10 Creative Things To Do In Falmouth — A Guide For Artists, Students & Visitors
Home to beautiful beaches, tropical gardens and a vibrant high street full of independent shops and galleries, there is always something for artists and creatives in Falmouth. As two Illustration graduates and owners of the local art and stationery shop, we like to think we know a little about the art scene in Falmouth, and so have put together a guide of our top ten creative things to do — whether you’re a new student settling into your life by the sea, a tourist on a weekend getaway or a Cornish local wanting to try something new.
1. Get inspired by a visit to Falmouth’s galleries
Falmouth Art Gallery, found on the Moor in Falmouth Town, is filled with a small but eclectic collection of artwork — from Impressionist paintings and traditional maritime artworks to contemporary prints, photography and automata pieces. The exhibition spaces are free to visit and change frequently, showcasing artworks from their collection as well as loans from national galleries and Cornish artists.
For more contemporary artworks, we’d recommend a visit to Morgans to view their beautifully curated exhibitions of work by painters, ceramicists and makers, all displayed in their sunny gallery space. Morgan’s also run Form Falmouth every September, an art fair with talks and workshops celebrating Cornish makers and artists. You can also find exhibitions at Sailor’s Jail, The Poly and Inspire Makers, or for something a little bit different why not visit Gwithti An Pystri: A Cabinet of Folklore and Magic, found on Falmouth’s old high street.
2. Go sketching at the National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum is the perfect place to visit if you’re after a bit of nautical inspiration, with five floors of boats, maps, artworks and historical artefacts. There are lots of great opportunities for drawing here, from sketches of objects from Falmouth’s maritime past to landscape studies across the river Fal from their viewing tower. Once you’ve paid for your entry, you can visit the museum any time you like within the year, so it’s well worth keeping hold of your ticket for future sketching trips and their changing exhibitions!
3. Try out costume life drawing at the Poly
The Poly, a historic arts venue in Falmouth’s high street, is not only home to a cinema, exhibition space, shop and cafe but also offers a range of creative events and workshops, from drawing, painting and pottery classes to acting and stage combat.
The Poly offer regular life drawing classes for those who’d like to brush up on their drawing skills, and we’ve heard great things about their costume life drawing classes — run by Swashbuckling Cornwall, these offer a playful twist on traditional life drawing as each session has a model dressed in a themed costume. Themes in the past have included pirates, knights, mermaids, sci-fi and burlesque, offering you the unusual opportunity to draw historical and fantastical characters from life.
4. Set up a drink & draw at a local pub
A great icebreaker activity for making new friends! Gather your fellow art students, housemates or work pals, pick a cosy pub (we recommend Beerwolf, The Front or Chintz) and get set up with drinks and drawing supplies. You could sit and sketch your surroundings, work on a group art piece or bring along a drawing game to get everyone inspired. Our ‘Art Out The Box’ prompt card set is ideal for this — pair together a subject and technique card and see where your inspiration takes you!
The Working Boat pub have also started a regular Drink & Draw evening on Tuesdays over the winter period, led by artist Moy and the Working Boat crew. Find out more on their website here.
5. Join in with a makers & crafters social
Don’t feel like drinking or not really a drawing type of person? Falmouth’s bookish cafe, Above The Bookshop, runs a monthly craft and makers social, where you're invited to bring along your sketchbook, latest project or a new craft kit to meet with other creatives from the local community. They also host regular Silent Book Club evenings, where book lovers can enjoy hot drinks and an hour of quiet reading, followed by optional mingling in the cosy cafe.
6. Paint your own pottery pieces at Starglazers
For the perfect rainy day activity, we’d recommend Starglazers — a relaxed pottery painting studio and cafe found halfway up the old high street. Choose from their wide range of mugs, plates, pots, tiles and decor pieces and keep fueled with drinks and snacks while you paint your chosen piece. They also offer evening adult painting & cocktail sessions, perfect for creative get-togethers with friends!
If you’d prefer to craft at home, try making your own clay items with our DAS air-drying clay! The clay will set hard without the use of a kiln, and can be easily decorated with acrylic paints and sealed with a varnish.
7. Spend a day wandering round Falmouth’s independent high street businesses…
Falmouth’s winding high street is full of character and you could easily spend hours exploring our unique array of independent shops and small businesses. Visit Willow & Stone for a beautifully curated selection of homeware and lifestyle goods or wander up the old High Street to Inspire Makers for art, ceramics, jewellery and gifts made by Cornish artisans. For knitting and crochet supplies we’d recommend a trip to Stitches & Cream, who specialise in natural fibre yarn and textile-based craft supplies, and as two book-lovers, we of course have to mention the Falmouth Bookseller for your next read.
Once you’ve spent a few hours browsing and shopping, Olfactory Coffee is a great place to stop for a hot drink and a sweet treat. They have a great window seat for sketching and people watching, and, best of all, they are right next to us at Salt Art Supply! Be sure to come and visit us to browse our range of high quality art supplies, stationery and creative goods — we’re always on hand to welcome you in and share our favourite art materials.
8. …or enjoy an evening out with live music, comedy and games!
Despite being a fairly small town, there are plenty of pubs, bars and event spaces in Falmouth to guarantee you a good night out. If you’re big on live music, The Cornish Bank will be your go-to spot, with gigs and creative events on almost every night of the week. Blueprint Falmouth hosts DJ nights and film screenings at their photography gallery and bar space and, a little further afield in Penryn, the Verdant Taproom always has something on, from music and films to games and comedy nights. Our other top recommendations include enjoying a pint among the books at Beerwolf, sipping on delicious cocktails in the cosy Moth & Moon, getting your quiz on down at the Working Boat or spending an evening playing pool, ping-pong and air hockey at the Games Room.
9. Go sketching along the South West coast path
We can’t write a list about the top things to do in Falmouth without mentioning the beach! We’re very lucky to have so many beautiful beaches and gardens here in Cornwall, offering an endless source of creative inspiration.
Closest to the town centre is Gyllyngvase Beach (known as “Gylly” to the locals), with Castle Beach further along and Swanpool a short walk down the coast path. All three beaches are sheltered by the bay, making them perfect for sketching, photographing and gathering inspiration. Why not spend a few hours collecting shells, seaglass and tiny beach treasures for a sea-themed still life scene, or take a pocket watercolour set to paint the beautiful views of Pendennis Point and St Anthony’s Headland? If you fancy more of an adventure, we’d recommend the two-mile walk to Maenporth Beach, taking you along a beautiful stretch of the South West coastal path with coves to explore and plenty of spots to sit and sketch the scenery.
10. Visit a garden for some natural inspiration
If drawing plants, flowers and foliage is more your style, there are several beautiful gardens to explore in and around Falmouth, filled with sub-tropical plants that thrive in our mild climate. A visit to Gyllyngdune Gardens, adjacent to the Princess Pavilion is the perfect spot to take a pocket sketchbook and draw — highlights include the Edwardian bandstand, Darwin’s exotic palms and flower garden, the monolithic arch and magical shell grottos.
If you’re after more of a day out, Trebah Garden is a short drive out of Falmouth. With giant gunnera, 100-year old rhododendrons, a tranquil koi pool and its very own secluded beach, this picturesque garden is full of inspiration for artists. There are often exhibitions, talks and workshops here too, encouraging visitors to connect art and nature.
Feeling inspired? We’ve collected all the places we’ve mentioned on a map for you below — be sure to save and let us know what you get up to! You can find us at @saltartsupply on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok.
