CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED
Museums in Birmingham
Right in the centre, West Midlands Police Museum has three floors to explore yourselves, with dressing-up and a handling collection thrown in from £6. Out at Bromsgrove, Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings spreads 700 years of rescued buildings over its grounds, with a miniature train and a whole collection of old phone boxes to count, from £7. Cadbury World in Birmingham is the pricier option, from £12, but the Chocolate Quest ride and the tempering zone make the cost feel less painful. For free days, Bantock House in Wolverhampton has a mouse trail round the rooms and pitch and putt outside, and the National Cold War Exhibition out at Shifnal gets you into the hangar free, with extras like the Spitfire cockpit paid on top. Toddlers will do better with hands-on spots like Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch, where Forest School sessions and grounds come with the ticket. For older kids, the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull and the Staffordshire Regiment Museum in Lichfield reward a longer wander round.
15 places 2 upcoming events 5 free to visit
What's on: museums
Places for museums
from £7Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings
Bromsgrove · ages 0+
Wander 700 years of rescued buildings, ride the miniature train and count phone boxes in the National Collection of Telephone Kiosks.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+10 more
FreeBantock House
Wolverhampton
Free house museum with a mouse trail to hunt round the rooms and a nine-hole pitch and putt outside.
Baby changeBlue badge parkingBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+4 more
from £12Cadbury World
Birmingham · ages 0-18
A self-guided chocolate tour with a 4D cinema, a Chocolate Quest ride and a doodling-and-tempering zone to get sticky in.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBooking required+15 more
from £3Coventry Music Museum
Coventry · up to age 15
A small, music-mad museum where kids can compose in the studio and sit in a Ghost Town car, not just look at cases of guitars.
Accessible toiletCaféCard onlyCash only+2 more
from £2.25Forge Mill Needle Museum
Redditch
A working needle mill turned museum with Forest School sessions and grounds to explore, coffee and cake included.
Accessible toiletCaféFree parkingGift shop+3 more
from £5.95Midland Air Museum
Coventry · ages 5-15
Wander among historic aircraft outdoors and climb into cockpits like the Vulcan bomber's.
Blue badge parkingCaféDog friendlyFree parking+1 more
FreeNational Cold War Exhibition
Shifnal · ages 4+
Free entry to a huge aircraft hangar, then extras like the Spitfire cockpit or a 4D theatre ride you pay for on top.
Baby changeBlue badge parkingBooking requiredCafé+9 more
from £5National Fairground Museum Statfold
Tamworth
Vintage fairground rides, a heritage railway and a soft play barn on one site near Tamworth, plus mini golf outdoors.
Accessible toiletAllergy awareBaby changeBirthday parties+12 more
FreeOak House Museum
West Bromwich
A half-timbered Tudor and Stuart house with original 17th century rooms to poke round, plus a playground for afterwards.
Accessible toiletOutdoor playSchool visitsStep-free access+1 more
FreeSnibston Colliery
Coalville
Former-miner surface tours plus the Into the Dark coalface simulation - no real underground, but a proper Leicestershire pit day out.
ParkingBlue badge parkingEV chargingCafé+7 more
from £5Stourbridge Glass Museum
Stourbridge · ages 4-17
Watch live glass making demonstrations, then let the kids design their own cameo glass on the digital screens.
Dog friendly
from £10The National Motorcycle Museum
Solihull
Over a thousand restored motorcycles under one roof, with a guided tour if you want the highlights pointed out.
Card onlyGift shopGroup bookingsMembership scheme+3 more
from £5.50The Staffordshire Regiment Museum
Lichfield
A regimental history museum in Lichfield with free parking and picnic space, open daily with last entry at 3pm.
Accessible toiletBaby changeDog friendlyFree parking+2 more
FreeTriumph Factory Visitor Experience
Hinckley
A free 90-minute tour round a working motorcycle factory, plus an exhibition on Triumph's history.
Booking requiredCafé
from £6West Midlands Police Museum
Birmingham · ages 3+
Three floors of real police history to explore yourselves, with a handling collection and dress-up to try along the way.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+2 more
Good to know: museums in Birmingham
Are any of them free?
Yes, Bantock House, National Cold War Exhibition, Oak House Museum, Snibston Colliery and 1 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £2.25 at Forge Mill Needle Museum. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find museums in Bromsgrove, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Redditch and 8 more. Every place we list is in or around Birmingham, and each listing has the full address and directions.
More ways to plan a day out
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