Up-and-coming city reveals major new attraction opening in 2026 – with links to Hollywood
A MAJOR new attraction is set to open in an up-and-coming UK city that has ties to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Construction work on a new museum in Wrexham is underway, with the tourist attraction to open in 2026.
Developers have started transforming County Buildings, a Grade-II Listed property that housed the city’s former museum.
When the new museum opens in 2026, it will house Wrexham Museum and Football Museum Wales Galleries.
The new museum will be called either Tŷ Hanes (History House) or Histordy (History Storehouse) – with members of the public being asked to vote for their favourite.
Officials in the Welsh city hope the new museum complex will attract holidaymakers from all over the country.
Councillor Paul Roberts, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Partnerships, said: “With new, state of the art galleries and a fully refurbished and extended building, the museum will be a new national attraction for Wrexham, drawing thousands of visitors from all over Wales and beyond.”
Wrexham Council’s museum team is developing the new attraction alongside museum designers, Haley Sharpe Design, architects Purcell and contractor SWG Construction.
The museum is being funded by Wrexham Council, the Welsh Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the UK Government and the Wolfson Foundation.
It comes after Travel Writer Peter Naldrett, who has visited every city in the UK, called Wrexham a “city of the future“ in an exclusive interview with the Sun Newspaper.
He said: “The city of the future is Wrexham, and quite unusually, it’s all about football.
“Wrexham AFC had a Hollywood buyout and the football is actually going brilliantly well with promotions for the Welsh side.
“This, coupled with the TV show, means more people are coming to every game, selling out stadiums.
“The knock-on effect for hotels and restaurants will be an upward spiral for maybe the next five or 10 years.
“If everything goes well, I think visitors could see a museum opening, like the Wrexham Story, or some activities for the kids.”
The rising interest in Wrexham as a city break destination has a lot to do with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney who are the owners of Wrexham AFC.
They documented their journey as football club owners for a TV series called Welcome to Wrexham on Disney+.
Since the buyout from the Hollywood stars, the Red Dragons have been promoted back to the football league for the first time in 15 years.
Celebrities like Paul Rudd and Hugh Jackman have been spotted watching football games in the Welsh city.
Until the new museum opens in 2026, there are a number of other attractions in and around the Welsh city, including National Trust property Erddig.
The Grade-I listed property features a 17th century country house, a restored walled garden, and outbuildings.
There are also play areas and places to eat, making it an excellent place for a family day out.
Further afield, there’s also the Llangollen aqueduct, which visitors can kayak over, and the Clwydian mountain range and Dee Valley area of outstanding natural beauty.
Here's one other football 'town' Brits can visit
RICHMOND in south-west London also rose to fame thanks to fictional football team AFC Richmond.
The London district was used as one of the filming locations for the hit television show Ted Lasso, which stars Jason Sudeikis.
The award-winning show is all about an American with no football knowledge taking over an English football club because the owner wants to spite her ex-husband.
Thanks to the show’s success, there’s a Ted Lasso tour to spot all the filming locations, including Paved Court Road which was used as the exterior shot of Ted Lasso’s home.
Actress and tour guide Emmy McMorrow was the first person to run these bespoke tours and has been swamped with bookings from US tourists.
The Kent town of Margate was featured in the new Hollywood blockbuster Empire of Light, starring Olivia Colman.
Meanwhile, a magical beach in the UK where Harry Potter was filmed has been called a “surfer’s paradise” by fans of the franchise.