CATEGORY · A HUDDLEPIN LIST
Castles, Historic Houses & Heritage in Birmingham
Birmingham does history well without you needing to go far. Highbury Hall is free to visit, with model railways and grounds to walk round, only a short hop from the centre. Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens charges from £3 for a walled garden with a maze and mud kitchen, and Selly Manor Museum lets kids try on armour in a real Tudor house for from £3.20. Further out, Tamworth Castle has 900 years of chambers to climb by the town centre, and there's a longer trip out to Warwick Castle if you want the full jousting day. For toddlers, Highbury Hall and Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens are gentle and free or cheap, with space to roam. Older kids will get more from Tamworth Castle's stairs and chambers, or Lunt Roman Fort in Coventry with its battle drills. Warwick Castle and its Knight's Village cost more (from £26 and £22) but fill a whole day, though the maze gets loud and dark for littler ones. Most places here are outdoor and best paired with a picnic if the weather holds.
24 places 2 upcoming events 7 free to visit
What's on: castles, historic houses & heritage
Places for castles, historic houses & heritage
FreeBagots Castle
Coventry
Free ruins of a 14th century castle to poke about in, with a visitor centre and a picnic spot, open weekends only.
Picnic area
Boscobel House
Stafford
A hands-on hide-and-seek history trail where Charles II once dodged Cromwell's men, with a willow tunnel and tree-themed playground.
Gift shopFood on siteOutdoor playParking+1 more
from £6.95Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
Sutton Cheney
Interactive Battle of Bosworth exhibition, Discovery Zone and free country-park trails near Market Bosworth.
ToiletsAccessible toiletBaby changeParking+7 more
Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel
Birmingham
A stay-over rather than a day trip, in a historic house hotel with cots for the little ones and dogs welcome in your room.
ParkingRestaurant
from £3Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens
Birmingham
A walled historic garden with a maze, mud kitchen and ponds to poke about in, plus an archery lawn to explore.
Accessible toiletBirthday partiesCaféDog friendly+6 more
from £15.40Dudley Zoo & Castle
Dudley · ages 0+
Zoo and castle in Dudley - animals for Birmingham day-trips. Soft Play N.
ParkingToiletsBaby changeCafé+15 more
FreeGlenfield Tunnel
Leicester
Seasonal guided walks into a historic 1829 railway tunnel near Leicester - free with donation, book via LIHS.
Booking required
from £3Hartlebury Castle
Kidderminster
A bishop's palace with talking portraits, a county museum full of hands-on displays, and grounds with a playground and nature trail to wander after.
Bike parkingCaféDog friendlyFree parking+4 more
Harvington Hall
Kidderminster
A moated Elizabethan manor with priest holes and secret passages, plus candlelight tours if you fancy something spookier.
Café
FreeHighbury Hall
Birmingham · ages 0+
Free entry to a historic hall with model railways, old bicycles and family walks around the grounds.
from £22Knight's Village at Warwick Castle
Warwick
A full castle day of jousting, mazes and a Zog trail, with a maze section that gets loud and dark for littler ones.
Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingDog friendlyGift shop+6 more
FreeLichfield Cathedral
Lichfield
Wander a genuinely huge medieval cathedral for free, spot the carved Lichfield Angel, and climb the library's spiral steps if legs allow.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+4 more
FreeLightwoods Park and House
Smethwick
Free park with a play area, skate park and outdoor gym, plus a restaurant if you fancy skipping the packed lunch.
Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesDog friendly+6 more
from £3.83Lunt Roman Fort
Coventry
Climb a reconstructed Roman gate, explore the granary and try a battle drill in the only known gyrus inside a Roman fort.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredParkingSchool visits
Maxstoke Castle
Birmingham
A guided tour round a genuine medieval castle, open on weekdays for a look behind its walls.
from £5Middleton Hall & Gardens
Tamworth · ages 2-17
A 950-year-old house, a walled Georgian garden and a nature trail to hunt through on a kids' trail, with your ticket covering the whole day.
CaféGroup bookingsPicnic areaPicnics allowed+1 more
from £6National Trust Shugborough Estate
Stafford
A working farm with Longhorn cows and Dorking chickens, a grand mansion, and acres of parkland to wander at Shugborough Estate.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+8 more
from £3.20Selly Manor Museum
Birmingham
A timber-framed Tudor house where kids can try on armour, dress up and poke about a real medieval garden.
Toilets
FreeStafford Castle
Stafford
Free ruined castle grounds with a woodland loop path, a hidden mouse trail in the Ancient High House, and explorer backpacks to borrow.
Accessible toiletFree parkingFood on siteToilets+1 more
from £2Stoneleigh Abbey
Kenilworth
A guided hour inside a historic abbey house, then parkland walks to wear the kids out afterwards.
Baby changeCaféFree parkingToilets
from £6.95Tamworth Castle
Tamworth · ages 2-16
Climb 900 years of chambers and stairs, from Saxons to Victorians, in a proper working castle right by the town centre.
Toilets
FreeWall Roman Site
Lichfield
Free Roman ruins and a small museum on the edge of Lichfield, with a bathhouse footprint you can walk right up to.
Free parkingToilets
from £26Warwick Castle
Warwick
Medieval castle day trip from Birmingham - Soft Play N.
Birthday partiesEV chargingGift shopGroup bookings+4 more
Witley Court & Gardens
Great Witley
Ruined mansion, huge fountains and a wilderness play area to climb through, all set in gardens you can wander for a couple of hours.
CaféGroup bookingsFood on siteParking+2 more
Good to know: castles, historic houses & heritage in Birmingham
Are any of them free?
Yes, Bagots Castle, Glenfield Tunnel, Highbury Hall, Lichfield Cathedral and 3 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £2 at Stoneleigh Abbey. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Which ones are indoor?
Glenfield Tunnel, Lichfield Cathedral and Selly Manor Museum are indoor, good to keep up your sleeve for a rainy day.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find castles, historic houses & heritage in Coventry, Stafford, Sutton Cheney, Birmingham, Dudley and 8 more. Every place we list is in or around Birmingham, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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