Stratford-upon-Avon is a beautiful medieval market town in the East Midlands. You'll likely have heard the name mentioned in regards to William Shakespeare, as this quaint town was his birthplace in the 16th century. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs his plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and adjacent in the Swan Theatre on the banks of the River Avon. Today, you can still visit Shakespeare's family home along with the Hathaway Cottage. The town is close enough to the Cotswolds to be able to enjoy the rolling hills Stratford-upon-Avon also has plenty to do in terms of shopping, sightseeing, visiting museums and exhibitions, and obviously, catching a play. The history of Stratford is one that you could be reading about for a very long time. As it was a major centre for processing, marketing and distributing sheep products for hundreds of years, by the time Shakespeare was born in 1564, Stratford had already established itself as a successful town.