Experience the UK’s only 360° ocean tunnel and marvel at sharks, a giant turtle, rays and hundreds of tropical fish as you walk through the sea at National Sea Life Birmingham. Stay in town for Thinktank, a science museum offering everything from steam engines and talking robots to gurgling guts and a chocolate wrapping machine.
Enjoy rallies, shows and family activities at the British Motor Museum. Delve into Coventry’s history and see permanent galleries ranging from the visual arts to archaeology and natural history at the Herbert Art Gallery. Or visit the largest museum of its kind in the world, the National Motorcycle Museum.
Catch some culture at the Birmingham Hippodrome, home to the Birmingham Ballet and the largest dance campus outside London. Feed the greedy goats and sit on the ponies at Ash End Children’s Farm. Or meet Thomas the Tank Engine and friends at Drayton Manor Theme Park.
Learn about lions, chimps and Asiatic bears and feed the lorikeets at Dudley Castle. Climb the walls at Rock Up Birmingham and brave the Leap of Faith. Enjoy the craziest golf at Treetop Adventure Golf. Or plot your escape from pirate- or spy-themed Escape Hunt Birmingham Central.
Bring your clubs and work on your swing at pay-and-play Marston Lakes Golf Course, beautifully laid out across nine holes. Snowboard, ice-skate, ski, climb or swim at Snowdome in Tamworth. Or head to Kingsbury Water Park to explore 15 lakes in over 600 acres of country park on foot or bike.
Pack your boots to discover the Heart of England Way, a 100-mile walking route between Bourton-on-the Water in the Cotswolds and Cannock Chase. Stay there for GO Ape, orienteering trails and even a dog activity trail. Or ride the North Warwickshire Cycleway, a hilly 35-mile route along country roads.
Get a range of treatments on site with Glo Pamper, including massage, pedicure and manicure. Or push the boat out with a scrub, wrap or facial on a spa day at Lea Marston Hotel or an afternoon retreat at The Belfry. Or shop, wine, dine, catch some music or film, or play the slots at Resorts World Birmingham.
Go back in time to see historic buildings such as Warwick Castle, home of live shows and entertainment and afternoon teas, or stately homes and gardens such as Middleton Hall, with 42 acres of walled gardens, peaceful landscaping and seasonal markets, and Arbury Hall, an Elizabethan mansion wrapped in 100 acres of lakes and parkland.
