Around Bristol''s Waterways
At the southern end of the Centre, the River Frome disappears underground at the Quayhead , a spot marked by a statue of Neptune and a memorial plaque to Samuel Plimsoll, inventor of the eponymous line that's painted on the hulls of merchant ships. St Augustine's Reach , the central part of the Floating Harbour, is flanked by the Arnolfini and Watershed arts centres, bastions of Bristol's cultural scene and both housed in refurbished Victorian warehouses. Outside the Arnolfini is a statue of John Cabot , the Genoan-born explorer licensed by Henry VII to sail from Bristol in 1497; his landing at Newfoundland formed the basis of England's later claims on the New World (he disappeared on his second expedition the following year). Beyond the Watershed, Bristol's newly developed Harbourside is the home of Bristol's highest-profile attraction, at-Bristol (daily 10am-6pm; GBP6.50 for one attraction; GBP11 for two; GBP15.50 for all, valid for a week; ), a large-scale entertainment complex which pivots on three principal sites: Explore-at-Bristol, an interactive science centre; Wildwalk-at-Bristol, a multimedia wildlife complex, including an indoor "tropical forest", and an IMAX cinema (film screenings need to be booked in advance). Although chiefly aimed at families and schoolkids, there's enough here for anyone to occupy a whole day or more. The wildlife displays and scientific wizardry are most impressive, and subsidiary attractions include the Imaginarium (GBP2), a metal-clad spherical planetarium. To explore further afield, take advantage of the ferry service , which connects the various parts of the Floating Harbour every forty minutes or so (April-Sept Mon-Fri 10.50am-5.45pm, Sat & Sun 10.50am-4.50pm; Oct-March Sat & Sun only; GBP1 single fare; GBP3 forty-minute round trip; GBP3.50 one-hour round trip; ). Opposite the Arnolfini, the Industrial Museum , features a diverse collection of vehicles, mostly with Bristol connections, and a display of maritime models and reconstructions (April-Oct Mon-Wed, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; Nov-March Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; free), and about 500 yards west from here, you can visit the SS Great Britain (daily: April-Oct 10am-5.30pm; Nov-March 10am-4.30pm; GBP6.25). Built in 1843 by Brunel, this was the first propeller-driven, ocean-going iron ship, used initially between Liverpool and New York, then between Liverpool and Melbourne, circumnavigating the globe 32 times over a period of 26 years. Her ocean-going days ended in 1886 when she was caught in a storm off Cape Horn, and abandoned in the Falkland Islands; she was recovered from there and in 1968 returned to the same dry dock in Bristol where she was constructed. Alongside is docked a much smaller affair: a replica of the Matthew (same times as the Great Britain ; entry covered by that ticket), the vessel in which John Cabot sailed to America in 1497, rebuilt in time for the voyage to be re-enacted on the 500th anniversary. The adjoining Maritime Heritage Centre (same times and ticket) gives the full history of both the Great Britain and the Matthew , and the few facts which are known about Cabot and his exploits. The museum also illustrates the port's long shipbuilding history from the eighteenth century, when it was second only to London, to its decline in the last century.
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