Museums & heritage in Coventry

Abbey Pumping Station

Leicester

Industrial museum with beam engines and vintage vehicles - free entry, but only open on holiday Mondays and special event days.

ToiletsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor playPicnic area+3 more

Armourgeddon Military Museum

Lutterworth · ages 8-80

A field full of tanks and military vehicles, some you can climb into, with real tank rides and driving experiences on selected days.

Accessible toiletCaféFree parkingGroup bookings+6 more

Ashby Boat Company

Nuneaton

Hire a narrowboat and pilot it yourselves along the Ashby Canal, a stretch with no locks to fumble with.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle

Ashby de la Zouch

Ruined Hastings Tower, siege tunnel and Ivanhoe-famous courtyards - a climb-and-explore castle day near Ashby.

ToiletsParkingPicnic areaDog friendly+1 more

Avoncroft 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

Bagots 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

Bancroft River Cruises

Stratford-upon-Avon

A private boat charter along the Avon through town and out into open countryside, with catering laid on if you want it.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBooking requiredDog friendly+3 more

Birmingham Snow Hill

Birmingham

A working railway station where kids travel for £1 on the family travelcard and the trains themselves are the entertainment.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+5 more

Bosworth 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

British Motor Museum

Warwick · ages 5+

Sit-in cars, push-along motors and themed trails through a huge collection of British motoring history, plus a free look round the working Collections Centre.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBaby changeBike parking+13 more

Broughton Castle

Banbury

A moated castle with gardens and parkland to wander, open just three afternoons a week from April to September.

Accessible toiletCaféCard onlyDog friendly+4 more

Cadbury 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

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

Castle 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

Conkers Discovery Centre

Moira · ages 3+

A big woodland day out with rope trails, a splash park, a barefoot walk and an indoor play house for the rainy bits.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBooking required+15 more

Coventry Canal Basin

Coventry

A free wander along the towpath and old canal buildings, good for stretching legs without spending a penny.

ParkingToilets

Coventry 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

Drakelow Tunnels Museum

Kidderminster

Guided tours through a real WWII and Cold War tunnel network, plus rock houses cut into the hillside above.

Booking required

Dudley Zoo & Castle

Dudley · ages 0+

Zoo and castle in Dudley - animals for Birmingham day-trips. Soft Play N.

ParkingToiletsBaby changeCafé+15 more

EGO Arts

Coventry · ages 4-84

Weekly theatre, music and production arts classes for ages 4 to 84, with a free taster before you commit to anything.

Forge 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

Foxton Locks

Market Harborough

Free walk around Britain's longest staircase locks - optional short canal cruises at weekends from spring to October.

ToiletsAccessible toiletBlue badge parkingCafé+6 more

Glenfield Tunnel

Leicester

Seasonal guided walks into a historic 1829 railway tunnel near Leicester - free with donation, book via LIHS.

Booking required

Hatton Locks

Warwick

Free canal walk past 21 locks stacked up a hillside, with a flat towpath that's easy going for buggies.

CaféParkingToilets

Highbury Hall

Birmingham · ages 0+

Free entry to a historic hall with model railways, old bicycles and family walks around the grounds.

Jewry Wall Museum

Leicester

Roman bathhouse ruins and interactive museum on St Nicholas Circle - adults from £12.50, kids free through Oct 2026.

ToiletsWheelchair accessibleGift shopBooking required+3 more

King Richard III Visitor Centre

Leicester

Museum on the Greyfriars dig site telling Richard III's story - adults from £12.50, under-4s free.

CaféGift shopWheelchair accessibleToilets+1 more

Kirby Muxloe Castle

Kirby Muxloe

Unfinished brick castle with moat and patterned gatehouse - English Heritage tours on select dates near Leicester.

ParkingPicnic areaDog friendlyBooking required

Knight'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

Lapworth Museum of Geology

Birmingham

Free museum of fossils, rocks and prehistoric creatures on the University of Birmingham campus, no booking needed.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingGift shop+4 more

Leamington Studio Artists

Leamington Spa

Free local art exhibitions across two Leamington Spa spaces, with printmaking and art workshops on offer too.

Leicester Cathedral

Leicester

A free-to-enter cathedral with a Richard III history gallery, guided tours and quiet corners worth a wander with kids.

