Editing Norfolk (section)

==Tourism==
Norfolk is a popular tourist destination and has several major holiday attractions. There are many seaside resorts, including some of the finest British beaches, such as those at [[Great Yarmouth]], [[Cromer]] and [[Holkham]]. Norfolk contains [[the Broads]] and other areas of outstanding [[Natural history|natural]] beauty and many areas of the coast are wild bird sanctuaries and reserves with some areas designated as [[National parks of England and Wales|national park]]s such as the [[Norfolk Coast AONB]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:ElmHill.jpg|{{center|Elm Hill in the historic city of [[Norwich#Early English and Norman conquest|Norwich]]}}
File:Mundesleybeachnorth.jpg|{{center|The [[Norfolk Coast AONB|Norfolk Coast]] in the little village of Mundesley near Cromer}}
File:WroxhamBridge.jpg|{{center|The bridge at [[Wroxham]]}}
File:Peddars Way - Holkham Bay.jpg|{{center|The beach at [[Holkham National Nature Reserve]]}}
</gallery>

The [[Charles III|King]]'s residence at [[Sandringham House]] in [[Sandringham, Norfolk|Sandringham]] provides a year-round tourist attraction whilst the coast and some rural areas<!--''This seems a little POV? I imagine many more are purchased on the coast:'' rural parts of the county, notably the area around [[Burnham Market]], --> are popular locations for people from the [[conurbation]]s to purchase weekend [[Vacation property|holiday homes]]. [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] first conceived the idea for ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' whilst holidaying in [[Cromer]] with [[Bertram Fletcher Robinson]], after hearing local folklore tales regarding the mysterious hound known as [[Black Shuck]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Arthur_Conan_Doyle,_Sherlock_Holmes_and_Devon:_A_Complete_Tour_Guide_and_Companion_by_Brian_W_Pugh,_Paul_R_Spiring_and_Sadru_Bhanji |title=Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Devon: A Complete Tour Guide and Companion by Brian W Pugh, Paul R Spiring and Sadru Bhanji – TheBookbag.co.uk book review |publisher=Thebookbag.co.uk |date=15 December 2014 |access-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612071618/http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Arthur_Conan_Doyle,_Sherlock_Holmes_and_Devon:_A_Complete_Tour_Guide_and_Companion_by_Brian_W_Pugh,_Paul_R_Spiring_and_Sadru_Bhanji |archive-date=12 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/pdf/DM304.pdf "The District Messenger"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716132254/http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/pdf/DM304.pdf |date=16 July 2011 }}. (PDF) . Retrieved on 25 August 2011.</ref>

===Amusement parks and zoos===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2011}}
Norfolk has several amusement parks and zoos.

*Thrigby Hall near Great Yarmouth was built in 1736 by Joshua Smith Esquire and features a zoo which houses a large tiger enclosure, primate enclosures and the swamp house which has many crocodiles and alligators.
*[[Holkham Hall]] is an 18th-century stately home and [[Tourist attraction|visitor attraction]], constructed in the [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] style and at the centre of a 3,000-acre deer park on the [[North Norfolk]] coast with a woodland play area, walled garden and farming exhibition.
*Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure (formerly Dinosaur Adventure) is a [[dinosaur]] themed adventure park in [[Lenwade]]. It is set in 85 acres of parkland and has a dinosaur trail, indoor play area, high ropes course and outdoor water play area.
*[[Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach]] is a free-entry theme park, hosting over twenty large rides as well as a crazy golf course, water attractions, children's rides and "white knuckle" rides.
*[[BeWILDerwood]] is an adventure park situated in the Norfolk Broads and is the setting for the book ''A Boggle at BeWILDerwood'' by local children's author [[Tom Blofeld]].
*Britannia Pier on the coast of Great Yarmouth has rides which include a ghost train. Also on the pier is the famous Britannia Pier Theatre.
*[[Banham Zoo]] is set amongst {{cvt|35|acre|ha}} of parkland and gardens with enclosures for animals including big cats, birds of prey, siamangs and shire horses. Its annual visitor attendance is in excess of 200,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/things-during-october-half-term-4622002 |title=Things to do during October half term: The 11 best zoos and animal parks near Essex |access-date=10 November 2020 |work=Essex Live |archive-date=10 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110171025/https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/things-during-october-half-term-4622002 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
*[[Pensthorpe Nature Reserve]], near the town of Fakenham in north Norfolk, is a nature reserve with many captive birds and animals. Such species include native birds such as lapwing and Eurasian crane, to much more exotic examples like Marabou stork, Greater flamingo, and Manchurian crane. The site played host to the BBC's ''Springwatch'' from 2008 until 2010. A number of human-made lakes are home to a range of wild birds, and provide stop-off points for many wintering ducks and geese.
*The [[Sea Life Centre]] in Great Yarmouth is One of the biggest sea life centres in the country. The Great Yarmouth centre is home to a tropical shark display, one resident of which is Britain's biggest shark 'Nobby' the Nurse Shark. The same display, with its walk-through underwater tunnel, also features the wreckage of a World War II aircraft. The centre also includes over 50 native species including shrimps, starfish, sharks, stingrays and conger eels.
*The [[Sea Life Centres#Sanctuaries|Sea Life Sanctuary]] in [[Hunstanton]] is Norfolk's leading marine rescue centre and works both as a visitor attraction as well as a location for rescuing and rehabilitating sick and injured sea creatures found in the nearby [[The Wash|Wash]] and [[North Sea]]. The attractions main features are similar to that of the Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth, albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

