If Time Out magazine is to be believed, Derby is one of 14 places in the UK that visitors should head for in order to enjoy its blend of art, history, music and culture.
The magazine had its own list of places to see, and the list got us thinking. Where would we send visitors to get a flavour of the city – and why.
And so here’s our guide to Derby through the eyes of our writers, who are a blend of city-born Derbeians and (relative) newcomers who have made the city their home.
Animals, the Orrery and precious teacups at the city’s “mooswam”
When visiting a new city I will gravitate towards the local museum – or mooswam as my sister used to call them when she was little, writes Lucy Stephens.
I think a museum gives you a great feel for a place.
Other good points include the fact that they are often free and almost always have a pretty decent café.
I tend to prefer museums in smaller cities, too.
I know the big London museums are incredible but visit at a weekend and you often can’t get as much out of them as you’d like because there are so many other darned people in the way.
So it’s not really surprising that when we moved to these parts my first port of call with little children in tow was Derby Museum on The Strand.
Do you know what? We’ve been regulars ever since.
My younger daughter in particular is always happy to pay a visit and I would recommend it to any tourist mooching around the city’s streets of a weekend.
If you’re with children check out the animals room – and don’t forget to open all the drawers to see the interesting specimens inside. Try out the cool sets of spectacles that allow you to see as various members of the animal kingdom do.
Definitely take a seat in the Joseph Wright room and goggle at the paintings of Derby’s famous son. The Orrery reveals more each time you look.
Then head to the café for a cuppa, and take in the amazing display of precious old porcelain tea cups and pots that are safely behind glass.
I’m always a bit sad not to be served my tea in one of them – until I remind myself all breakages would certainly have to be paid for.
Sadler Gate is where history and modern life come together
When I moved to Derby around 20 years ago, I was eager to show off my new home city to friends and family, writes Kirsty Green.
For friends in their twenties, that often meant the lively bars around the Gates – Friar Gate, Iron Gate and Sadler Gate.
With family, though, I preferred introducing them to the charming jewellery, clothing, and gift shops along Sadler Gate, followed by a relaxing lunch in one of its cafés.
If I had to pick a single place that represents Derby for visitors, it would have to be Sadler Gate. It’s a spot where history and modern life come together beautifully.
Walking down its cobbled streets, you’re surrounded by historic pubs and stunning buildings that feel like stepping back in time. I want visitors to experience something unique to Derby -shops and cafés that you won’t find anywhere else.
Even though some of the businesses have changed over the years, the street’s character hasn’t. New shops and cafés are just as distinctive and welcoming.
Personally, I’m more likely to browse The Fig, an independent health store, than spend an evening in Blue Note, but Sadler Gate still offers something for everyone.
Whether you’re exploring its history, enjoying a coffee, or shopping for a gift, it’s a place where all visitors can get a true sense of the city’s personality.
For me, Sadler Gate is the perfect introduction to Derby – a place that blends past and present, excitement and charm, making every visit feel special.
From romantic grottos to a Moorish temple, Elvaston Castle has it all
No, it’s not a castle and it’s not strictly in Derby either – but cast aside the quibbles and there’s only one place I’d send visitors to our fair city – Elvaston Castle, writes Simon Burch 🐧✒️ .
Because the lovely thing about Elvaston Castle is how it manages to compress so many features into such a small space.
A rock garden created as a hideaway for lovers? Check.
A Gothic stately home with a wing built in the Elizabethan era? Check.
Somewhere to feed the ducks, to ride your bike, to chuck a frisbee, to explore a nature reserve, to buy an ice cream, to walk through the woods, to jump over streams, to look at herons nesting in the trees and get to meet some friendly horses?
Check, check, check.
Elvaston Castle is a joy and somewhere I have visited regularly as boy and man, but it’s so much a part of the city’s fabric that we’ve long forgotten – or maybe never explored – quite what a treasure it is.
Because those odd, gnarly rock formations I’ve clambered over a million times across the lake from the house are a series of grottos former owner the Earl of Harrington commissioned in order to create a secluded oasis for himself and his wife, the actress Maria Foote, whom he married despite societal scandal.
And the distinctive buildings and gardens dotted around the grounds brought the architecture and planting across the sea from Moorish Spain, recreating a corner of Granada’s Alhambra just outside Alvaston, complete with a “Garden of the Fair Star” – a bower garden – and a temple decorated with symbols of chivalric love.
Just a bit bonkers, yes? And yet in the eyes of Derby people, Elvaston Castle is somewhere they take the kids on a Sunday afternoon for a walk and a kickabout, accompanied by a chat about how someone should do more with the place by opening up the castle and letting everyone see inside.
