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The Quays is a waterfront development on the site of the old Manchester Ship Canal, which fell into disrepair as the shipping industry declined. It was recently revamped into a cutting edge square mile of sport, shopping, leisure, dining and the arts, cocooned in contemporary architecture that both compliments and enhances the cityscape.
Reachable in fifteen minutes by tram from Manchester city centre, it’s a great place to both visit for an afternoon or more extended periods, with accommodations available at a purpose-built Ramada, the Lancashire Cricket Club’s Old Trafford Lodge, and the four-star Copthorne Hotel.
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For the discerning shopper, The Quays includes the Lowry Outlet Shopping Mall, which consists of over eighty stores with prices up to 70% lower than the high street. When you’re all shopped out, you can flop down at the food court for some reinvigorating refreshment, or perhaps indulge in one of the many cafes and restaurants that punctuate the promenades. There’s even a cinema to relax in at the end of a hard day’s bargain-hunting.
For sports enthusiasts, The Quays is home to the aforementioned Lancashire Cricket Club and the world-renown Manchester United Football Club, making the area one of the most sports intensive in the nation.
Other attractions include the Imperial War Museum North, which positively drips with the historical back-story of the modern-day United Kingdom and her environs. Admission is free, which means it’s a great place to take the kids for a little culture that not only informs, but entertains. For the drama lover there’s the Lowry theatre, with an extensive programme of performances, workshops, exhibitions and conferences.
So The Quays supplies a cosmopolitan destination for visitors keen to explore the rich diversity of activities it includes by design. As a model, modern, dockyard development, it really is a must-see.
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