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.
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.
This square has transformed over the past decade from a grassy slope where office workers would picnic on a summer's afternoon to a pedestrian-friendly European plaza accessible all year. Birmingham's Town Hall and Council House are located on the square, but graded steps replace the slope and there's now a large fountain containing a sculpture known fondly by locals as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi. Stone lamps and statues of sphinxes adorn the grounds, as does a statue of Queen Victoria. Victoria Square has now become a popular meeting point and a relaxing place for people to watch.
The National Sea Life Centre is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. One of the most thrilling things about this aquarium is its 360-degree transparent tunnel, which lets you stand in the middle of the ocean while sharks and other aquatic lives swim around you. There are 55 displays in total, including the "Kingdom of the Seahorse" and "Claws," featuring the giant Japanese spider crab. among other fearsome crustaceans.
These fine gardens, opened in 1832, were designed by John Claudius Loudon, a leading garden planner, and horticultural journalist. The gardens offer you the chance to see some of the most beautiful greenery in the world along with stunning glasshouses. Attractions besides plants include indoor aviaries, a restaurant with a fantastic view of the gardens, a children's adventure playground, a gift shop and plant center and a gallery displaying work by local artists.
Proudly proclaiming the fact that it is "Europe's largest", the Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm affords a peaceful retreat away from all things Shakespearean. Hundreds of butterflies can be viewed at close quarters, many of the species sporting spectacular colors. For those interested in less attractive, more frightening creatures, other insect displays are available, including stick insects, leaf-eating ants and the world's largest spider.
Firs Gardens, a triangular-shaped garden, bound by Evesham Place and Grove Road, is named after Grove House that stood nearby. Despite the hum of passing traffic, Firs Gardens retains an air of peace and tranquility. What is more, as they are a little way away from the town center, they are rarely crowded. If you find yourself meandering here, look out for the rose bed which is dedicated to the memory of the "Red Beret" airborne divisions.
An expansive lush green community park is an asset in Stourbridge with approximately 1million visitors every year. Located half a mile away from the Stourbridge town centre, the park has an array of activities throughout the year. There is a war memorial, health pool, a bandstand, a large play area, activity center and a café in the tea gardens where you can indulge in fitness activities, group events and wildlife activities. Overall, it is a great spot for picnics and family outings where you can relax and take pleasure of the beauty around and also enjoy the park activities.
The Lye and Wollescote Cemetery is an active bi-racial cemetery under the Dudley city council. Apart from Christian graves, the cemetery also has a reserved Muslim section for adult and baby graves which are oriented towards the Mecca. The chapel located nearby dates back to 1879 and is a grade II listed heritage building currently under renovation. It is the final resting place of 25 commonwealth soldiers from World War I and II and their graves are registered with the Commonwealth War Graves commission who also look after their maintenance. The cemetery is in association with a local genealogy research project which traces back the history of local families.
The Birmingham Eco Park is a center for environmental education managed by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black County. It is also the site for the PAWS society (People and Services for Wildlife) which is the practical conservation facility of the Wildlife trust. The park offers a wide range of educational activities on environment and wildlife such as natural arts and crafts, animal spotting, pond dipping and sessions on how to grow trees and vegetables. It also has a number of interesting demonstration features on renewable energy such as wind turbines, solar panels and a water treatment plant. The variety of natural habitats located in the park make it a rich and diverse ground for woodlands, grasslands, orchards and wildflower meadows which are sure to delight any nature enthusiast. The park may not always be open to public, so it is advisable to check with the concerned authorities before visiting. Activities for large groups in training and education are charged and not free.
Nestling between Hawthorn Lane and Banner Lane, Tile Hill Wood is a natural enclosure. Located in Coventry’s Tile Hill region, the woodland is a designate Site of Special Scientific Interest. Also serving as a Local Nature Reserve, the region consists of a range of trees including deciduous and coniferous varieties. Tile Hill Wood spans around a region of 69.92 acres (28.30 hectares) and boasts of trees like oak, sycamore, hazel coppice, spruce, chestnut, birch, ash, et al. One of its kinds, the woodland has special paths constructed for disabled visitors.
This once decrepit corporation yard has been converted in to a learning center housed in an ecologically sensitive building that is surrounded by landscaped grounds. Since its inception in 1993, the Centre of the Earth has been dedicated to providing the community with various programs aimed at encouraging awareness about wildlife conservation, sustainable development, urban wildlife, and other environmental issues. The center also provides training to teachers to enable them to use various creative learning activities in and around their schools. The space is available to be rented out as a resource to local community groups and environmental organizations. The grounds, as well, feature various wildlife habitats and environmental sculptures that can be used for educational purposes.