Action Activities
Climbing and abseiling
There are 6 indoor climbing wall venues in and around Birmingham offering multiple climbing and bouldering challenges The walls vary enormously but all offer three-dimensional climbing experiences with shapes, angles, overhangs, slabby and vertical climbs. High levels of safety with auto-belay that ensure you can push further, but you will be caught if you fall. The youngest age is 4yrs so this is very much a family activity.
Sword fighting
Explore and rediscover the martial arts techniques and treaties of the weapons-masters of medieval and renaissance Europe by taking part in a sword fighting experience. You will be taking part in combat styles long since forgotten with an emphasis on martial application and combat sparring. A technical martial art that deals with armed and unarmed combat techniques. Under expert guidance, your proficiency will grow and blade-technique will improve.
Karting
There are over 20 go karting tracks in the Midlands, all of which are an easy drive from Birmingham; seven of those are outdoor karting circuits and the rest are indoors. Outdoor circuits boast faster karts and the exhilaration of feeling like a proper racing driver with loud speakers, floodlighting and real maintenance pits. Indoor karting circuits can offer more challenges like flyovers, bridges, tunnels special lighting effects and, of course, dry racing when the weather wet. All offer adult karting and most children’s karting.
With 5 off-road karting treks and trails in and around Birmingham, you can also take go karting to another level of adrenaline-pumping fun with off-road buggy racing. There is the opportunity for kids to take part, but this is essentially off-road go karting is an adult activity because these monster karts can pack real power.
Aerial obstacle challenge
Balance, swing, jump and climb your way around this tree top adventure and go ape against a backdrop of stunning valley views. Only 35mins out of Birmingham in this area of Outstanding Natural Beauty you’ll find the longest combined crossings right up there in the trees with nearly 1,500 metres of tree-to-tree crossings on challenging course. This is a high ropes course you will want for your stag party, hen do or corporate day away, but it is equally as suitable for a group of friends or a family. There is a minimum height of 1m or 3ft 3” and a maximum weight of 130kgs or 20.5stone.
Stunt scootering
Get hopping, pull a fakie, try a nose pivot or do a 180. Then there are the bar spins, flicks and then there’s the tail flip. All these moves and more when you book in for a scootering experience. This is a meca for scooter fun with areas like the bowl, the street, the ramp, the rhythm section and foam pit, you will be put through your paces and come away with more tricks and stunts than you thought possible. The minimum age is 4yrs and there are no upper limits for this adventure.
Aerial acrobatics
Ever wondered how people learn the skills you see in a circus? Here is the answer. A school dedicated to the instruction of these tricky skills. Sign up for a circus experience and you’ll learn aerial silks, trapeze, tight wire, rolling globe and a whole raft of juggling skills. You’ll learn lots of tricks and sequences both in the air and on the ground and go away feeling like a real circus performer. Individuals and groups are welcome so this activity lends itself to a birthday treat, birthday party, stag or hen parties or a corporate fun day. Only five miles south of Birmingham city, this is definitely an activity you should consider when staying in this area.
Water-skiing
You don’t immediately associate landlocked Birmingham with water sports, but you’d be wrong you can try your hand at water-skiing on over 200 acres of water where there is a full slalom course, ski jump, barefoot ski and trick ski. If that’s not for you, there is also knee boarding, powerboat racing and wakeboarding too. Adults and kids are welcome here so you can make a family day out of it. Groups such as stag parties, hen dos, birthdays and corporate events are also catered for.
Clay pigeon shooting
There are 10 clay shooting ranges in and around Birmingham, so there is no excuse not to trying the very popular sport of clay pigeon shooting. Once an activity only for the gentry, it is now a weekend pastime for thousands across the UK and Ireland. Sites vary in what is on offer but all have packages to suit the individual and groups. Full tuition is given and everyone leaves having achieved the smashing of clays as they fly through the air. Groups have knockout competitions with the winner being crowned as top gun.
Escape Games
Escape games are quickly spreading throughout the UK and Ireland. Escape rooms take the ‘locked in a room’ style games just one step further. Up to a group of 6 people are locked into a room where a specific event plays out; one of the most notorious involves playing the part of an undercover detective who is captured by triads, locked in a room, and given an hour to escape. Not for the faint hearted with others involving murder in a haunted house, zombie escape and Sherlock’s conundrum. If you have the wit to solve the puzzles you will escape before you too become a victim of the game. Suitable for groups that want to have a lot of fun.
Many more activities to choose from
Birmingham and the midlands have a multitude of activities on offer and the above are only a selection. Checkout the Geronigo® website, or better still download the app, so you have every adventure right there in your pocket.
Art, culture and history
If you want to see more of the cultural and scenic side of Birmingham and the midlands, the following must surely feature as a part of your visit.
National Motorcycle Museum
Featuring more than 1000 motorcycles, all restored to the manufacturer’s original specifications, this Birmingham based museum attracts more than 250,000 visitors a year from around the world. The earliest machine within the 30 year old museum dates back from 1898, and stands out among the machines of a museum that also houses modern day super bikes. With more than 1000 motorcycles within the walls of the museum it is well worth a visit.
