From luxury hotels offering a peaceful sanctuary to unwind, tempting new restaurants to make your taste buds dance, as well as the launch of the tallest climbing wall in the UK, Gloucestershire has an abundance of exciting new openings popping up across the county each month.
Just in case you missed some of the hottest new spots, SoGlos rounds up six of the most exciting Gloucestershire openings in August 2025...
The University of Gloucestershire's City Campus in Gloucester
After years of work behind the scenes, the University of Gloucestershire's brand-new campus in Gloucester officially opened its doors to the public this August 2025.
The new City Campus is now home to education, psychology and
social work specialisms. Alongside hosting students, the building will also offer
shared public access facilities, including a new arts, health and wellbeing
centre delivered in partnership with the NHS Integrated Care Board, as well as
a new public library in partnership with Gloucestershire County
Council.
'Exploratree' playground at Westonbirt Arboretum
Children can embrace their inner explorer, scavenger or plant hunter on their next visit to Westonbirt Arboretum, with the newly launched 'Exploratree' play area.
Designed for children aged eight years and under, the new play area encourages children to embrace nature through scavenging for forest finds and investigating with their fellow explorers — with plenty of stuff to climb and fun places to hide.
Tallest climbing wall in the UK at 270 Climbing Park in Bentham
Entering its third phase of development, 270 Climbing Park in Bentham opened two new climbing walls in August — including an outdoor one that stands at an impressive 18-metres, making it the tallest in the UK.
The new outdoor wall is accompanied by a 17-metre indoor climbing wall and is part of the park's £7 million, multi-phase development and a result of five years of planning, design and construction in collaboration with Bulgarian climbing specialists, Dreamwall.
The House of George in Broadway
'King of the High Street' George Davies — the man behind Next, George at Asda and Per Una — opened a 10-bedroom luxury hotel in Broadway this August 2025, following a busy three-year renovation.
Alongside the House of George's bespoke bedrooms, the 17th century hotel also offers a restaurant — MODA — inspired by George's eclectic journey through the worlds of fashion and travel. Food is served by award-winning star, Doug Sanham, who promises gastronomic innovation.
Vintage Vibes at Stroud's Five Valleys Shopping Centre
Specialising in the sale of preloved and vintage clothing, Stroud-based Vintage Vibes opened its first shop at Five Valleys Shopping Centre in August 2025 after gaining a customer base selling online and at pop-ups across Gloucestershire.
Shoppers can expect brands such as Nike, Stussy, Ed Hardy and Carhartt, all reclaimed with owners Helen and Matt's 'signature touch of sustainable cool'.
McDonald's in Cheltenham
Replacing the former TGI Fridays on Gloucester Road, Cheltenham's newest McDonald's is now open — featuring a colourful new outdoor play area for children, too.
Creating 120 new jobs for the area, the new restaurant offers fan favourites such as the Big Mac, McPlant, McNuggets, cheeseburgers, McFlurries, milkshakes and fries.
