, Southport Mosses and Blackpool Tower had been created. There are also plans for a cycle trail, mountain bike skills course and new wildlife habitats.

I thought readers may be interested in our education programme offered at Conkers – have a look here.

Planning Solutions are getting some good press coverage reference their work at the National Brewery Centre:

BBC News

The Guardian

Campaign for Real Ale

Marwell Zoo Park has opened its new African Valley zone. The opening follows years of planning and a year to construct.
The 20 acre African Valley will have more than 35 Ellipsen waterbucks, Grevy’s zebras and ostriches. There is also a new restaurant, Café Graze, which overlooks the Valley and gives views of the animals.  The opening of the new zone also coincides with Marwell revealing its new brand identity. It will rename itself ‘Marwell Wildlife’.

Following the closure of the Coors Visitor Centre and Museum of Brewing last year (formerly the Bass Museum), Planning Solutions Limited has announced that it intends to open a revitalised visitor centre and museum in Burton upon Trent Called the National Brewery Centre, it will retain key elements of the existing facilities, updating and reorganising the site to create a unique visitor attraction that will ensure the site’s success well into the 21st Century. Visit the temporary website here: National Brewery Centre

Bewildwerwood,  has won a worldwide award from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). They have been awarded the Best Attraction under US$5m budget. The awards are only given to attractions who have achieved excellence.

Cadbury’s World, in Birmingham, has opened a new advertising themed zone called ‘Advertising Avenue’. The zone will allow visitors to walk through life sized street displays of Cadbury’s adverts from years gone by. The street has been made to look and feel like chocolate and the architecture begins in the style of the 1830’s and becomes more modern as visitors walk along. There are also interactive exhibits for visitors to take part in.

Merlin Entertainments has revealed a 4D cinema as part of the second stage of the £17.5m scheme to upgrade the London Eye over the next three years. A new £5m cinema will be established at London’s South Bank attraction. The pre-flight cinematic experience aims to provide visitors with the chance to view aerial footage of the London Eye. It will be combined with 3D and 4D effects, such as wind, snow and smell.

In addition to the 4D Cinema, the ticket hall and information area have been upgraded along with the revamp of the capsules.   The London Eye will now be known as the Merlin Entertainments London eye as part of efforts to create a new brand identity.