A horse, an elephant and even a bed were among the surprise exhibits inside St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle on Friday at a tourism showcase which was enough to make anyone feel proud to be a Geordie.
A one-off day of celebration of what the North East has to offer saw local attractions, including restaurants and hotels, show off their products at a dual event hosted by both the Cathedral and the nearby Newcastle Castle.
There were food and drink tastings, gallery displays and interactive activities alongside plenty fun and chat.
The horse was actually the familiar sculpture that stands in the entrance way of The Herb Garden restaurant and had been wheeled through the cathedral doors to help staff promote its menu, while the bed - placed in a nearby space at the end of an aisle - was to demonstrate the comfort on offer at the city's Maldron Hotel, which had also created cake stands of tea-time treats.
An Elmer the Elephant sculpture was on show, as was a 3D exhibit of the head of Dippy the dinosaur: both offering tasters of upcoming exhibitions which are set to be highlights of the year.
The aim of the event, coordinated by NewcastleGateshead Initiative as part of English Tourism Week, was to enable visitors to "hear, taste, smell and feel" the region's thriving tourism industry.
Members of the public had been invited to apply for free tickets to attend one of two sessions organised for the day which included tours of both the host landmarks with plenty food tastings and interactive activities en route.
Jane Hand, who was in the Cathedral on a family trip from Whitley Bay, said: "It's brilliant."
Accompanied by sons Leo, aged six, and four-year-old Arthur, she added: "They've had a great time, with archery and Lego.
"I've liked the food!"
Among the free samples on offer were sweet treats made by Newcastle and Gateshead catering students and mini cherry meringue cheesecakes being created - with the help of a record player turnstyle to keep the piping smooth - by Jesmond Dene House head pasty chef Callum Byerley.
Future tourism-boosters were highlighted, such as the Rugby World Cup and Why Aye Wheel, and outdoors young talents from the Newcastle United Foundations were displaying their skills.
The weather was perfect for visitors who climbed Newcastle Keep down the road to enjoy views from the top alongside free mocktails being served up by The Botanist at a pop-up bar.
They had been greeted at the entrance of The Keep by a piper playing medieval bagpipes - then a commonly-played instrument throughout England while further homage to the past was paid inside by volunteer Pat Dunscombe who had cooked authentic 14th Century cuisine.
Elsewhere, past and present came together with various areas of the ancient building playing host to the likes of Jesmond Dene House executive chef Lowell Cunningham as he made canapes and afternoon tea treats.
Visitor Barry Nicholson said: "It's great - I've lived all my life here and never been to the castle. I didn't realise how big it was.
"This is giving a lot of people a taste of what everyone is doing."
In another area Slaley Hall staff were offering hand massages.
Jonny Cope, director of sales at the hotel, said that there are to be more 'Slaley in Newcastle' collaborations over the summer, while the whole day showcased a host of ongoing partnerships.
Paul Szomoru, NGI's director of tourism, cited the likes of Hotel du Vin working together with the Victoria Tunnel, and The Botanist teaming up with Grey's Monument, on combined events of tours and afternoon tea.
"The future of tourism needs to be much more niche," he said.
"We need to create bespoke experiences for the individual rather than mass audiences."
Sharing space in the the Keep's basement, the former jail, was a display by Beamish - which had recreated a 1950s living room and also brought along biscuits fresh from the museum's bakery - and a mini version of poison garden from Alnwick.
The Alnwick Garden communications officer Fiona Mitcheson explained that one of the plants - cannabis - was not the real deal because, although the castle is allowed to grow cannabis for educational purposes in its garden, its licence does not cover elsewhere.
They had brought along a fake instead but as they unloaded it outside The Keep, which is near the Moot Hall court, Fiona said: "We had some odd looks from a prison van which passed!"
Outside, near the adjacent Black Gate, Tony Renwick, executive chef from Trakol restaurant, had left his kitchen at By The River Brew Co. on Gateshead Quayside to set up a makeshift kitchen where he was busy cooking up BBQ lamb dishes for visitors.
Next to him in the unique location was a pop-up run by Andrew Shiel-Redfern and Sean Butler from Wylam Brewery who were offering tastings of its popular Jakehead IPA.
Sean said: "It's great to be involved in events like this.
"It really showcases the North East - and the backdrop we've got is absolutely amazing."
