Lying between the university and the Sketty end of Gower Road, Singleton Park is the city's main green space. It's the venue for many local events from the Proms in the Park to the Swansea Show. It's a great place to laze on summer days, shaded by trees and with views over the sea or for walks on colder days. The highlight of the park is the walled botanical garden, at its most spectacular in August, but with a good array of winter-flowering plants as well. The temperate and tropical hot houses are always welcoming, with collections of cacti, rain forest plants, orchids and begonias.
Oystermouth Castle dates back to the 13th Century when the lords of Gower made this, rather than Swansea castle, their prime residence. The ruins are impressive and fun to explore. As well as dramatic curtain walls, towers and winding passageways. It has beautiful examples of 14th-century tracery in the windows of the chapel. The views over the bay and across to Mumbles are spectacular from the high points of the castle which sits on a small hill set back from the seafront. In summer the courtyard is used for open air performances of opera and drama and in mid year medieval tournament is staged.
The Glynn Vivian was founded as a community arts center with a bequest by Glynn Richard Vivian, a member of one of the wealthy 19th Century copper industrialist families of the area. It still maintains strong links with the community and engages in many educational projects. On display are Swansea china and porcelain from around the world, old masters and a strong 20th Century art collection with works by Hepworth, Nash and Nicholson as well as the Welsh artists Ceri Richards, Augustus John and Gwen John. The gallery's temporary exhibitions on different aspects of contemporary art are well worth seeing.
Located within a former waterfront warehouse, the National Waterfront Museum is a popular museum that takes you back to the Industrial Revolution. The exhibits at the museum reveal the changes that took place in the kingdom of Wales in the last 300 years and the industrial and technological development that took momentum. The museum organizes guided tours, educational events and cultural activities in order to bring more and more people under its roof and acquaint them with Welsh history. The National Waterfront Museum also serves as a popular venue for corporate events, private functions and exhibitions.
The great Welsh writer, Dylan Thomas, moved to Laugharne after his marriage to Caitlin Macnamara in 1937. Friends purchased the old boathouse for the couple where they lived, on and off, until the poet's death. His children were born in Laugharne but violent rows with Caitlin provoked his frequent departures. It was not until 1949, only four years before his death, that he genuinely settled in Laugharne, the place where he is buried. The house, with the Thomas family's original furnishings and memorabilia, is now a heritage center with audio-visual exhibitions, a bookshop and tea room.
A west-facing arc of sand with clouds rising majestically above it, Rhossili Bay is the star of the Gower Peninsula. At its southern end, the high tide island of Worm's Head juts out into the Atlantic like a sleeping dragon. Buffeted by ocean winds, Rhossili can be an inclement place. Numerous ships have come to grief here, like the Helvetia in 1887, whose jaw-like broken timbers are a familiar feature at low tide. Rhossili village is the nearest access point. A steep path descends to the beach or there's the longer and harder walk out to Worm's Head. Fishing and hang-gliding are popular; surfers head for Llangennith sands at the northern end of the bay.
Broughton Bay is splendid beach found along the coast of Gower, Characterized by its spectacular natural beauty, the beach is unfortunately not suitable for bathing due to the strong currents and shifting sands that make the waters hazardous. Nevertheless, windsurfers can sometimes be seen along the bay. Although there are caravan parks at both ends of the beach, Broughton Bay remains relatively secluded and is a popular spot for beach combing. Quiet and tranquil, the beach is a wonderful spot to get away from it all and have a relaxing day lounging by the sea, or exploring the caves that can be found along the cliffs.
Internal Fire- Museum of Power features an extensive collection of gas turbines, old oil engines and other large engines. The focus of its collection remains on diesel engines dating from the 1920s till the 1960s. Exhibits at Internal Fire- Museum of Power are displayed in an almost real-life environment. This enables the visitors to see, hear and smell these engines and understand how they function in an actual working set up. Displaye here change every year and it runs twenty engines daily throughout summers. The 'Pocket Power Station' is clearly one of the most interesting displays here, running on a Bristol Proteus gas turbine motor. Visitors can also see vintage telephones in working condition, apart from the earliest diesel engine still in operation.
National Coracle Centre is a workshop and a museum of coracles from different parts of the world. This museum is set in the premises of a flour mill dating back to the 17th Century, close to the scenic Cenarth falls and a historic bridge passing over the beautiful Teifi River. This museum features an extensive collection of diverse coracles from Tibet, India, North America and Vietnam to complement its assemblage of coracles from the home islands. Besides, National Coracle Centre also tells you about their history and the tools and techniques employed to build them. There is also a section highlighting the methods and implements used for poaching, an ancient art.
With rolling dunes in the backdrop, droves of pine trees on the sides and an azure bay ahead, the Barafundle Bay Beach is an ethereal site. It is no surprise that this picture-perfect attraction has been voted as the best beach of Britain numerous times. Sequestered within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, this pristine beach is an ideal destination for a romantic escape with your partner. Lounge on the sun-bathed sand and gaze into the horizon of the Barafundle Bay Beach for an unmatched experience of serenity.