20 Attractions to Explore Near South Park

A beautiful classic seventeenth-century walled garden founded in 1621. Established as the Oxford Physic Garden for growing medicinal plants used to teach medical students, the Garden was the birthplace of botanical sciences at Oxford. Today it contains over 5,000 different plant species on 1.8 ha. It is one of the most diverse yet compact collections of plants in the world and includes representatives from over 90% of the higher plant families.

Christ Church meadow is a rare open space at the heart of Oxford, open to the public all year round. Though seemingly tranquil, the meadow is highly variable, with seasonal flooding and a variety of wildlife that comes and goes. During the Civil War it proved invaluable as a defence against the Parliamentarian forces, but visitors are nowadays more likely to encounter a rare English Longhorn cow than a soldier besieging the city. b

The Headington Shark is a terraced house located in Headington, Oxford, that features a sculpture of a large shark on the roof. Officially called Untitled 1986, the shark sculpture is embedded head-first, giving the impression of having fallen out of the sky. The Shark became the most famous resident of Headington when it landed in the roof of 2 New High Street in the early hours of Saturday 9 August 1986.

The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin is the largest of the city’s parish churches. Surrounded by university buildings, the religious site stands out for its Baroque entrance and spire. Climb the tower for fantastic views of the city center and university buildings, as well as other landmarks. The 13th-century tower is open to the public for a fee and provides good views across the heart of the historic university city, especially Radcliffe Square, the Radcliffe Camera, Brasenose College,

Christ Church Picture Gallery is an art museum at Christ Church, one of the colleges of Oxford University in England. The gallery holds an important collection of about 300 Old Master paintings and nearly 2,000 drawings. It is one of the most important private collections in the United Kingdom.

The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge, and it was built in 1600.

The Radcliffe Camera is an iconic Oxford landmark and a working library, part of the central Bodleian Library complex. It is linked to the Old Bodleian Library by the underground Gladstone Link. The Radcliffe Camera's circularity, its position in the heart of Oxford, and its separation from other buildings make it the focal point of the University of Oxford, and as such it is almost always included in shorthand visual representations of the university.

The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and derives its name from its founder Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in Britain after the British Library. Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, it is one of six legal deposit libraries for works published in the United Kingdom.

Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access. The square is widely regarded as the most beautiful in Oxford, and is very popular with tourists. There are no modern buildings to be seen, so it is also used as a setting for period films.

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church at the University of Oxford. This dual role as cathedral and college chapel is unique in the Church of England. The cathedral is visited by thousands of people each year, who pray, worship or simply enjoy the stillness and profound sense of history it inspires.

The Divinity School is a medieval building and room in the Perpendicular style in Oxford, England. Inside this stunning room, you’ll notice a number of points of interest. The spectacular ceiling is one of the country’s finest examples of gothic fan-vaulted architecture, and boasts 455 crests of the various families and institutions who made donations for the project. The building is physically attached to the Bodleian Library, and is opposite the Sheldonian Theatre where students matriculate a

The Sheldonian Theatre is one of the popular Oxford tourist attractions. This small yet exquisite Grade I listed building was built between 1664 and 1668 by Sir Christopher Wren. The building’s primary function is as the University of Oxford’s ceremonial hall but is also available as a venue for a range of dinners, receptions, talks, and music events.

The Weston Library is part of the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford. It is the home of the Bodleian Libraries’ special collections. It is a working library and research centre, as well as a public event and exhibition space. The library has three reading rooms and a number of seminar rooms and other study spaces, as well as a Centre for Digital Scholarship and Visiting Scholars Centre.

The History of Science Museum offers you the opportunity to weave your event around one of the world’s leading collections of scientific instruments. This unrivalled collection of early scientific instruments is housed in the world’s oldest public purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean. The museum was built in 1683, and it is the world's oldest surviving purpose-built museum.

The Bate Collection of Musical Instruments is a collection of historic musical instruments, mainly for Western classical music, from the Middle Ages onwards. It has the most comprehensive collection of European woodwind, brass and percussion instruments in Britain. The Bate has over 2000 instruments from the Western orchestral music traditions from the Renaissance, through the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and up to modern times.

Tom Tower is a bell tower in Oxford, England, named after its bell, Great Tom. It is over Tom Gate, on St Aldates, the main entrance of Christ Church, Oxford, which leads into Tom Quad. This square tower with an octagonal lantern and facetted ogee dome was designed by Christopher Wren and built 1681–82.

Oxford's world-famous Covered Market which was officially opened in 1774, is home to a large number of specialist independent traders, each selling their own unique variety of goods. The market dates back to the 1770s and has always been an attraction for locals and visiting tourists who come from far and wide to soak up the building's history and heritage.

The Alice's Shop in Oxford is the authentic Alice in Wonderland Shop because it is part of the original story. It was Alice's sweet shop 150 years ago. It is now a gift shop selling gifts, souvenirs and memorabilia, all based on Alice.

The Oxford Town Hall was built in 1931 and is a significant presence in the centre of Oxford. The main hall features a stage and a large open polished wooden floor area, including a sizeable mezzanine floor with tiered seating. The main hall has a full digital cinema system and can accommodate up to 230 theatre style, with a further 70 seats in the mezzanine floor.

Folly Bridge is a stone bridge over the River Thames carrying the Abingdon Road south from the centre of Oxford, England. It was erected in 1825–27, to designs of a little-known architect, Ebenezer Perry , who practised in London. The bridge apparently stands at the site of the ford over which oxen could be driven across the Isis, the ancient name of the Thames in the Oxford area.