Caves, Robin Hood, Torvill and Dean and a pile of great pubs. All great Nottingham traditions, no-one would disagree.
But I bet most of us who call this great city home have barely scratched the surface when it comes to seeing it through a tourists' eyes.
And, shamefully, this is very much the case for me. I've spent a significant amount of time in and around Nottingham over the ten years I have worked for the Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live, arriving here in 2012 as Digital Editor, and then taking on the role of Editor in early 2020.
So why have I never set foot inside one of the city's hundreds of caves? Or come face to face with Robin Hood? This needed to change, so I enrolled my family (partner and my two sons, six and 10) on a sizeable task: to experience Nottingham as a tourist would, taking in as many of the city's sights, sounds and tastes as possible in 48 hours.
Day One
Where else would you start a journey in Nottingham other than the institution that is Annie's Burger Shack? Famed from West Bridgford to Wollaton and everywhere in between, this US-themed eaterie also puts on a huge choice for breakfast. We arrived at 9am and noticed people had booked, I can only assume because it gets very busy.
Anyone with kids knows how breakfast can be with the younger ones in tow, but my two were in good company with other young families and absolutely spoilt for choice by the menu. We tucked into an omelette, 'Boston Frank and Beans' (frankfurter chunks on Rye toast with Boston baked beans) gammon and poached eggs and a breakfast burrito. I don't think I've ever seen such an extensive menu for breakfast and it would certainly take you a while to eat your way around the US-area themed choices.
Next we trundled five minutes around the corner to the City of Caves, an attraction that has been around for years but has felt a little unloved since the Broadmarsh was flattened. It's getting a new, bigger entrance soon, however and the new entrance by The Contemporary already feels grander than the previous way in, through the upper mall of the old shopping centre.
I feel quite ashamed to admit I've never been inside a Nottingham cave (unless The Bomb nightclub counts?). There are estimated to be more than 500 of them, and many pubs and shops, including Paul Smith, proudly boast one. On arrival, we were greeted by an incredibly enthusiastic member of staff, who told us that tours are still not going ahead and we'd have to listen to the information on our mobile phones. This was no problem and we were told exactly how to get the audio guide before heading down a steep spiral staircase.
The tour was fascinating and I felt dismayed to learn that we nearly lost a huge chunk of our city's heritage when the Broadmarsh shopping centre was built. This is a must-do tourist attraction and for a family of four, the price is reasonable at £29.65.
Lunch was next on the agenda and we headed over to the other side of the city centre to tuck into some solid grub at Pieminister. I can already hear people telling me I should have stopped at one of our many great independents for food, but in fact this chain would not exist today were it not for Nottingham Trent University. The founder studied at NTU in the 90s and met his wife there, who still manages the press and PR today.
So the pies are very much 'Made in Nottingham'. But if a pastry is not your thing, there are sides like pigs in blankets, halloumi fries and free-rang pork scratchings also available. The Moolin Rouge - beef steak and bacon and red wine - and kids' choices went down very well with us and service was really quick and friendly.
After lunch we headed back over to the Cross Keys pub where we were booked onto the famous Robin Hood Town Tour with the man himself. Yes, Robin Hood is a real person to all the doubters out there.
I have to admit I was looking forward to this part of our tourist experience the most. Ade Andrews, who runs this tour along with several others, is a city institution and it's the number one attraction for Nottingham on TripAdvisor. Ade brings to life everything that Nottingham is famous for around the world. The history, the legends, the stories behind the great industries Nottingham was built upon, and all brought to life in the fabulous tradition of oral storyytelling. The tour takes around two and a half hours, and will see you cross the city centre, listen to medieval tales in the cave of Ye Olde Salutation Inn on Maid Marian Way (with a chance to sup a pint of ale while there) and finish off at the oldest inn in England, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, built partially into the caves underneath Nottingham Castle.
I've never come across a storyteller like Ade Andrews. His knowledge of the history of Nottingham is probably unmatched, and his ability to keep the audience entertained and informed was admirable. My ten-year-old son is a huge history fan and he loved the tour - especially with some of the more gruesome facts.
The icing on the cake for tour-goers was the chance to enjoy a pint and pick the brains of not only Robin Hood, but Little John and Maid Marian too, who were waiting by the bar in the Trip at the end of the tour. A tourists' dream. Tickets for the town tour are £14.50 for adults, £8 for under 14s and £11 for concessions. The tour is recommended for age 10+, although my six-year-old did enjoy it too.
