Manchester Airport 1 hr 30
Thinktank Science Museum (9 min) Close encounters with technology past, present and future in family-friendly interactive displays. Library of Birmingham (4 min) Europe's largest public library is a modern, 31,000-sq-m. building with a cafe & a gift shop. Aston Hall (11 min) Jacobean-style mansion with tours of its period rooms, scenic gardens & occasional special events. Ikon Gallery (8 min) Free-admission venue for exhibitions across a range of media from global contemporary artists. Cadbury World (19 min) Self-guided tours through colorful interactive displays about chocolate-making & Cadbury history. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens (7 min) 16-acre site with exotic flora in elegant Victorian glasshouses, Bonsai garden and bird collection. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre & LEGO Store Birmingham (16 min) Denmark's most famous export, LEGO, is at the heart of this playground & entertainment center. National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham (17 min) Family-friendly exhibits with a variety of sea creatures (most offer play areas & group packages). Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (8 min) Victorian building with domed Round Room showing Pre-Raphaelites, Staffordshire hoard and artefacts. Cannon Hill Park (13 min) Tennis courts, bowling green, boats on the lake and walking trails in 120 acres of woodland. National Trust - Birmingham Back to Backs (9 min) Guided tours of 4 fully restored historic houses that show how life changed between 1840 and 1977. Black Country Living Museum (23 min) Exploration of life in an 1850s iron-working town, with a coal seam, forge, steam engine and shops. Museum of the Jewellery Quarter (8 min) Live demonstrations of the jeweller's craft with legacy tours of time-warp workshops. Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park (11 min) Small zoo with focus on endangered species, conservation and captive breeding. Sandwell Valley Country Park (20 min) Outdoor action in 660 acres of woods, farmland, lakes and streams with hiking and biking trails. |