===Theatres===
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2015}}
[[File:Britpieryarmouth.JPG|right|thumb|170px|Britannia Pier]]
[[File:Norwich Theatre Royal.JPG|thumb|170px|Theatre Royal]]
[[File:NorwichPlayhouse (cropped).JPG|thumb|right|170px|Norwich Playhouse]]
The [[Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier|Pavilion Theatre]] (Cromer) is a 510-seater venue on the end of Cromer Pier, best known for hosting the 'end-of-the-pier' show, the Seaside Special. The theatre also presents comedy, music, dance, opera, musicals and community shows.

The Britannia Pier Theatre (Great Yarmouth) mainly hosts popular comedy acts such as the [[Chuckle Brothers]] and [[Jim Davidson (comedian)|Jim Davidson]]. The theatre has 1,200 seats and is one of the largest in Norfolk.

The [[Theatre Royal, Norwich|Theatre Royal]] in Norwich has been on its present site for nearly 250 years, the act of parliament in the tenth year of the reign of George II having been rescinded in 1761. The 1,300-seat theatre, the largest in the city, hosts a mix of national touring productions including musicals, dance, drama, family shows, stand-up comedians, opera and pop.

The [[Norwich Playhouse]] hosts theatre, comedy, music and other performing arts. It has a seating capacity of 300.

The [[Maddermarket Theatre]] in Norwich opened in 1921 and was the first permanent recreation of an Elizabethan theatre. The founder was Nugent Monck who had worked with William Poel. The theatre has a seating capacity of 312.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maddermarket.co.uk/about/box-office/seating-plan/ |title=Seating Plan » Maddermarket Theatre |website=maddermarket.co.uk |access-date=19 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919225217/http://maddermarket.co.uk/about/box-office/seating-plan/ |archive-date=19 September 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Norwich Puppet Theatre]] was founded in 1979 by Ray and Joan DaSilva as a permanent base for their touring company and was first opened as a public venue in 1980, following the conversion of the medieval church of St. James in the heart of Norwich. Under subsequent artistic directors&nbsp;– Barry Smith and Luis Z. Boy&nbsp;– the theatre established its current pattern of operation. It is a nationally unique{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}} venue dedicated to puppetry, and currently houses a 185-seat raked auditorium, 50 seat Octagon Studio, workshops, an exhibition gallery, shop and licensed bar. It is the only theatre in the Eastern region with a year-round programme of family-centred entertainment.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}

The Garage studio theatre (Norwich) can seat up to 110 people in a range of different layouts. It can also be used for standing events and can accommodate up to 180 people.

The Platform Theatre (Norwich) is in the grounds of [[City College Norwich]] (CCN), and has a large stage with raked seating for an audience of around 200. The theatre plays host to performances by both student and professional companies.

The [[Sewell Barn Theatre]] (Norwich) is the smallest theatre in Norwich and has a seating capacity of 100. The auditorium features raked seating on three sides of an open acting space.

The [[Norwich Arts Centre]] (Norwich) theatre opened in 1977 in St. Benedict's Street, and has a capacity of 290.

The [[Princess Theatre, Hunstanton|Princess Theatre]] (Hunstanton) stands overlooking the Wash and the [[Village green|green]] in the East Coast resort of Hunstanton. It is a 472-seat venue. Open all year round, the theatre plays host to a wide variety of shows from comedy to drama, celebrity shows to music for all tastes and children's productions. It has a six-week summer season plus an annual Christmas pantomime.

[[Sheringham Little Theatre]] has seating for 180. The theatre programmes a variety of plays, musicals and music, and also shows films.

The [[Gorleston Pavilion]] is an original [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] building with a seating capacity of 300, situated on the Norfolk coast. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes, musicals and concerts as well as a 26-week summer season.