Summer holidays have kicked in, and the kids are off for the next month. You can’t let them spend the whole time indoors watching TV, and driving them 3 hours to the closest beach just isn’t doable every weekend. But with plenty of things to do with kids right here, you can make sure the family’s never bored in Birmingham—from exciting theme parks to interesting museums—and some of it’s even free to do!
Head to Dudley Canal & Caverns for a skipper-led 45-minute ‘Underground Experience’ this summer holiday. You’ll travel 70ft below the surface on a narrowboat through 250-year-old tunnels and fossil-filled caves, spotting handmade tunnels, limestone caverns and wildlife along the way. Plus, every Wednesday & Friday, Tunnel Tots trips are a shorter, 20-minute experience with songs, games and fun.
Looking to cool off this summer with the kids? Enjoy an adrenaline-fuelled splash about at the UK’s biggest inflatable water park, Aqualand Cliff Lakes. With eight floating obstacle courses to help you cool off in a heatwave, discover an array of mega slides, climbing walls, and trampolines for all ages (well, anybody over the age of 6, at least).
Add a history-packed day out to your summer plans with a 90-minute immersive adventure through Tutankhamun’s ancient world. Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition combines virtual reality, immersive storytelling and authentic Egyptian artefacts, where visitors can explore the Valley of the Kings and see original pieces from the Cairo museum.
Take a bite out of Cadbury World
Every Brummie has heard of Cadbury World—beloved by kids and adults alike as a place of chocolatey wonder. You can learn all about how chocolate is made and go on a 4D Chocolate Adventure at the site’s own cinema. Workshops offer the chance to get stuck in and make your own chocolate, too! Little kids will love coming face to face with characters like Freddo and the Caramel Bunny.
If you’ve got preschoolers to entertain over the summer holidays, then blast off with Peppa Pig Space Adventure at the NEC. The gentle, interactive walk-through experience (not a stage show) is full of photo opportunities, playful discovery moments and hands-on activities. Guests will not only visit Peppa’s home, stepping into the iconic kitchen, sitting room, and kids’ bedrooms, but also build a cardboard rocket and explore the surface of the moon.
Spend the whole day exploring Cannon Hill Park
Cannon Hill Park is the ideal place to spend a summer’s day with kids—for free—no matter the weather. With over 250 acres to explore, check out the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park (home to reptiles, birds, monkeys and red pandas), visit one of Birmingham’s best galleries and cinemas, Midlands Arts Centre, ride the children’s theme park, or just enjoy a picnic beside the boating lake. There’s no end to the activities in this stunning park.
Bounce about at AirHop
AirHop Birmingham combines classic trampolining with modern, interactive attractions, including AR Trampolines and ValoArena mixed-reality games, Soccer 360 football zones, high-energy obstacle courses and popular group favourites such as dodgeball and the Battle Beam. These sit alongside the Main Court, featuring freestyle trampolines, slam-dunk lanes and accessible jump areas designed for a wide range of ages and abilities. The on-site AirHop Café offers food and drinks with a clear view of the activity areas, allowing you to relax while staying close to the action.
Try making your own nib and learn calligraphy at the UK’s only pen museum. The Pen Museum, housed in the Grade II* listed Argent Centre in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, celebrates the city’s 19th-century pen trade with displays, hands-on nib-making, calligraphy classes and regular events—an engaging indoor option for curious kids. It offers interactive activities and guided tours, and is open Thursday to Sunday.
Run around the mini-city at Thinktank
Thinktank’s MiniBrum is a whole mini-city run completely by children—with child-sized recreations of Birmingham’s most recognisable landmarks, such as the canals, Selfridges and Old Joe. Elsewhere, you can continue the madness with The Science Garden, where people of all ages can get to grips with over 30 hands-on exhibits, including a giant hamster wheel and Terminus (an intriguing machine that, if you get moving enough, causes an explosion of dancing balls and whistles). Plus, discover the wonders of the universe at the Planetarium. Science truly is a marvel.
Let your imagination run wild at LEGOLAND
Bring your creativity to life at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham. Visit the 1.5million brick MiniLand (complete with the world’s smallest Primark!); watch movies at the 4D cinema; rescue the Princess on the Kingdom Quest ride; and build and test your own LEGO racecars.
Want to feel a whole continent away without leaving the West Midlands? You can see the greatest sights of Africa, only an hour from Birmingham—from hippos and elephants to cheetahs, tigers and lions—at West Midlands Safari Park. Jump in your car and journey through a four-mile Safari park, or set out on foot and go wild at the Adventure Theme Park! If you fancy making even more of it, you could even turn this day trip into an overnight stay with one of its unique Safari Lodges. Spend the night overlooking the enclosed habitats of lions, giraffes, rhinos, and more animals.
Just a stone’s throw from Birmingham, the Black Country Living Museum offers a peek into life as it was up to 200 years ago. This open-air museum, built on former industrial land, has over 29 acres to explore, packed with reconstructed shops, houses and industrial areas representing the Black Country of yesteryear—starting with the Industrial Revolution and working its way up to post-war prosperity. With actors bringing the stories of ordinary people to life, it’s like walking onto a film set!
Hockerhill Adventure Playbarn is an all-weather family playground near Chillington Estate in Staffordshire, featuring a large mock Royal Oak tree to climb, pedal go-karts, climbing walls, a racing zipline, sensory dens and a cafe serving sourdough pizzas and drinks. This playground is made from sustainably sourced wood and designed for “active learning”, and offers something a little different for your kids in Birmingham.
Feel the wind in your hair at Drayton Manor
Just a stone’s throw from Birmingham in Tamworth, Drayton Manor was recently crowned the best value theme park. The family-friendly theme park boasts over 50 rides and attractions to explore, including a 15-acre zoo, Europe’s only Thomas (the Tank Engine) Land, and the star of the show, The Wave, which features high speeds of 53 mph and level four G-Force at 12 feet high while still being accessible to all “thrill-seeking families.” Meanwhile, the Wild West-themed area offers an immersive cowboy experience like no other.
Delve beneath the surface at the National Sea Life Centre
The National Sea Life Centre houses over 60 displays of freshwater and marine life, from seahorses and turtles to sharks and stingrays. You can gaze at them from within the ocean tunnel, offering 360-degree views of the tanks. Throughout the day, there are talks, and you can even get involved in the feeding sessions. Plus, kids and adults can also enjoy a 4D cinema experience where films about marine life are screened. There’s also a play area for the little kids to enjoy.