By this point of our staycation, I'd definitely lost track of our step count, and it was time to head to our accommodation for a brief rest before dinner.
We stayed at the Hilton Hotel next to the Victoria Centre, an imposing redbrick building situated next to where once stood the Victoria Railway Station. The hotel has recently been refurbished and our family room was spacious, modern and clean. My boys shared a sofa bed - which they loved - and immediately started to fight over the remote for one of the two TVs in the room. I admit I was worried about noise from the street and the McDonald's just below (open until 4am!) but I honestly didn't hear a peep, and I often struggle to sleep in unfamiliar hotel rooms.
They say customer service makes a huge difference to how you view your time as a tourist anywhere and I can certainly say this was the case at the Hilton. Lovelle Anderson-Campbell, who was working in the breakfast room, made an effort to come to our table, spoke to us, and chatted with the kids. And staff at reception made sure everything was absolutely perfect for us.
Onto our evening meal then, and we were booked in at Gusto, a new addition to Nottingham's dining scene, having taken over the space that Frankie and Benny's left when it closed. It's a lively, family Italian restaurant offering pizzas, steak and pasta dishes, as well as a wide range of cocktails. Staff were really attentive and knew their stuff, making recommendations and suggesting wine matches for the food as we ordered. Definitely welcome for someone who normally plonks for whichever wine catches my eye... If you go to Gusto, my recommendation would be to try the cannoli. I am new to this particular Italian dish, but it was recommended to me by our waiter and it certainly didn't disappoint. I think I'd describe it as a sweet, filled, biscuit / pastry type dish. A perfect light dessert.
Day Two
I did warn you this staycation was action-packed...all that and we're only on the second day.
Sunday morning dawned and in true British staycation style, the heavens had opened and the forecast was looking awful. Good job then, that our schedule was taking in some of the indoor attractions Nottingham has to offer.
Our first stop was at the National Ice Centre - the biggest rink in the East Midlands. It seems crazy to come to Nottingham, the home of Torvill and Dean, and not attempt to channel their vibe on an ice rink. I cannot confess this is what I did, however, being more of a side-clinger myself, but my children enjoyed this activity probably the most out of the whole weekend.
At the public sessions, there is a fenced-off area for younger skaters, with staff on hand to help them as they shuffle around with an ice animal of choice for support. I could see my six-year-old chatting with some of the staff and he was hugely chuffed to receive two stickers to mark his visit.
Having shuffled around the ice for 90 minutes of my two-hour slot, I decided to grab a coffee while I watched the others finish off. Huge bonus - they serve 200 Degrees coffee here! Skating for a family of four costs £32 and that includes two hours on the rink and skate hire.
Sunday lunch was at the famous Oscar and Rosie's pizza restaurant in Hockley. I'd heard a lot about this independent eaterie (in fact we recently reviewed it ourselves here), and knew it was very well thought of. It was fairly quiet when we arrived, which meant we were served quickly. However, it did fill up soon and seemed to be a mix of students and families. The whole place has a Berlin, lo-fi feel to it, which I really liked. The mismatched furniture and covers of Private Eye on the wall only made me love it more.
But the best was yet to come when I looked at the menu. All the chicken was free-range. Not something you see very often, and as a chicken keeper myself, animal welfare is really important to me when buying food and eating out. My children loved this too and happily tucked into a Hamster pizza together (ham hock, mushrooms and ricotta). Myself and my partner opted for a salad with halloumi and avocado - the portion was unexpectedly generous and more than enough to fill us up at lunch.
The final stop on our action-packed staycation was to Nottingham Castle. I have visited this myself through my job before, but had never been to the caves which were previously closed. I would say this is a great addition to the new offering at Nottingham Castle. With the rain as persistent as it was, we were unable to try out the wooden playground area, although my children were keen to come back and look another time.
The interactive displays detailing the history of the Castle kept my children interested for a good amount of time, but we were all keen to get down and see what the caves had to offer. I was fascinated to discover the intricate brickwork underneath the castle and what the various spaces were used for. The whole experience was topped off by an extremely knowledgeable tour guide, Corey, without whom we would not have had such an interesting trip.
And with that, our 48 hours as tourists in Nottingham was complete.
Am I ashamed that as editor of Nottinghamshire Live I'd never been down a cave or drank a pint in the Trip? Yes, but thankfully I've resolved that now. And my kids are definitely lifelong Robin Hood fans now too. Take a trip and spend some cash in your own city - you won't regret it.
