Attractions

A taster

Below are just a few ideas of places to visit in Birmingham and the region. Use our EXPLORE Birmingham tool to get an extensive overview of what is available.

Let Birmingham's flagship National SEA LIFE Centre take you on a spectacular undersea voyage. Walk through a glass tunnel totally surrounded by an enormous one million-litre ocean tank where giant green sea turtles, black tip reef sharks and tropical reef fish swim inches from your head.

Cadbury World is choc’ full of fun for all ages. That’s why half a million chocoholics visit each year, discovering the history, finding out about the magic of chocolate, and of course, seeing how the yummy stuff is made. You’ll be in chocolate heaven!

Immerse yourself in a thousand years of jaw-dropping history at Warwick Castle. The castle promises an experience where ancient myths and spell-binding tales will set your imagination alight and your hair on end.

National Paintballing Fields is a 200 acre Movie Themed Action, Adventure Park, which is world-famous for its impressive scenarios, Hollywood scenery and battle-ready dress code. National Paintballing Fields offers a completely interactive day-out with high-quality military simulation and role play. Come along and lead your troops to victory!

Birmingham's last surviving court of Back to Back Housing offers a step back in time. This National Trust location is a beautifully restored 19th-century courtyard of working people's houses. It’s a story told through the experiences of the people who lived and worked here over four periods from 1840 to 1977.

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum is ten themed galleries of immense, inspiring, interactive fun. It’s the most modern of science museums. Investigate everything from full size locomotives and aircraft to intestines and taste buds - but do so with fun as your focus. There’s the awe-inspiring, truly gobsmaking planetarium; using state-of-the-art digital technology to present breathtaking images on a 360° domed ceiling. It puts you at the centre of the action - a totally immersive science experience.

Fancy yourself as a TV presenter? Visit BBC Birmingham’s Public Space at The Mailbox and read and record a news item or a weather forecast. Take a look through the viewing windows into the BBC WM and Asian Network studios as well as the television gallery where the BBC Midlands Today team chooses shots, cues the studio and keeps everything on air! And if you’d like to see even more of your local BBC, then book on a studio tour. BBC Birmingham Tours offer a fascinating insight into the programmes originating from BBC Birmingham. Take a behind the scenes tour of the television and radio studios and share the secrets of getting a programme from script to screen.

Go Ape is the UK's No.1 Forest Adventure. Take to the trees and speed down zip slides. They’re part of an exciting course of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and crossings; all set high above the forest floor. From two legs to two wheels – for the ultimate forest experience on a rugged all-terrain Segway. It's a totally unique way to tackle the trails in the forest.

For those who have not experienced the thrill of motor racing or for those who enjoyed it so much and want more. F1K’s indoor Go Karting is Birmingham’s premier karting circuit that provides an adrenalin fuel opportunity to gain race skills and hone your race craft. F1K offer a wide range of kart driving experiences from their very popular Arrive & Drive to our gruelling endurance Le Mans team and Iron Man races.

The Jewellery Quarter has two museums - the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and the Pen Room Museum. With several art galleries, over 100 jewellery shops and 200 listed historic buildings, the Quarter is a great place to spend the day.

Throughout the year, the Ikon Gallery shows some of the most contemporary and thought-provoking artwork from around the world. Every first Saturday of the month take the family to the Ikon Gallery for free Family Saturdays.

Fancy yourself as a TV presenter? Visit BBC Birmingham’s Public Space at The Mailbox and have a go at presenting the news and a weather forecast. Take a look through the window into the television gallery. This is where the BBC Midlands Today team chooses shots, cues the studio and keeps everything on air!

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Built for industrialist John Nettlefold’s growing family in 1903, Winterbourne House and Garden is a rare surviving example of an early 20th century suburban villa and garden. Now the site is open to the public 7 days a week with a range of beautifully decorated period exhibition rooms offering an insight into Edwardian life both above and below stairs. Outside, the Arts and Crafts garden delights in all seasons and the terrace tea room is a wonderful place to treat yourself to lunch or afternoon tea.

Stoneleigh Abbey's history began in 1154 when Henry II granted the lands to a community of Cistercian monks who built a small but prosperous Abbey on the site. More than 800 years later the structural development of the main house and adjacent buildings can be clearly seen, providing a rich tapestry of architecture, landscape, events and people.

All of the most historically interesting parts of Stoneleigh Abbey are open to the public.

Situated in the heart of Coventry, Coventry Cathedral is a truly magnificent and stunningly beautiful venue. Renowned worldwide for its message of peace and reconciliation, it is also noted for being the British nation’s favourite 20th century building.

See all heritage attractions here.

The Black Country Living Museum is a world class open-air museum; brought to life by costumed characters in an array of original shops, houses, workshops, a school and traditional fairground, all in one canalside village. Discover the Black Country Heritage, enjoy a ride on a tramcar or explore the underground coalmine. This is where the past truly comes to life!

Nearby in West Bromwich explore your artistic side at The Public - a stylish creative space that makes art accessible for all. Enjoy a virtual walk in the park, make your mark on the interactive exhibits and create your own Public inspired art to take home. Visitors can enjoy a full calendar of exhibitions, workshops music, comedy, theatre and movie screenings.

At Twycross Zoo - The World Primate Centre there are over 1,000 animals on show including Bornean Orangutans, Asian Elephants, Inland Bearded Dragons, Northern White-faced Owls, Boa Constrictors, Red-kneed Tarantulas and many more.

From lions and tigers to snakes and spiders - go wild at Dudley Zoological Gardens. Come face to face with lemurs as they roam freely in their woodland home. Walk through a rainforest to see primates and otters. Watch birds of prey as they fly around the Castle. Meet furry friends down on the farm and learn about the horrible history of Dudley Castle and hunt for ghosts!

The LG Arena Solihull, home of The NEC and LG Arena, has plenty to offer too including the internationally-renowned National Motorcycle Museum and the beautiful Brueton Park.

The great outdoors are never far away in Birmingham. We’ve got parks aplenty in the city itself, with Sutton Park being the largest urban park in Europe. Cannon Hill Park, a stone’s throw from the city centre, is home to the Birmingham Nature Centre and Midlands Arts Centre. During the summer, it’s possible to hire a pedal boat and float around the lake, dodging the ducks!

Just outside Birmingham, in the neighbouring counties, we have bountiful farms where you can visit in the summer months and pick your own fruits.