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This year sees the opening of our magnificent new Waterside Theatre.
The theatre has two auditoria: one capable of seating 1200, the
other 200.  These
halls will accommodate a full range of entertainments varying from
the highest levels of professional opera, ballet, theatre, classical
and popular music through to community theatre and amateur dramatics.
For bookings go to www.ambassadortickets.com/aylesbury
A fully community based arts venue is the Queens Park Centre which
offers over 60 arts and crafts workshops every week. These encompass
painting, pottery, needlecraft, circus skills, drama, all aspects
of film and theatrical production, salsa and sign language. The
relaxed Limelight Theatre at the centre hosts a range of theatre,
comedy, music and exhibitions. If you would like to learn more about
this, please contact the Queens Park Arts Centre on (01296) 424332
or go to www.qpc.org
Those with a love of history will enjoy the superb County Museum
of Buckinghamshire. This institution houses displays and exhibitions
traversing the centuries, from the iron and stone ages to the early
20th century. One of Aylesbury’s most popular attractions
is the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery, which forms part of
the County Museum. Dahl fans of all ages can come and experience
the magic of his imagination with a visit to this exciting hands-on
gallery. The museum and gallery are set alongside a lovely walled
garden in the heart of the historic Old Town. For details of opening
times please telephone (01296) 331441 or visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum.
Other family attractions near to the town include the Home for Retired
Horses at Speen, Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton and
the Goat Centre at Stoke Mandeville.
More entertainment opportunities include Jardines Ten Pin Bowling
Alley in Bourbon Street, the multi-screen Odeon Cinema off Exchange
Street, Rogue Racing in Pembroke Road and Scubanet, the largest
dive centre in the south of England, located in Rabans Lane.
For sports fans, Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre is Aylesbury’s
latest state-of-the-art leisure experience. Three pools allow you
to choose between an eight lane 25 metre competition pool complete
with movable floor, the indoor leisure facility with its great river
ride and interactive flume, or the heated outdoor pool. If you prefer
your leisure on dry land there is also a modern gym and fitness
suite, a dance studio, a sauna, a soft play room and a café.
For further information on the activities at the centre please telephone
(01296) 488555 or visit www.aquavale.com
Aylesbury’s other major sports centre is the Stoke Mandeville
Stadium. The centre is internationally famous as the birthplace
of disability sport and benefited from a multi-million pound lottery
funded renovation programme in 2003. A national centre for sport,
the Stadium boasts a fantastic range of facilities for both able
bodied and disabled visitors. The stadium includes a 12-court badminton
sports hall, a 25m swimming pool, Harper’s Fitness Centre,
the Mondo Athletics Track, a crèche, and a Café/Sports
Bar, as well as a 100-bed Olympic Lodge Hotel. The venue also offers
conferencing and banqueting facilities, for both small and large
events. For further details please telephone (01296) 484848
If you prefer to take your exercise in the fresh air, then Aylesbury
offers a wide variety of choice. There are a number of excellent
golf courses very near to the town including the Aylesbury Park
Golf Club at Fairford Leys. Walkers can easily access the open countryside
 from
the town. The 12 mile “Round Aylesbury Walk” offers
an energetic challenge or a range of more manageable shorter walks
such as the riverside walk at Meadowcroft. The Aylesbury spur of
the Grand Union Canal, which is the ‘green road’ into
the Town, offers a gentle potter through beautiful countryside along
its level paths. We have an excellent children’s playground,
tennis, bowls and a great skate park in the developing Vale Park.
There is an all-weather football pitch and a new teenage kick-about
area in Meadowcroft. There are also sports pitches in our parks
and open spaces at Bedgrove, Alfred Rose Park, the Edinburgh &
Walton Court Playing Field, Dunsham Park and at Fairford Leys. For
further details of sports facilities in the town please telephone
Aylesbury Vale District Council Leisure Services on (01296) 585210
For information on things to see and do in Aylesbury, why not call
into the Town’s Tourist Information Centre located at the
King’s Head just off the Market Square or ring them on (01296)
330559. For more details of a wide range of visitor attractions
in the Aylesbury area visit www.visitbuckinghamshire.org
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