ToiletsCaféGift shop

Leicester Guildhall

Leicester

Free 600-year-old timber Guildhall with medieval galleries and a family quest - open daily near the Cathedral.

ToiletsWheelchair accessibleGift shop

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery

Leicester

Free museum on New Walk with dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt and Leicester Stories - some galleries shut for redevelopment.

Blue badge parkingGroup bookingsLockersPicnic area+4 more

Lichfield 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

Lightwoods 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

Lunt 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.

Middleton 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

Midland 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

Moseley Folk & Arts Festival

Birmingham · ages 0+

A grown-up folk and arts weekend in Moseley Park where under-12s get in free and can bring a picnic blanket to sit on.

Accessible toiletFood on sitePicnics allowedPublic transport nearby+2 more

National 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

National Gas Museum

Leicester

Free gas-history museum with 500+ exhibits - temporarily closed until 13 October 2026 for maintenance works.

ToiletsFree parkingBike parking

National Space Centre

Leicester · ages 0+

A planetarium show, rockets to climb through and hands-on galleries about space, all under one roof in Leicester.

Booking requiredCaféGift shopParking+8 more

National Trust - Upton House and Gardens

Banbury · ages 5-17

Gardens with steep steps and sheer drops to explore, a house tour on an app, and a lawn where the under-fives can pedal about on bikes.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+8 more

Newarke Houses Museum

Leicester

Free social-history museum with toys, a 1950s street and gardens - limited Saturday and holiday opening, so check dates.

School visitsGroup bookingsPicnic areaLockers

Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery

Nuneaton

Free museum with hands on history sessions and make and take craft activities alongside art exhibitions.

Accessible toiletCaféToiletsWheelchair accessible

Oak 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

Rose Narrowboats Ltd

Rugby

Take the wheel of your own narrowboat for a weekend, a week or a whole season, or gather a group of up to twelve for a day out on the water.

Booking requiredGroup bookings

RSPB Sandwell Valley

Birmingham

Free reserve of meadows, lakes and woodland trails where kids can go wild-play spotting and get properly muddy.

Baby changeBlue badge parkingFree parkingOutdoor play+3 more

Rugby Visitor Centre

Rugby

Free maps, heritage trails and guided town walks that turn Rugby's rugby history into an easy afternoon out.

Accessible toiletDog friendlyWheelchair accessible

Selly Manor Museum

Birmingham

A timber-framed Tudor house where kids can try on armour, dress up and poke about a real medieval garden.

Toilets

Snibston 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

Stanford Hall

Lutterworth · up to age 14

A guided hour-long tour round a Grade 1 listed 1697 hall, open only on a handful of set dates.

Booking required

Stoneleigh Abbey

Kenilworth

A guided hour inside a historic abbey house, then parkland walks to wear the kids out afterwards.

Baby changeCaféFree parkingToilets

Stratford Town Walk - 365 days a year!

Stratford-upon-Avon

A guided walk through Stratford's Shakespeare sites, told in stories rather than plaques, running most afternoons.

Booking required

Tamworth 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

The Exchange

Birmingham

A free city centre exhibition space with step-free access, a proper café and long opening hours to build a day around.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesDog friendly+3 more

The 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

The 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

The Victory Show

Leicester

A weekend of WW2 aircraft, tanks and living history on grass farmland, with an airshow from 9am and hundreds of vehicles to gawp at.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingDog friendlyFree parking+4 more

Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Birmingham · ages 0+

Play in MiniBrum, try 200+ hands-on science exhibits and watch a 4K planetarium show.

Birthday partiesCaféGift shopBaby change+8 more

Triumph Factory Visitor Experience

Hinckley

A free 90-minute tour round a working motorcycle factory, plus an exhibition on Triumph's history.

Booking requiredCafé

Tudor World

Stratford-upon-Avon · ages 0-16

A creaky old Tudor building packed with hands-on history, a quiz for the kids and, after dark, a proper ghost tour by lantern light.

Blue badge parkingDog friendlyFirst aidPublic transport nearby+2 more

Wall 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

Warwick Castle

Warwick

Medieval castle day trip from Birmingham - Soft Play N.

Birthday partiesEV chargingGift shopGroup bookings+4 more

West 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

Wren's Nest

Dudley

Fossil hunting on free geological trails where you might spot the Dudley Bug on a guided walk.

Blue badge parkingPushchair friendlyWheelchair accessible