This is the ideal park for the entire family, offering a variety of facilities including boating lakes, playgrounds, tennis courts, tropical greenhouses and nature conservation areas. It is also the home of the Midland Arts Centre. A walking/bicycling route winds through the grounds that has recently been extended. The park also plays host to a variety of concerts, performances and the annual Fireworks Fantasia.
Situated across Church Hill Road, the St Alphege Parish Church is a historic church that dates back to the 12th Century. Over a period of time, it was refurbished several times; the bells and the church's shire were renovated too. It is a beautifully restored religious space and its ancient organ pipe organ, stained glass windows that belong to different time periods and the overall architecture is worth exploring. Apart from that, this church is home to community functions, choir concerts, youth groups, sermons, lectures and similar events.
The Black Country is a large industrial area to the north-west of Birmingham and this museum is a reminder of how things used to be here 100 years ago. It comprises many historic buildings, taken down from elsewhere and re-erected to make an authentic town of a century ago. Highlights include an old-fashioned funfair, a narrowboat ride and a trip down a coal mine, light is deliberately kept to the levels that would have been experienced by the miners. All children and adults can take a lesson in an 1840s school and tour round a Victorian sweetshop, chemist's, nail-making shop and stables, among many other exhibits.
This 80-hectare (200-acre) safari park is located less than a 60-minute drive from Birmingham. It will take you about an hour to drive through the animal reserves, where you can see elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, monkeys, wallabies and tigers. The amusement park has many different rides, and a wristband ticket that gives you access to all of them. Other attractions include a seal aquarium, reptile house and sea lion show. There are also plenty of themed places to eat and buy souvenirs.
As the only surviving example of the once prevalent Back to Backs of Birmingham, these historic buildings are a rare treasure. During the 19th Century, a number of buildings were built back to back around a common courtyard to meet the demands of the rapidly growing population of the city as a result of industrialization. These houses were inhabited by the working class who managed to survive in these cramped quarters. Each of the four Back to Backs around the courtyard has been restored and refurnished as a representation of four different time periods, giving visitors an extremely rare opportunity to take a peek into the lives of the ordinary working men and women of the 1840s, 1870s, 1930s and 1970s. Only a few slots are available each day and prior reservations are a must if you wish to visit these homes.
A fun day out for children, especially since the emphasis is on close contact with the animals. Youngsters can hold newly-hatched chicks, take a pony ride and help to feed the animals. All your familiar farmyard friends are here, and some less familiar in the form of rare breeds. There are also demonstrations of traditional crafts associated with the farm, such as wool spinning. The farm is both interesting and educational and parents should enjoy it too.
The epicenter of the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham was once known as the 'city of 1001 trades'. A master of reinvention, the city has shed its once gritty, industrial vibe towards a more contemporary, cultural outlook with institutions like the City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, International Convention Center, and Coffin Works paving the way for cultural exploration. Georgian-era landmarks like St. Paul’s Church, Victorian-era Law Courts and the Neo-Gothic St. Martin’s Church offer a glimpse of a bygone era while the Selfridges Building and Library of Birmingham serve as a modern symbol of the city's evolution. With a vibrant dining, theater and nightlife scene, the city offers much along its canal-lined streets and is a powerhouse of modern British life.
Anyone who is intrigued by curiosities and unusual phenomena should not miss the grave of Nanetta Stocker. It is situated close to the main door of St Philip's Cathedral in the city center, and is barely three feet in length. It marks the final resting place of "the smallest woman ever in this Kingdom" who was only 33 inches high and, says the inscription, was "possessed of every accomplishment". Stocker was Austrian born and was buried here in May 1819.
Established in 2001, the Thinktank (Birmingham Science Museum) is located with the Millennium point complex. A hands-on museum is an exciting place for children and adults alike. Within the fours storied building, each floor symbolizes a theme. There are scientific demonstrations, future exhibitions that talk about technology and inventions including the study of robotics, that are path-breaking and thus have drawn large crowds. With over 200 scientific displays, the museum draws curious science addicts from all over. A visit to this museum calls for a fun and educational outing.
Completely red in color, the 17 &19 Newhall Street is also commonly known as the Bell Edison Telephone Building. Made of red brick, the unusual name stems from the fact that the building was first located at 19 Newhall Street and was later expanded to take over another building. Occupying the corner position on the street, this attractive building was constructed by Fredrick Martin in 1896, and now houses offices of the National Telephone Company.
A defining feature of Birmingham's antiquated landscape, St. Martin's in the Bullring resides in the heart of of the city. Boasting a towering Neo-Gothic facade and a spire that reaches for the sky, this church stands in stark contrast to Birmingham's contemporary buildings. Having received a major face-lift in 1873, this magnificent, stone church is characterful and richly adorned with archways, painted beams, Victorian tiles and medieval frescoes sheltered by a timber roof. Surrounded on all sides by intricate stained glass windows, the church is a stunning tapestry of theatrical decor as well as architectural finesse, all remnants of the glorious Victorian era.
The square is named after one of Birmingham's famous mayors, Joseph Chamberlain. The Central Library and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery are located here, as is the focal point, the Chamberlain Memorial Fountain. There is also a very lifelike statue of Thomas Attwood, a famous Birmingham banker and MP. He lies reading on the steps leading up to the library and has often been known to seriously confuse the unwitting passer-by. The Square is a busy thoroughfare and a popular place to see for both locals and visitors alike.