Sheffield is famous worldwide as the home of snooker and the birthplace of stainless steel, and it’s gaining a growing reputation as a foodie hotspot.
It’s also known for its excellent arts scene, with the Crucible and Lyceum theatres producing many acclaimed plays, and for bands from Def Leppard to The Human League and Arctic Monkeys which have put the city on the music map.
But for all its top attractions, like the stunning Sheffield Botanical Gardens, and Cambridge Street Social food hall, with its mouthwatering array of global kitchens, there are many amazing places to visit which fly under the radar.
All of these attractions deserve a wider audience, yet most are relatively unknown beyond South Yorkshire and some remain sadly unheard of even by many people living and working within Sheffield.
If you’re visiting Sheffield or have guests coming and want to show them something a bit different, or off the beaten track, here are some of the city’s hidden gems to check out.

1. Ruins of UK's largest POW camp
It's a bit off the beaten track, but the old prisoner of war camp off Redmires Road in Lodge Moor, Sheffield, is believed to have been the largest such camp in the UK. It was built in 1939 to house 11,000 prisoners during the Second World War, and extensive ruins remain. With a little imagination you can get a sense of what life there must have been for those held captive. | National World Photo: Andy Done-Johnson

2. See the weird and wonderful exhibits at little-known museum
Sheffield has some fabulous museums but even many people who have lived in the city for years have never visited Sheffield University's Alfred Denny Museum. It houses some fascinating artefacts, from fossils to a collection of animals stored in alcohol and even an emperor penguin collected during Scott’s Arctic expedition. But perhaps its most intriguing exhibit is this cast of the skull of a terror bird, pictured in the hands of curator Professor Tim Birkhead. The prehistoric flightless bird-of-prey was one and a half times bigger than a human, prowled around on its back feet hunting for food and could eat a small deer. The museum is usually open for pre-booked guided tours at 10am, 11am and 12pm on the first Saturday of each month, and with only 25 places per tour it's recommended to book early. | National World Photo: Chris Lawton

3. Brave the bear pit
Sheffield Botanical Gardens is among Sheffield's most popular attractions, but many visitors fail to check out this fascinating piece of its history. The four-metre deep bear put was built in 1836 to house a black bear, named Bruin, and later became home to two brown bears. Local legend has it that the pit closed after a child fell in and was killed, though that story is believed to be unfounded. Today, you can step inside the Grade II-listed bear pit, which is one of the best preserved in the UK, and you'll find nothing more menacing than a metal sculpture of one of its former inhabitants. | National World Photo: Steve Ellis

4. Explore the Megatron
The Megatron is the brilliantly named huge Victorian tunnel running beneath Sheffield city centre, between Ponds Forge and the River Don. It is part of a series of Victorian storm drains built to carry water from the rivers Sheaf and Porter Brook. Only by heading underground and seeing them for yourself can you get a true sense of the scale of this remarkable engineering achievement, while learning about the history of the city and its development. The Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust organises occasional guided tours, which usually book up quickly. | National World Photo: Steve Ellis