When I was asked by the good people from Travelodge if I’d like to write about my #hiddengems around Birmingham, I thought, well why not-I live in a city but where I choose to visit in this city are almost always far from the madding crowds.
Birmingham is fast styling itself as a ‘must visit’ shopping destination. And fair enough-the Bullring is a great place to shop and Selfridges looks visually stunning both inside and out. The new Grand Central train and shopping complex is also amazing. It will always be New Street to me, but having popped in to see it the other day, it is amazing to think that the once dull and grey building has been so transformed into a bright and light area. And of course, the new John Lewis is impressive too.
However, to be honest, I enjoy the quieter side of life, removed from crowds of shoppers. So, here are my top #hiddengems for visitors looking to discover a little more to Birmingham than the shopping. These are all firm family favourite activities.
In no particular order:
Canals
It is often said-usually by locals-that Birmingham has more canals than Venice. I’m never too sure what this is meant to imply but moving swiftly on from that. There are indeed a lot of canals in Birmingham. From the city centre near Symphony Hall, stretching right the way through to the city suburbs, you can find water, barges, canal boats, docks and water taxi’s. The reason we love being by the canal is that there is so much to see, the people you meet are generally very friendly and it gives such a feeling of space, even in the crowded city centre. Seek out a canal-you’ll enjoy the experience.
Parks
Our favourite parks are Canon Hill Park and the Lickey Hills – both have cafe’s and toilet facilities (a must with young children), both have play areas, but best of all both have nature’s playground to enjoy.
Canon Hill has more of an established traditional city park feel, with a large pond, plenty of activities during April-October, an arts venue plus two play areas and an abundance of walking/cycling/scooting opportunities.
Whilst the Lickey Hills offer copious amounts of space, trees, trails, adventure, picnics, mud and general outdoor family fun. Both parks are reachable by public transport from Birmingham City Centre too.
National Trust
The two most local properties are Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House. They are within 5 minutes of each other and it is possible to buy a combined ticket should you wish. Of course, if you’re National Trust members entry is free. Both provide beautiful gardens to explore, fascinating history inside each house and extensive parkland to wander through. This makes them places worth visiting all year round. And we do indeed do just that.
Musuems and Art Galleries
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is free to enter. It has some amazing exhibitions, and also hosts some of the Staffordshire Hoard. There are always plenty of activities and exhibits to keep the children entertained and amused. It’s an incredibly family friendly place to visit. It’s large too, so the children aren’t confined too much either.
We are also fans of Thinktank. If you’re English Heritage members you receive a discount-we found that this was by far the cheapest and most cost effective way of visiting for us. Although there are many offers for discounted entry out there so do shop around and see what will save you the most money. It’s somewhere well worth spending the day-from city zone’s for the under 5’s to dinosaur fossils, learning displays all about the human body to Spitfire’s, cars and steam engines-it’s all here under one very large roof. Our favourite part however is the ground floor-here you’ll find the steam engines and outside that the discovery park. The children love it. It’s incredibly hands on and makes the perfect spot for lunch or a snack whilst watching the children play in between
So there you go, a locals guide to the #hiddengems of Birmingham, but keep them to yourselves otherwise others might discover them too
Disclosure: compensation was received for this post but as ever the views and opinions expressed here remain entirely my own and those of my family.
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