Wrexham a winning city for tourism

Tour the best of the Welsh city famous Stateside for its team's Hollywood owners, says ANDY GILPIN

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PROMO Welcome to Wrexham docuseries on Disney+

It is 1.24pm on a Friday, and while most pubs around the UK at this time might be empty, The Turf in Wrexham is full. There are regulars, a retirement party and a vociferous pool game. There's also Wayne Cram, from Boston - that's Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire - supping pints with Max from Wrexham who's just come in for a swift half after an appointment.

These two would normally never meet, especially here, but they've been brought together by one thing - Wrexham FC. Almost attached to the historic Racecourse Ground stadium, The Turf is one of the main stars of the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries that's got people flocking to this unassuming North Wales city.

It follows the fortunes of a football club bought by Ryan 'Deadpool' Reynolds and Rob 'It's Always Sunny' McElhenney.

And people have fallen in love with the show. New research says Wrexham is the UK's newest holiday hotspot for 2026, with bookings surging an astonishing 184% compared to 2025.

But why and what leads the likes of Wayne to travel 3,200 miles to a place that used to be famous for a giant slag heap and a massive industrial estate?