And that’s why Elvaston Castle, to me, sums up Derby.
Because it’s a place that’s unique and special, packed full of history and stories that the vast majority of people don’t know – and which, if someone brought them to life and properly invested in the place, could well be another jewel in our crown.
The Derbion is symbol of Derby’s ability to reinvent itself.
My working career started as a Saturday girl at Boots the Chemist in the Eagle Centre, where I discovered my love of retail – the pace, the people and the products, writes Sarah Newton 🐧.
Shortly afterwards I moved across to WHSmith, where I worked as a management trainee for a year. So, the Eagle Centre was my office for much of the 1990s but, like many city centres at the time, it wasn’t exactly glamorous.
There was no Marks & Spencer, but we did have C&A, and the nearest you could get to a Costa Coffee was Sarah’s Café.
Simply trying to find your way out of the Eagle Centre Market was enough to give you a panic attack and names like Bejam, Fashion Floor, Miss Selfridge and Woolworths were about as exciting as it got.
But everything changed in 2007 when £370m was spent transforming the Eagle Centre into a new shopping destination.
By then a journalist, I was invited to watch Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly cut the ribbon to declare Derby’s shiny new shopping centre officially open.
And, although it sounds ridiculous now, as I wandered up and down the two floors (two!) and took in the bright lights, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and sense of possibility, I had a little cry. Derby suddenly looked like a city that wasn’t just going places – it had arrived!
It wasn’t just about the shops, it was the feeling that the city had been given a much-deserved makeover.
In hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have been so excited. Because while I viewed the new shopping centre as a beautifully-gift wrapped present to the city, it transformed the rest of Derby in a less positive way.
But, that aside, today the Derbion puts other small cities to shame. Almost every unit is full and we have big names, even designer labels, that just weren’t available to city shoppers before.
It has become more than a place to shop; it’s where people meet, where families spend time, where friends grab coffee, where the city’s personality comes alive. It is, in many ways, a symbol of Derby’s ability to reinvent itself.
But above all else, it’s still the perfect place for a genuinely good shop. It’s just as well I don’t still work at Boots – I’d be skint by Friday if I spent my lunch breaks browsing every day.
Spark your children’s imaginations with a trip to Derby Theatre
If you’re visiting Derby for the day with children, I would recommend planning ahead and looking at the shows Derby Theatre has to offer, writes Olivia Hancock.
The theatre itself is very welcoming and never feels intimidating for little theatre-goers, making it the perfect introduction to live performance for children.
I was last there on a special day out with my then four-year old daughter to see There’s A Monster in my Book.
Watching a story we had read together come to life on the stage was precious and my daughter was completely enchanted by the costumes, puppetry, and music.
During the interval, we treated ourselves to ice cream (no theatre trip is complete without it!), and after the show we wandered into town for a meal, chatting excitedly about what we’d just seen.
Moments like this are exactly why taking children to the theatre is so special – it sparks imagination, creates memories, and gives them chance to experience storytelling in a whole new way.
Derby Theatre makes it fun, relaxed, and totally enjoyable for families. You might even want to go back later in the day without the kids to catch another show!
Dovedale is the country playground where my son can have an adventure
I don’t think any blog about Derby is complete without a nod to its beautiful surrounding countryside, writes Sarah-Louise Elton.
It’s something us Derby folk often take for granted, but I know that if a friend visited from abroad, the rolling hills, winding paths and open spaces would be the thing that really stuck in their mind.
If you grew up in the city, chances are you were taken to places like Dovedale as a child.
You’d remember it as a huge adventure – jumping from one stepping stone to the next, surrounded by vast rolling hills and families paddling in the water, soaking up a long summer’s day.
There’s something about navigating the stones and feeling the water rush around your feet that makes you feel like the star of your own little adventure.
Now, when I take my son there, I add a little extra excitement – pretending we’re lost on the winding paths, or saying that I’ve seen the biggest fish in the river – and it never fails to make his eyes widen with excitement.
Visiting as a parent feels completely different from my own childhood, yet seeing that same spark of curiosity on his face makes the adventure just as fun.
And the hills! Even a short climb gives you that “on top of the world” feeling. Watching him scramble up the slopes, breathless and smiling, while I huff and puff behind him, is a wholesome experience.
The views, the fresh air, and the sense that the world has opened up just a little make it feel really special – especially when the sheep visit mid-picnic, hoping for a spare treat.
Dovedale isn’t just a walk in the countryside – it’s laughter, damp feet, muddy boots and mud-kissed knees – a place where childhood adventures really do feel special. Taking my son there feels like passing on a little piece of that experience and somehow, it makes it even better than I remembered.
