Royal Leamington Spa is a lovely place to visit, and there are many options for things to do. The town is in the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands. Royal Leamington Spa is a very picturesque town with some pleasant gardens to see. Many of these gardens are along the River Leam that runs through Leamington.
The town is famous for its Regency architecture and pump rooms, much like Cheltenham Spa. Thus, is a lovely place to mooch around and enjoy the pretty scenery and architecture. We enjoyed many visits to the town and found plenty of things to do to keep us coming back.
About Royal Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa is a town in Warwickshire, a beautiful county in England. They built the town on the winding River Leam. It is best known for its Regency architecture and picturesque boulevards. The colonnaded Royal Pump Room is a 19th-century bathhouse. The Pump Room now houses the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum.
Leamington Spa has many tourist attractions, a local history museum, galleries and an original hammam, or a cooling room. Jephson Gardens is a pretty park with formal flowerbeds and a glasshouse for tropical plants.
Things To Do In Leamington Spa
I’ve enjoyed a few day trips to Leamington Spa, including a few with the dog and one for work. Thus I’ve had a look around the main attractions, and a few of the dog friendly pubs and restaurants. There were many things to do in the town and I really enjoyed returning to enjoy its laid-back vibe.
Visit the Royal Pump Room & Baths
One of the most popular things to do in Leamington Spa is to see the Pump Rooms. The Royal Pump Room & Baths are now home to the Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum. They opened the Royal Pump Room building in 1814, when known as Leamington Priors.
Leamington Spa was fast growing into a major British spa resort around that time. People would travel from far and wide to benefit from treatments using the town’s healing waters. I found it a lovely place to visit and learn about its history and enjoy the building’s architecture.
See All Saints’ Church
All Saints’ Church in Leamington Spa is rather eye-catching and well worth visiting inside and its grounds. All Saints is a church of England denomination place of worship. The church looks great up close, and it makes up part of a beautiful riverscape.
They constructed all Saints Church in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century. It is a big church. In fact, it is one of the largest Church of England parish churches. It is actually bigger than many of the cathedrals in the UK.
Someone advised me on Twitter to look up to the sky around the church to see Peregrine Falcons in flight. However, sadly, I didn’t see these beautiful birds of prey on my visits. Overall, this church is well worth visiting when sightseeing in the town.
Explore the beautiful Jephson Gardens
One of the prettiest and well-maintained parks I have visited for a while is Jephson Gardens. It is on the banks of the River Leam near to Leamington Spa town centre and is well worth a visit.
They describe this as a charming Victorian garden featuring exotic tropical plants, a lake & live music. It has many ornate features including fountains, memorials and a clock within the landscape. The park is colourful with many flowerbeds, trees, and other plants throughout.
Autumn is a special time of year at Jephson Gardens with the changing colours, making it stunning and photogenic. Squirrels and wildfowl call the park home and are very prevalent. Some squirrels are pretty fearless of visitors.
See the Davis Clock Tower in the park
The Davis Clock Tower in Jephson Gardens dates to around 1925. They put this tower up in memory of Alderman William Davis, who was mayor of the town three times. It is in the centre of the park, a popular area for people to sit.
See the Jephson Memorial
In the park, a pretty area is The Jephson Memorial. This is a memorial with a statue of Dr Henry Jephson on a plinth within a circular, domed temple. This memorial dates back to 1848-1849 and is pretty special and quite photogenic.
Dr Henry Jephson was a famous doctor and philanthropist that moved to the town in 1819. He helped to make the Spa in the town famous by treating patients with its spring waters. Queen Victoria was keen on the town’s spring waters. The Royal prefix of Royal Leamington Spa resulted from her visit in 1839.
Discover the beautiful Czech Fountain
The Czechoslovak Freedom Fountain is a building of special interest. It is pretty to look at and next to the Jephson Memorial. They created the Czech Fountain in 1968 as a tribute to all the Czechoslovak soldiers, airmen, and patriots who lost their lives in World War Two.
Admire the Hitchman Fountain
Near to the main entrance is the Hitchman Fountain, a grade II listed water feature. They built the fountain in 1869 from millstone grit, red polished granite in the main. Construction of the fountain resulted in them decorating it with sandstone ashlar and coade stone. They designed the fountain in the Gothic Revival early English style, thus very nice to look at.
Refreshment stop at the Aviary Cafe
The Aviary Cafe is in the centre of the park and a great place to grab some refreshments. The cafe is in a glass and iron building that they repurposed from a Victorian aviary. Quite spectacular, really. They specialise in snacks, light lunches, and hot drinks for visitors to the park.
Have fun at the Jephson Park Sensory Garden
The sensory gardens are part of the bigger Jephson Gardens. They created it in 2015. The Sensory Garden looks fantastic in autumn with crisp leaves underfoot. The purpose of the garden is to use all of your senses.
From seeing distorted reflections in the mirrored tunnel to hearing the sounds of the resident xylophone. There are also instructions to feel specific plants, taste some and smell others like a strong pungent garlic. This is great for people of all ages, including educating children while visiting.
