As the sun begins to shine on Birmingham (periodically) we want to get out and about with the kids. So why not make the most of this beautiful city? You don’t have to sit in the car for hours – there are plenty of things to do with kids right here – from petting zoos to immersive exhibitions and even better – a lot of it is free!
1. Lickey Hills Country Park
Lickey Hills Country Park is the perfect place to get some fresh air, with sprawling woodlands, grasslands, and plenty of hills to climb. Bring a picnic and a kite for a lovely summer outing with the kids. There are tons of hiking and walking trails to suit any ability and some stunning views out across the countryside from Beacon Hill, which is the highest point in Worcestershire.
Children will love the play areas and avid golfers can sneak away to the golf course whilst others enjoy gorgeous flora and fauna throughout the park. It’s about a 30-minute drive South West of Birmingham so no need to dread a long car ride.
📍Lickey Hills Country Park, Warren Ln, Rednal, Birmingham B45 8ER
2. Light Cycles
Are these dark, wintery evenings bringing you and your family down? Add a little luminescence with the otherworldly Light Cycles. Between a sea of pulsing pearl-like orbs, fiery amber rays, or a rolling vibrant mist, this multisensory light trail will dazzle and delight everyone aged from one to 100. It’s now illuminating the idyllic lakes and woodlands surrounding Stonebridge Golf Course in Meriden, with life-size art installations, hypnotic visual effects and serene soundscapes. To learn more about this psychedelic light show head here.
3. Winterbourne House and Gardens
Nestled in leafy Edgbaston, you’ll find the historic, Edwardian Winterbourne House. The house itself, owned by the University of Birmingham, is open to the public and it’s decorated in an Arts and Crafts style, making you feel as though you’ve stepped into a little piece of history. Tickets for the house and garden are just £8 per person.
You can also explore the gardens, designed by Margaret Nettlefold and spread across seven acres. There you’ll find rare plants and exotic species in the rock garden, subtropical terrace, and other parts of this vast garden. Make sure to treat yourself to something from the tea room after all that strolling for a refreshing day out of the city.
📍58 Edgbaston Park Rd, Birmingham B15 2RT
4. Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum
Curious minds will love Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. Not only is it educational but it’s also incredibly entertaining for kids and adults alike. There are interactive exhibits covering just about everything from astronomy to biology. You can even marvel at their digital planetarium, which is truly state-of-the-art.
You will also find the incredible Spitfire Gallery where you can view a real-life Supermarine Spitfire – an aircraft that played such an important role in the second world war. It’s a hands-on museum that has plenty for the little ‘ns too. a whole area of the museum is specifically designed for younger kids to enjoy. Family tickets are around £37.50.
📍Millennium Point, Curzon St, Birmingham B4 7XG
5. Cadbury World
Every Brummy knows Cadbury World – it’s beloved by kids and adults like 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 the meet and greet element where they come face to face with characters like Freddo and the Caramel Bunny, with the chance to take photos you can use to embarrass them later in life. You don’t have to eat chocolate all day – although it’s pretty tempting – besides the gift shop there are also plenty of places to buy meals too. A standard adult ticket will set you back £18.95 and it’s just by Bournville Station, which connects to Birmingham New Street.
📍69 Linden Rd, Birmingham B30 1JR
6. Birmingham Back to Backs
Officially, the best hidden gem in the UK, Birmingham Back to Backs is the city’s last surviving court of back-to-back houses. These types of houses were common in industrial towns to cope until labelled a health hazard in the mid-19th century.
National Trust has since taken over the court at 50–54 Inge Street and 55–63 Hurst Street and turned it into a museum. Here, you can discover what working people’s lives were like 200 years ago with guided tours of the carefully restored, atmospheric courtyard and houses moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s. It also has its own secondhand bookshop, Court 15 Books.
📍Birmingham Back to Backs, 50-54, 55-63 Inge St, Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4TE
7. The National Sea Life Centre
The National Sea Life Centre is definitely one of the best things to do with kids in Birmingham. This place house a huge range of sealife, from seahorses and turtles to sharks and sting rays. 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. Tickets start at £19 per person and there are often deals to take advantage of too. It’s very easy to get to by bus or metro.
