Disclosure: this post is written in collaboration with Travelodge.
Birmingham is a great city to live in, if you want to keep your kids well entertained every weekend. It’s a fantastic place to visit as a family, too. The big attractions like Cadbury World and the Sea Life Centre are great, but they will always top the lists for “places to visit in Birmingham” and usually require pre-booking, especially at busy times.
I’ve been asked by Travelodge to talk about some of the more overlooked places to visit; those that are dismissed due to their size, location, or just because they aren’t quite as well known; Birmingham’s Hidden Gems.
Think Tank Science Garden & Eastside City Park
Birmingham’s Science Museum, the Think Tank, is based at Millennium Park next to the Eastside City Park. The park is a great place to go for a picnic, incorporating a small play area, and if you don’t have a huge budget, the Science Garden is free to access from 3pm.
Full of interactive experiments and a great water play section, the Science Garden is easily one of the girls’ favourite places in the city centre – especially on hot days when they can paddle in the water feature! There is loads to do and play with, and plenty of spots for adults to sit and relax while their children explore the interactive exhibits. I’ll be posting a full review of the Think Tank itself soon, so keep an eye out for that.
Wonderful World of Trains & Planes
We visited this particular hidden gem at the weekend, and the girls absolutely loved it. It is based in the city centre, just a few minutes walk from Snow Hill train station (which has very reasonable weekend parking charges!). If you have any train mad members of your family, as we do, then it is definitely worth a visit. A family ticket for two adults & two children is less than £20, and they have a very reasonably priced cafe inside too, serving up nice coffee, paninis, sandwiches, toasties, and absolutely amazing cake.
The place is packed full of model trains, with different countries and eras represented on the three floor exhibit. You even get to control some of the trains, drive some scaletrix cars, and have a try at flying a plane on the flight simulator. With stuff to appeal to all ages, this is something the big kids will enjoy just as much as the little ones – and I’ll be posting a full review very soon.
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
Formerly known as the Nature Centre, the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is within easy distance of the city centre, based next to Cannon Hill Park on the Pershore Road. They have a great variety of animals, and monkey lovers in particular will really enjoy what the centre has to offer. You can watch the animals being fed, which is always popular with the kids. We went during the summer, and the girls are already asking to go back soon.
For little ones, they even have a small soft play area in the cafe, which Lydia and Georgie really enjoyed. An outdoor play area with some picnic tables nearby offers a nice place to relax outside, and once you are finished at the conservation park you can walk straight into Cannon Hill Park which offers lots of space to run around, and several great play areas.
So there you have it – three of the best hidden gems for families in Birmingham. There are of course, many more to discover – the new library is definitely worth exploring, the city centre is full of fabulous little shops & eateries to discover, and a walk along the canals can be delightful.
If you know any more, please do leave suggestions in the comments, we love to explore Birmingham and discover new fantastic places to visit practically on our doorstep!
