5 Places To Visit In Dundee After Lockdown
COVID-19 has took a toll on literally almost everything and the world has changed dramatically since the outbreak of the disease in late 2019. Every city, town and village in the world has been affected by the virus and Dundee is no different.
So what is there to do once lockdown ends, well we have listed a very handy guide to recommendations to five places to visit once lockdown ends!
5. Discovery Point and Verdant Works
What better place to visit than Captain Scott’s Discovery! Situated in the city’s waterfront, standing proud as the world’s first purpose-built scientific research ship, the Discovery has a lot on show which celebrates the Discovery Expedition which took Captain Scott and his crew to Antarctica which subsequently led to many new discoveries of the untouched continent.
Verdant Works, Discovery Point’s sister museum is also one to visit. It is a very unique place to visit as it tells the story of what life was like in the jute mills in Dundee back in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Currently as RRS Discovery is closed, the staff from both Discovery Point and Verdant Works have created content online to entertain those who can’t visit the museums due to coronavirus.
Once lockdown ends, I think it is fair to say that Discovery Point and Verdant Works both deserve a visit!
4. Dundee Contemporary Arts
Unfortunately due to coronavirus, the Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) will not be scheduled to reopen until Q3 2020. No exhibitions have currently been planned however visiting the DCA. Supporting the DCA after lockdown will help grow and maintain the arts centre and put it in a good position.
There is a lot of people in Dundee who say that the DCA ‘just show independent films’, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
DCA show your Hollywood blockbusters at a cheaper cost compared to Cineworld and Odeon Luxe.
And remember — the DCA is more than just a cinema, it has its own exhibition space, art studio and cafe bar which you can go to after observing what this amazing place has to offer!
3. McManus Galleries
The McManus Galleries is the best visitor attraction in Scotland, after winning the Thistle Award for Best Scottish Visitor Attraction, the museum has been on a high!
Prior to lockdown, the museum was already showcasing their current exhibition: Time and Tide: The Transformation of the Tay which looks at the influence and impact the River Tay has made on the city because without it, Dundee wouldn’t have been the place it is today.
Dundee would not exist without the Tay nor have transformed from a small medieval settlement to Scotland’s fourth largest city. The Firth of Tay is well known for the quality of its landscapes and wildlife.
This exhibition looks at the influence the Tay has had on the city of Dundee, and how the growth of the city, particularly along the waterfront has affected the Tay, its wildlife and the people who live here.
From early settlement to industrial giant to post-industrial leisure destination the waterfront continues to recycle and reinvent itself.
The exhibition is scheduled to end in November, hopefully if lockdown ends sooner rather than later, you can go and visit and most of all — learn and enjoy!
2. V&A Dundee
Before lockdown, the V&A Dundee was planning on beginning their newest exhibition to the museum which would have focused on the design talent that is Mary Quant. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the V&A Dundee and the exhibition was postponed until further notice.
When the V&A Dundee does eventually reopen, the Mary Quant exhibition will be truly on show and it is expected to be one of the museum’s biggest one yet.
1. Mills Observatory
Quite a surprise one but Mills Observatory is our top spot for one of the best places to visit once lockdown ends and Mills re-opens. Mills Observatory has played an important role in Dundee’s history and being the first purpose built observatory in the UK is a special title.
The observatory is located on the city’s Balgay Hill and it is a great place to explore the stars and planets from the amazing 400mm (16inch) Dobsonian reflector telescope.
Unlike all the other attractions in Dundee, I feel that Mills Observatory is definitely one of the more underrated places to visit as it hasn’t been talked about or mentioned locally in the media as much in the past couple of years. Dundee Culture published a piece just last week about what makes the observatory so special.
So the observatory is definitely one to visit after lockdown!