Cross Mill Bridge & Weir and enjoy the view
The footbridge from Jephson Gardens across the River Leam is quite striking to look at. Mill Bridge & Weir is eye-catching and is a great vantage point to see the river.
This is a suspension bridge with a weir that dates back to 1903. The edges have nice stone walls with a bay that you can view the church from. The bridge is blue, making it particularly striking with surmounting lamps adding to its beauty.
Walk along the River Leam or do some Water Sports
The River Leam runs through the town and is very picturesque, with a few nice bridges crossing it and a weir. It runs from Northamptonshire through the town, joining the bigger River Avon in nearby Warwick.
The waters were busy with recreational users of the river on my visit. This included people taking part in canoeing, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding or SUP. Lem Boat Centre is a place to buy, rent out kit to do these activities and they offer lessons.
The river is popular for fishing. Leamington Angling controls most of the fishing on the river from the narrow upstream parts down to where it meets the Avon. You can purchase a day ticket to fish her if fishing is your thing.
See some great street art at Spencer Yard
A twitter member pointed me towards Spencer Yard to see the impressive street art. It was on my way and was happy I did. The art was vibrant and colourful, and in particular, liked the mural of the peregrine falcon on the walls.
It reminded me of a mini Digbeth, the creative quarter of Birmingham without the bars. The street art created by Brink Contemporary Arts is great. They are a not-for-profit arts organisation. @brink_streetart specialise in creating street art murals & events. This was all rather impressive, and I was happy I got pointed in this direction.
Walk to Warwick
In under three miles, you can visit the historical town and its stunning castle. The walk takes you along two rivers and you walk past many interesting sights on the walk to Warwick. This is a great run out for a dog walk, as well as for sightseeing. Warwick is not that far away and has some great things to do, including visiting its famous norman castle. There are also many historic buildings to see and museums to visit.
Visit Chesterton Windmill
A lovely place for a walk nearby is Chesterton Windmill. Beautiful countryside surrounds it. Is a short bus ride or drive via the nearby village of Harbury. The windmill dates from the 17th century and is a grade I listed building. It is the oldest tower mill in England with working parts. Thus is well with visiting.
Watch Sunset
Royal Leamington Spa is a lovely place to watch the sunset. The best spots I found were in Jephson Gardens and from the bridges across the River Leam.
See Lansdowne Crescent
If you like interesting architecture, then Lansdowne Crescent is worth visiting. The buildings here are a great example of Victorian neo-classical architecture. These date from the 1830s.
Welches Meadow Nature Reserve
If you like to see wildlife or beautiful walks, then Welches Meadow is a lovely place. Welches Meadow is a short walk from the town centre alongside the River Leam. It is home to many species of wildlife and is a popular place for birdwatching.
Species you can see when exploring the meadow include kestrel, kingfisher and wagtails. The nature reserve is also home to toads, frogs and grass snakes. We enjoyed a great walk here and saw plenty of birds. It can get muddy in parts, especially in winter, so be prepared.
Dine Out or Enjoy Drinks
Royal Leamington Spa has lots of options for dining out, some of which are very nice. We enjoyed a few meals out in the town and even more beers in the pubs. We enjoyed drinks at the Royal Pug in the town centre, which was pleasant, especially their beer garden.
Another great place was the Old Library, which also has outside seating and serve good food. We also enjoyed a takeaway pizza for a picnic in the park, which was a fun thing to do. There are many other wonderful restaurants in Leamington Spa including many on a guide by www.tasteleaminton.com.
Retail Therapy
If you enjoy shopping, a fun thing to do is to visit the various independent retailers in the town. There are many shops including some cool boutiques and homeware stores. I also enjoyed popping in a few antique shops while visiting, including Arcadia Antiques. As well as independent retailers, there are a few mainstream shopping centres, including the Royal Priors Shopping Centre.
Assembly Leamington
If you enjoy love music, a great place to visit is Assembly Leamington. Assembly Leamington is an art déco venue that is fantastic to see. They host lots of live music events, including some big name bands. Assembly Leamington also has regular club nights and is the place to be in the evenings. You can find out what’s on and arrange tickets via their website.
Getting to Leamington Spa From Birmingham
Royal Leamington Spa is pretty easy to get to from Birmingham and further afield. Driving is an option for a larger group, as it is a good value for money option. However, for a solo traveller, the train is by and far the most efficient. The trains to Leamington Spa depart from Snow Hill or Moore Street Stations.
These are direct or change at Moore Street, often including the Birmingham to Marylebone train route. The journey only takes about half an hour through some beautiful Warwickshire countryside.
Is Royal Leamington Spa Worth Visiting?
We really enjoyed our visits to Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. There were lots of nice things to see and activities to keep us engaged. The parks and walks from the town were a highlight for me, including along the river and into the Warwickshire countryside. We also found many nice places for drinks and food out which added to our visits.
Thank you for your helpful suggestions on what to see and do in Leamington as I am planning to have a short stay over in the town with a friend.