I’ve been meaning to make this post for a while now, but kept postponing it. I’m glad the #februaryinleo prompt today centers around it and I finally get the opportunity to share.
Tamale is a beautiful city. Big and large, so much that sometimes some hidden gems get overshadowed in the midst of all the competition. In this post, I’ll spotlight some places I consider Hidden Gems in Tamale.
Red Clay Studio
Red Clay studio is the go to place to see art and history related to the people of Ghana and Dagbon. It features art such as the Non orientable Nkansah, and artifacts from World War II. Check 1, 2, 3 out to read about my discoveries upon my visits to Red Clay somewhere last year.
I discovered Red Clay somewhere last year, I believe. Why I think this place doesn’t get a lot of attention is the place it’s located.
Most of the activity and busyness in Tamale happens around the areas closest to the market. But not only is Red Clay far from this area, the road leading there is also deserted because it forks off the main road to an area that is not so popular.
Another thing is the fact that some of the few people that DO know about the place don’t want to go there because as you approach there, the road gets very dusty. This was one of my personal issues with wanting to go back there again.
Last time I went there (I think 4 months ago or so) I saw some foundation laid and buildings in progress which I heard were intended to be guest house where tourists or visitors could lodge in on their visits. I believe this will be a very cool addition to the over all aesthetic of the place, especially looking at the beauty of the building currently holding most of the art there.
Happy Dayz Lounge
I don’t think I would’ve ever found Happy Dayz Lounge out if it weren’t for the fact that I did my National Service at UDS, and stayed close to Happy Dayz.
The place is a very modern representation of a lounge, with a football astro turf, a pool, a rooftop bar and a restaurant. I’ve only ever used the astro turf, bar and restaurant, and I plan on going to the pool one of these days. I think why I haven’t used the pool before is because I like doing pool at night, but when I lived around there, I was mostly busy during the day and knocked out tired at night 
I loved the food at the restaurant. Per my last visit, the food was good value for my money. For 50cedis (about $4), I got fried rice with extra large chicken that I mostly never able to finish in one sitting. The only place I think there’s an issue is the drinks - they were sort of overpriced. But it’s a modern lounge, so what really do we expect?
Oasis
I ate here I think somewhere in 2021 or so? Yeah I think that’s about right.
I loved the food when I ate here. I have to mention though that this place is by far the most expensive place in this compilation. I say the food is totally worth it though.
The environment also looks really beautiful. You have about 3 options of sitting space when you get here. There’s a Hut in the compound when you just arrive, a sitting space at the gate of the space that opens into this bar and order desk, and an inner more reserved space that I like to think is used for group events. Their pizza is really good too, so definitely check Oasis out.
Wooden
I’ve been to Wooden twice now and I got the same thing for both the two times I’ve been here - The Wooden Volcano. An interesting thin about the pronunciation of the name is that even though it’s wooden, the natives here call it “wudeen”. Lol
Like Oasis, they have great food, are expensive as fuck, but totally worth a visit if you enjoy having a great experience. The staff here are also really friendly and this is I believe one of the best things I like about the place. I don’t tip a lot, but I find myself leaving tips here because of the customer service in general. My last visit was not very pleasant though, but I think it was just one of their bad days.
Mariam Hotel
As for this last place, I’m adding it to the list for group events. For events with participants larger than 20, I recommend Mariam Hotel, especially if it’s a professional or corporate gathering. My colleagues and I had a professional development session here a few months ago, and that’s how I found out about it. I’d been seeing it for a long time on the side of a road I use a lot, but never really bothered checking it out.
They have a very nice conference center and eating space, and great customer service as well. It’s also a great place if whatever event you’re hosting requires camping, because as you see in the name, there are nice rooms to lodge in.
