Aberdeenshire is a district of Scotland that surrounds, but does not include, but has it’s headquarters in, the city of Aberdeen. Aberdeen is the second largest city in Scotland and is known for it’s wide use of granite as a building material and it’s North Sea Oil related industries. However Aberdeen has and a long and prestigious history with evidence showing that the settlement dates back 8,000 years or more.

Like many other areas of Scotland Aberdeen and the surrounding area has a wealth of historic sites of interest together with an excellent selection of museums and art galleries , there is much to keep visitors interested. For those looking for a slightly more exciting vacation Aberdeen has fantastic shopping, superb cafes and bars, many classy restaurants and bistros, lively nightclubs and varied selection of festivals.

The city of Aberdeen has a proud tradition in sporting excellence.

In 1780 the Society of Golfers at Aberdeen was founded, (the world’s 6th oldest golf club) which in 1815 saw a change of name to Aberdeen Golf Club and in 1903 it was awarded Royal status to become the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. The club has two golf courses, the Balgownie Championship Links and the Silverburn Course, and the city boasts a further six golf courses, all public, Auchmill Golf Course (Tel: 01224 714577), Balnagask Golf Course (Tel: 01224 876407), an 18-hole and a 6-hole golf course at King’s Links (Tel: 01224 632269) and three Golf Courses at Hazlehead two of which are 18-hole (Tel: 01224 321830) and the other is a a 9-hole Pitch and Putt (Tel: 01224 326293).

Aberdeen has a number of soccer clubs with the most famous being the Scottish Premier League team, Aberdeen FC (formed in 1903). The team has won a number of prestige tournaments including the European Super Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup. They have been champions of the Scottish Premier League three times all during the period in the 1980’s when Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson CBE was the manager.

Further Visitor Attractions

As mentioned Aberdeen has a large number of museums, art galleries, bars, clubs, pubs and restaurants but for the kids Aberdeen means FUN. The city has been blessed with a wonderfully long sandy beach and high sand dunes. Along the Beach Esplanade you will find a number of family friendly visitor attractions which include the wildly entertaining House of Fun.

The House of Fun has two floors of family entertainment which includes the Family Amusement Arcade, The Coconut Climb and the unique Foam Factory, trampoline, Just For Kids (youngsters), Driving Games, hi-tech simulators and video games, Laser Tag,

Adults can entertain themselves at the over 18’s All Cash Arcade or play Prize Bingo, they can play American Pool or spend some time in the Motown Bar, which features a large TV Wall and is a venue for live music, or you can chill out on the BBQ Terrace. The complex has plenty of facilities, a selection of places to eat such as Central Park Deli or the Coffee & Candy Bar, and, if you have been lucky, you can redeem your prize tickets at the Gift Shop where you can also buy souvenirs of your visit to Aberdeen’s House of Fun.

This article has only been able to show you a very small selection of the many aspects of the city of Aberdeen and surrounding Aberdeenshire, so why not consider booking yourself an apartment or hotel in Aberdeen and spending a vacation here soon?

Andrew Kelly has lived in the Hebrides of Scotland for over 16 years. During that time he has travelled extensively around Scotland and writes about his travels on various travel related web sites.