Ipswich

Free to visit, this Victorian gem is everything a museum should be: fascinating, inspiring and educational. Exhibits include a huge variety of stuffed animals, a replica of a woolly mammoth and a gallery tracing the geology of Suffolk from 70 million to 10,000 years ago.

From bicycles and fire engines to trams and trolleybuses, the 90 vehicles in this brilliant museum form the largest collection in Britain devoted to one town. There's also a big collection of material associated with local engineering companies and transport memorabilia.

This delightful 15th century church was once Cardinal Wolsey's College chapel. Today it's a lively performance venue and heritage centre with many retained features, including the Victorian pulpit, the magnificent tournai marble font and the stained glass windows. It's also home to the Ipswich Charter Hangings, created to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Charter to the town.

Opened in 1700, this historic building is believed to be the only remaining example of a purpose-built, timber-framed Dissenting Meeting House of its period. Furnished with a magnificent hexagonal pulpit and box pews, it's still in use today as a place of worship.

Based in the Jerwood DanceHouse on the waterfront, DanceEast is a world-class dance training and performance venue. A diverse range of activities on the site include shows, community outreach initiatives, dance classes and exhibitions.

Many respected artists are associated with Ipswich Art School, including Maggi Hambling, Brian Eno, Leonard Squirrell, Bernard Reynolds and Lawrence Self. The gallery presents major international exhibitions, as well as showcasing the work of local painters, sculptors and designers.

Now run by a trust and staffed by volunteers, this long-established art house cinema offers film fans the opportunity to see independent and international movies which are often not screened by the big multiplex chains.

A much-loved Ipswich institution since 1979, the Wolsey presents a year-round programme of drama, musicals, comedy and live music, including West End hits on tour. It's particularly well regarded for its home-grown actor-musician productions, including a rock 'n' roll panto.

Opened in 1929 as a cine-variety hall, this handsome art deco building seats 1500 people and is the largest performance venue in East Anglia. The varied programme ranges from touring West End plays and musicals to gigs by chart-topping bands and solo artists.

This is the home of community theatre company Eastern Angles. Performing here and in venues across the region, they specialise in original, commissioned plays and musicals, often on East Anglian themes. Their annual Christmas show is always bags of fun.

Located in the UoS main building on the waterfront, this light, airy exhibition space hosts exciting contemporary art shows, featuring work by both students and professionals. Admission is free.

Why not take a leisurely boat trip on one of East Anglia's most beautiful waterways? The Orwell Lady is a two-deck motor cruiser that offers short trips to the Orwell Bridge or longer excursions down to Harwich harbour. Alternatively, step back in time aboard the traditional Sailing Barge Victor, built in Ipswich in 1895.

Ipswich has all kinds of eateries, from traditional inns to trendy restaurants, including Indian, Chinese and Asian-fusion venues such as the Mizu noodle bar on Cornhill and KwanThai in St Nicholas Street. Several national chains are also represented, including Nandos, Zizzi, Pizza Express and Ask. Many of the best places to eat are along the waterfront, combining great food with superb views of the marina, full to the gills with rows of smart yachts and motor cruisers. Gourmet options include the Bistro on the Quay, the Waterfront Bar Bistro, the Salthouse Harbour Hotel, Aurora Bar and Restaurant, and Mariners, a unique floating restaurant on a refurbished former gunboat and hospital ship moored in the dock.