Visit Aberdeen in Scotland

Aberdeen is the 3rd largest city in Scotland and is widely known as the “Granite City” but is also known as the “Silver City (with the Golden Sands)”. Although the area shows evidence of being inhabited for over eight thousand years Aberdeen is a thoroughly modern city with a strong association with the oil and gas industries.

Aberdeen is a lively and exciting city to visit with a vibrant night scene with a wealth of cafes, bars, bistros and restaurants and night clubs. For youngsters, or the young at heart, Aberdeen’s two mile long beach is the place to go where you will find fairground rides and various other attractions you would expect to see in a seaside resort. If you are more culturally minded you will be pleased to hear that the city has a number of fantastic museums and art galleries.

It is along the Beach Esplanade that you will find the excellent House of Fun. The House of Fun is simply huge, spread over 2 floors you will find all the latest video games, hi-tech simulators, driving games etc. together with laser tag, the foam factory, the family amusement arcade and much more fun stuff for the kids.

Obviously the House of Fun is great for kids but there is also much to keep the adults entertained. For those who like to gamble there is a cash arcade and bingo. There are also places to buy gifts and souvenirs but if you want your entertainment a little more adult then there are also various places to eat with such features as large screen tv and even live music.

Of course many people visit Aberdeen to do some shopping and for many in the surrounding rural areas this is vitally important. The main shopping district is around Union Street which has some of the usual retail outlets and other shops however many folk head to the Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre which is a large indoor shopping mall on two levels. There are several other shopping centers/malls including The Academy and The Mall which are well worth visiting as they contain other types of shops including more upmarket stores and different high street brands.

Aberdeen’s history includes many stories of sporting excellence.

Aberdeen, like many other places in Scotland, has a long association with the game of golf. Way back in 1780 the world’s sixth oldest golf club was founded, the “Society of Golfers at Aberdeen”. In 1903 the club was awarded Royal status and was renamed the “Royal Aberdeen Golf Club” (having changed it’s name to Aberdeen Golf Club in 1815) and the club has two golf courses, the Silverburn Course and the Championship Links at Balgownie. There are six public golf courses in Aberdeen; Hazlehead (3 courses, 2 x 18-hole, 1 x 9-hole Pitch and Putt), Balnagask Golf Course (2 courses 1 x 18-hole, 1 x 6-hole) and Auchmill Golf Course.

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in Aberdeen with the city having a number of football clubs including Aberdeen FC which was formed in 1903 and has had some major successes including winning two European championships. At home Aberdeen FC has it most successful period during the 1980’s when they won the Scottish Premier League on three occassions. Of course there are plenty of facilities for soccer and other sports throughout the city.