Symphony Hall
The UK’s finest concert hall that also considered to be one of the best in the world. With its picturesque auditorium and stunning, world class acoustics, it so worth a visit. Presenting some of the most prestigious international orchestras, it also runs a programme showcasing many different styles of music; everything from jazz to rock, and stand- up comedy! So well worth including this in a cultural weekend in the city if you are on a group visit such as a hen party or stag do.
National Sea Life Centre
As probably the most loved family day out in Birmingham, the National Sea Life Centre has really earned its place on this list. The centre has a very innovative approach to getting everyone involved the centre by running events to get everyone talking about the wonders of sea life. Within the giant tanks there are a wide variety of animals, from Jellyfish to Nurse Sharks, Octopus to Black Tip Reef Sharks, you can walk through a corridor with a glass top, running underneath an aquarium full of these creatures. They also have penguins – a real crown puller. You may even be lucky to witnesses the scuba diving antics of the divers that go in amongst the sea creatures to clean the tanks.
Shakespeare Express
Steam trains are a romantic memory from the past and only a handful of working steam railways are still running throughout England. This is one of the most well known ones, capturing tourists simply with its beauty. Running from the heart of Birmingham to Stratford Upon Avon it really gives you the chance to see the best of both worlds. From the fascinating industrial past of Birmingham to the beautiful countryside of Warwickshire, where large amounts of land still go untouched. You will go past working farms, stylish villages, stations and the waterways that make up Shakespeare’s county. Snacks and meals are available onboard. We can promise you a train driving experience, this is one to sit back and enjoy.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Featuring beautiful collections of art, social history, archeology and ethnography this is a wondrous place that will capture the imagination of young and old. It covers centuries of European history and culture, as well as being home to collections of international importance. Step through the doors and you can see everything from the most highly valued hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold, to the largest known collection of complete Indian bronze sculptures. For the archaeologists among you, there is a whole collection of Egyptian mummies and coffins. Want to get more involved, how about taking part in an art workshop experience, or maybe sculpture is you thing.
Aston Hall
Situated within a public park on the north side of Birmingham, Aston Hall is one of the most important buildings within the city. As one of the last great Jacobean houses to be built, this seventeenth century red-brick mansion has stood the test of time, earning its place as a Grade I listed building. Perfect for adult travellers and families, this venue features a full programme of events, activities and trails that vary and change throughout each season. One of the most notable permanent features involves the display rooms that Aston Hall played during the Civil War, and throughout other notable moments of history.
Cadbury World
Chocolate lovers queue here for a total immersion in a rich chocolate experience that is Cadburys. Starting with a 4D cinema experience you’ll be diving into a bowl of liquid chocolate milk, riding a Crunchie rollercoaster and taking to the skies in a Cadbury creme egg airship piloted by the caramel bunny. All without even leaving your seat! Both informative and fun, you’ll find out the secrets to why Cadbury chocolate is so delicious, and exploring the Aztec jungles to discover the origins of the cocoa bean, amidst trees and waterfalls. You can also take part of the tour with a live actor, playing John Cadbury, the man who opened the original Cadbury shop back in 1824.
Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
Are you fascinated by the process of making jewellery in the old days? The building features a guided tour around a real jewellery factory where very little has changed since the early part of the last century. You can see demonstrations of jewellery making techniques at the jeweller’s bench, where you might be taught a few techniques. Then there is the the ‘Earth’s Riches’ showcase gallery, where you can see jewellery made from materials found in the natural world from whale tooth and coral, to diamond and platinum. Get involved by taking part in a jewellery workshop, or be brave and take part in the museum’s ghost walk.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses
Four stunning glasshouses are surrounded by a large lawn with a range of beds and shrubberies, inside the glasshouses you can find an exotic tropical house, a subtropical house, a Mediterranean house and arid houses. Within the Victorian public park there are 15 acres of landscaped greenery and plenty of play areas. Events run in the gardens throughout the year, with the most notable ones celebrating the Chinese New Year and Christmas.
St. Philip’s Cathedral
Architecturally splendid, this is one of the few churches built in the English baroque style which sets it apart from the others. It is also one of the smallest cathedrals in England as cathedrals in general are known to be huge. Situated just a short way off of the Jewellery Quarter, it is worth having a stroll to check it out and you’ll be rewarded with the sight of the beautiful art installation of 2000 soul boats that now hang from the ceiling. Magical and unique.
Edwardian splendor
Winterbourne House has been restored to its original Edwardian era arts and crafts splendour providing a rather unique heritage attraction. A tour of the house rewards visitors with the beauty of rare antiques and old artifacts. There is also the beautiful botanic gardens, featuring more than 6000 plant species from around the world where you can take a walk in woodlands, across a 1930’s style Japanese bridge and many other beautifully landscaped areas.