What places and attractions in and around Birmingham, near to the city centre, and also in the West Midlands area, are available for visitors, tourists or the individual visitor or tourist to see or venture around?

The honest answer is that Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands have numerous places of interest, attraction activities, places to visit, plus things to do and see to keep the family, children and virtually everyone else happy. For those visiting, but unfamiliar with the various areas, there are tourist board and information offices ready to hep and also hotels and restaurants a plenty, for those looking for accommodation.

Listed below are Activ Birmingham's suggestions for day or days out, places to go, what to do, the various attraction availability, things to see, events and event venues. Unfortunately, apart from the external type attraction like landmarks, the canal network, parks & gardens and simple sightseeing, which are free, most of the others do include an entrance fee.  

The other major benefit when visiting is the number of alternative travel arrangement available, like rail, air, road, but not unfortunately sea.

Listed below are some ideas for your perusal and consideration. Whilst we have not provided that much in the way of information they are ideas which are all worthy, dependent on individual interest of what is available. Further information and description is readily available on their individual web sites or from other sources of information provided by the internet.

In Birmingham there are the Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, National Sea Life Centre, Millennium Point & Think Tank (A new £50 million museum of science, technology and discovery), Birmingham Symphony Hall, Museum & Art Gallery, Ikon New Art Gallery, Barber Institute of Fine Arts (Includes paintings by Gainsborough, Monet, Turner, Renoir and many more), Aston Manor Transport Museum, The Birmingham & Midland Museum of Transport, Cadbury World (Enjoy a fantastic chocolate experience), Gas Basin (Part of Birmingham's famous canal network), International Convention Centre, National Exhibition Centre, National Indoor Arena, Nature Museum, Soho House (Home of Mathew Boulton, one of the pioneers of the great Industrial Revolution), Brindleyplace (A major redevelopment site standing close to the canal network), Castle Bromwich Hall & Gardens, Cannon Hill Park, Sutton Park, Kings Heath Park, Tyseley Vintage Trains, Sherborne Wharf (Take an interesting trip along the canal), Karting (Be a Hamilton or Button for the day), The renowned  Spaghetti Junction (Have a serious  look at is design and pillar & column construction, amazing), Blakesley Hall Museum (Built in 1590, this is a fine example of a timber framed property),  Sarehole Mill Museum (Have a look at a watermill built some 200 years ago), Weoley Castle (Built 700 years ago, view the ruins of a medieval moated manor house).

For the film fans, there are quite a number of cinemas in and around Birmingham to choose from. Not forgetting Ten Pin Bowling alleys for the enthusiasts there are also a number of these available and for those who enjoy a flutter, you can find many a Casino.

For the sightseers there is St Martin's Church, the world famous Jewellery Quarter and its Museum, St Chads Cathedral, St Philip's Cathedral, the Town Hall (An impressive site), Back to Back houses from the Birmingham of Old (These have been restored and are Birmingham's last back to back house's and courtyard dating back to the 19th century), Aston Hall (Building completion was during the year of 1635)

Within 20 miles of Birmingham you will find the likes of Coventry Cathedral, Avoncroft Museum, nr Bromsgrove (Examples of buildings workshops and trades dating back over seven centuries),  Black Country Museum, Dudley (A collection of heritage and history from the Black Country),  Broadfield House Glass Museum, nr Stourbridge, Crooked House Pub, nr Himley (Famous for its subsidence features, with marbles rolling up hill or so it appears), Himley Hall, Himley (in 1740 it was a manor with a medieval moated manor house), Dudley Zoo and Castle, Dudley (Well worth a visit), Hagley Hall, Hagley (A wonderful example of 18th Century Architecture),  National Motor Cycle Museum, Bickenhill nr Solihull, Red House Glass Museum, Stourbridge (With its famous and well preserved Cone used for the manufacture of glass until 1936, one of only four still left in the UK), Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge (See Glass and Crystal items being made), Severn Valley Steam Railway, Kiddermister, West Midlands Safari Park, Bewdley, Walsall Arboretum, Walsall Leather Museum,  Walsall Art Gallery, Weston Park, Westopn-under-Lizard (Stately Home which stands in 1,000 acres of parkland on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border),  Clent Hills, Hagley, nr Stourbridge (With its magical distance views and famous Four Stones), Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brierley Hill, Lickey Hills Park, Rednal, nr Birmingham (An area of outstanding beauty), Drayton Manor Theme Park and Zoo, nr Tamworth, National Paint Ball Fields (Become a front line soldier for the day), Bassetts Pole, nr Birmingham, Warwick Castle, Warwick (See knights of old in combat. This is a full days adventure for all the family)) Ash End Children's Farm, nr Tamworth, Kingsbury Water Park, Bodymoor, Sutton Coldfield (Have a ride on the fantastic miniature railway), Twycross Zoo, Atherston,  Umberslade Children's Farm. Tanworth-in-Arden, Broomy Croft Children's Farm, Kingsbury.

 A little bit farther afield you will find Alton Towers, Alton, Staffs. (Another magical theme park with nail biting rides) and Water World Aqua Park at Henley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Birmingham is also home to numerous events and shows which take place at The Hippodrome, Alexandra Theatre, Symphony Hall, Town Hall, National Exhibition Centre, LG Arena, International Convention Centre, National Indoor Arena and O2 Academy, to name but a few.

Birmingham can also offer Premiership and Championship football, County & International Cricket at Edgbaston, Championship Rugby Union at Moseley and National League Rugby at the Birmingham & Solihull Bees. At the Perry Bar Stadium, Perry Bar, there is speedway from Birmingham "Brummies" and also Greyhound Racing. You will also find National and International Athletic events on offer at the Alexander Stadium, Perry Bar.

Birmingham surely has something to suit everyone's taste, simply search and you will find.