The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths are the city's namesake, and no trip to Bath would really be complete without at least a quick stop by the museum and ruins. Even if this were not the case, I find Roman baths to be absolutely fascinating. They were the community centers of their time! Fun facts: people would hold dinner parties and business meetings while bathing. If someone wanted to get some name recognition or popularity, they might have paid for a free day at the baths for the public. A few Roman Baths seemed to contain some of the very first public libraries ever known to exist (though there doesn't seem to be evidence that this happened in Bath). They also sometimes served as art galleries.

The Roman Baths in Bath are beautiful and particularly well-preserved. The Romans started building here in 60 AD and continued for the next ~300 years (slow and steady, I guess?). It's not hard at all to picture what it might have been like to visit in the early ADs. A few museum workers walk around in ancient Roman gear, which, though a bit gimmicky, helps complete this picture. And at the end of the museum, as a culmination of the visit, there's a fountain where you can try a cup of the famous spring water. We all agreed was pretty disgusting. But hey, to each (civilization) their own, right?