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 Custard Factory is a premier shopping and digital business area in Birmingham. Its name comes from the Bird's Custard Factory that was located here. The neighborhood was developed with young people in mind, there are studios for jazz, drama, music and dance alongside workshops for crafts, film makers and designers. Shops, cafes and restaurants have opened in recent years catering for the young and trendy types that are attracted to the complex, and it is likely more will open in the future.

Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice (as any local will only too proudly tell you), though many of them are hidden beneath street level. Gas Street Basin is where several canals meet and was once a thriving port. Today, you can still see colorful canal boats moored here, just a stone's throw from Broad Street in the city center. It's also an up-and-coming spot for new bars and cafes, and is close to popular Brindleyplace.

The jewelry industry developed in the city from the mid-19th Century. At its peak in the early part of the 20th Century, it employed nearly 20,000 workers. Today, the Jewellery Quarter is a bustling area that produces over a third of the UK's jewelry, and you can find tons of bargains in its many small shops. It's also home to the award-winning Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and some good restaurants.

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.

Sutton Park is a beautiful reserve sheathed in aged woodlands, heaths, wetlands and sparkling lakes, teeming with kestrels, pheasants, plovers, buntings and other wildlife. One of the largest in the United Kingdom, this expansive urban park is also home to recreational facilities for cycling, pony rides, trekking and boating. Cattle graze on grass-laden hills while the Sutton Park Line slices through, lending this National Nature Reserve an old-world charm. Although the park encompasses several pools like Powell's Pool, Bracebridge Pool and the Longmoor Pool, it is the Wyndley Pool which is the oldest and perhaps, the most prized. Volunteer conservationists and park rangers help to keep this reserve in order and cattle grazing has been reintroduced in order to keep young birch trees from entirely taking over the land. Sutton Park has also a recognized Scheduled Ancient Monument and Site of Special Scientific Interest.