Coming to GeekMoot? Ten great things to in and around Leicester!

Greetings CMSMS Users

If you are coming to join us for GeekMoot on the 19th, 20th and 21st October, you'll be coming to one of the UK's most historic cities.  As a little taster of some of the great things you can do as well as the GeekMoot conference, we thought we'd give you a run down of the top ten things we'll be doing if we can find the time.

1.  Visiting the National Space Centre exhibitions.  
Easy, because the NSS is the host for GeekMoot this year!  A free NSS entrance ticket is included with your GeekMoot ticket, so enjoy the exhibitions over lunch one day.
Although British space missions usually launch from French Guiana or Kazakhstan, Leicester's space museum is a fascinating introduction to the mysteries of the spheres. The ill-fated Beagle 2 mission to Mars was controlled from here. Fun, family-friendly displays cover everything from astronomy to the status of current space missions.

2. King Richard III: Dynasty, Death & Discovery
Built following the incredible 2012 discovery and 2013 DNA testing of King Richard III's remains, Leicester's high-tech King Richard III visitor centre encompasses three fascinating sections. Dynasty explores his rise to become the final Plantagenet king. Death delves into the Battle of Bosworth, when Richard became the last English king to be killed in battle. Discovery details the University of Leicester’s archaeological dig and identification, and lets you view the site of the grave in which he was found.

3. Leicester Castle
Scattered around the Newarke Houses Museum are the ruins of Leicester's medieval castle, where Richard III spent his final days before the Battle of Bosworth. The most impressive piece of masonry is the monumental gateway known as the Magazine , once a storehouse for cannonballs and gunpowder. Clad in Georgian brickwork, the 12th-century Great Hall stands behind a 15th-century gate near the church of St Mary de Castro , where Geoffrey Chaucer was married in 1366.

4.  Visit Leicester Market
More than 300 stalls at Leicester's indoor and outdoor markets sell everything from organic vegetables to aromatic spices, fish and shellfish, new and secondhand clothes, and homewares, electronic goods, cosmetics, jewellery, flowers, and fabrics.  

5.  Eat at the Boot Room
A former shoe factory now houses this contemporary independent bistro. Premium ingredients are used in dishes from roast Cornish cod with smoked tomato risotto to duck leg with Clonakilty black pudding. Save room for the soufflé of the day for dessert.

6.  Visit the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Highlights of this grand Victorian museum include the dinosaur galleries, the painting collection (with works by Turner and Degas) and the Egyptian gallery, where real mummies rub shoulders with displays about Boris Karloff's The Mummy film. Littlies under five can let loose in the interactive Den.

7.  Visit Leicester Cathedral
Pride of place at this substantial medieval cathedral goes to the contemporary limestone tomb atop the vault where the body of King Richard III was reburied in 2015, following the discovery of his body nearby. Look too for the striking carvings on the cathedral's roof supports.

8. Relax in Bradgate Park
Walk around Bradgate Park, a few miles from the city centre, to see wild deer, rabbits and breathtaking views.

9. Grab a Pork Pie from the UKs most famous crisp makers!
For lunch on the run, you can't beat Walkers' towering pork pies. These are the original premises where Walkers was founded in 1824; it's since sold its famous crisp brand but the pies remain a family business today. Other pie varieties include chicken, bacon and mushroom, farmhouse steak, game, and pulled pork. There's a handful of pavement tables out front.

10.  Buy a dev a drink!
Ok - we're only (half) joking, but with a host of great places to eat and drink, there'll be plenty of opportunity to socialise with your fellow attendees and the Dev Team alike.  

Have you bought your tickets yet?  You can buy tickets from the home page of the GeekMoot site.  Why not pop over there now and click the link?

The CMSMS Development Team