📍The Water’s Edge, Eleven Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HL
8. West Midlands Police Museum
Are your kids acting up and being naughty? Send them to the clink! Not really, obviously, but they can learn what it was once like to be locked up in Birmingham. This Victorian lock-up was built in 1891 and remained a working police cellblock until 2016. These days, West Midlands Police Museum shines a light on life on both sides of the bars.
With two centuries of policing history filed away, there are so many ways to keep your kids entertained. Solve crimes in the forensics lab, dress up in old-timey uniforms, or take your own mugshot. Plus, discover a real police box, police motorcycles and memorabilia. It’s as close as we’ll ever (hopefully) come to a real prison.
📍The Lock-up, 40 Steelhouse Ln, Birmingham B4 6BJ
9. The National Forest Adventure Farm
50 minutes drive away from Birmingham you’ll find The National Forest Adventure Farm and it’s well worth taking the kids for a little escape from the city. This rural spot offers the perfect opportunity for kids to learn about nature and animals. They can interact with different farm animals like goats, pigs, sheep, and much more!
It’s not just a petting zoo – there’s a maze made from a cornfield and loads of adventure play activities like zip lines, obstacles, and sandpits where the kids can work off their energy for a nice quiet car ride home. It’s not too pricey at £15.99 per person and you can get the train to Burton-on-Trent, then take the number 10 bus straight to the farm.
📍Postern Rd, Tatenhill, Burton-on-Trent DE13 9SJ
10. Take advantage of cheap cinema tickets
Not every day is an outdoorsy day – we know that all too well in Birmingham. So, when you have kids climbing the walls in the living room and it’s miserable outside, why not take them to the cinema? You can avail of cheap cinema tickets for £4.50 at either Birmingham Vue or Redditch Vue and with so many new releases coming out recently, there’s no better time to snap some up.
11. Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Brummies love the Botanical Gardens for a reason. It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the city, and that’s saying something! It sits in Edgbaston and it was first opened in 1829 – one of the oldest Botanical gardens in the country!
You have 15 acres of land to explore, including sections like the tropical house and subtropical house where you can see species of fauna that would otherwise never thrive in Birmingham. It’s a fantastic place to introduce kids to different plants and let them experience not just what is native to the UK but what is native to other parts of the world.
The Japanese Garden, with its teahouse, bridges, and beautiful pond is an absolute must-see and you will hear the birds in the aviaries before you even see them. Best of all, it’s completely free to visit!
📍Westbourne Rd, Birmingham B15 3TR
12. Candlelight concerts
Nothing quite beats experiencing the magic of live music with your little ones. Candlelight is an experience that combines breathtaking music performances with their signature sea of candles, and it’s the perfect way to introduce the kids to concerts. Taking place inside some of Birmingham’s most incredible venues, including Birmingham Cathedral, these concerts pay tribute to artists whose songs our kids know and love more than we do. We’re talking Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and more, as well as magical movie soundtracks. The youngsters must be aged 8 years or older to attend and anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
13. Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is another fantastic place to take kids in Birmingham. Also in Edgbaston, this spot is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species. There you’ll find a huge variety of animals that you wouldn’t otherwise see in the city. It houses amphibians, reptiles, and many more warm-blooded animals too.
Because it’s not a large zoo, you’ll find far more family-focused energy here, allowing you to get up close and personal with animals like red pandas and wallabies. Adult tickets are just £7.65, making it far more budget-friendly than some of the bigger zoos. Plus, it’s easy to get to. You can get the bus straight from Moor Street Queensway.
📍Pershore Rd, Birmingham B5 7RL
14. Black Country Living Museum
So it’s not in Birmingham, but this open-air Dudley museum often stood in for Second City during filming for Peaky Blinders. Grown-ups will get a kick out of recognising iconic TV locations, while the kids explore 26 acres of reconstructed shops, pubs and houses and meet historic characters. Go to school, visit the vintage cinema, eat traditional fish ‘n’ chips, play old-fashioned street games and more at the Black Country Living Museum – all offering a slice of life like it was 200 years ago.
📍Black Country Living Museum, Tipton Rd, Dudley DY1 4SQ
So there you have it – there are plenty of incredible things to do with kids in Birmingham. Make use of this list and you certainly won’t be bored this summer. You might not even have to watch your toddler’s favourite film on repeat for a while and you can make memories. After all, that’s what the summer holidays are all about!