Guides

Things to do in Birmingham: culture, gardens and history

Things to do in Birmingham: cultural buildings, a creative industrial contrast and cultivated green spaces, with official visitor links.

Birmingham gives you plenty of ways to mix culture, gardens and history without making every stop a museum. You can move from Pre-Raphaelite paintings to contemporary art in a Victorian school, or leave the centre for an Arts and Crafts house and garden. Here are six places worth your time, with practical details to help you choose rather than rush through them all.

1. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Start here if you want to understand Birmingham as well as look at art. The Birmingham History Galleries sit alongside the Pre-Raphaelite displays and Staffordshire Hoard Gallery, giving you several different ways into the city and its collections. Choose a theme, then leave time to look around the Round Room and Industrial Gallery.

Good to know

  • General admission is free and does not need booking; some exhibitions and events charge.
  • It normally opens Tuesday to Sunday in term time, with extra opening in Birmingham school holidays and on bank holiday Mondays. Check the current calendar.
  • Parts of the building remain closed, including the level 2 Art Galleries and level 3 Ancient History Galleries. Check the open spaces before travelling.

2. Ikon Gallery

Ikon puts contemporary art inside a listed Victorian school building, and that contrast is part of the visit. Temporary exhibitions spread across two floors, with work ranging from painting and photography to film, sound and installation. It's a good place to try something unfamiliar without committing to a big museum day.

Good to know

  • Entry is free; donations are welcome.
  • The gallery normally opens Tuesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays, 11am–5pm. Check the exhibition programme before you go.
  • There is a specialist art bookshop and a Medicine Bakery café on site. Check their hours separately from the galleries.

3. Library of Birmingham

The library gives you a different sort of cultural building to explore. Its Shakespeare Memorial Room was designed in 1882, while the Secret Garden wraps around the seventh floor with views across the city. Look for the old room inside the modern building rather than treating the visit as just a photograph from the square.

Good to know

  • Find it on Centenary Square, Broad Street. Use the council’s visitor pages for current access and opening information.
  • Check access to the Shakespeare Memorial Room and upper terraces before travelling specifically for them; do not assume every space follows the same hours.

4. Winterbourne House and Garden

Winterbourne is an Arts and Crafts house and garden built in 1904 for the Nettlefold family. The Edwardian home gives the planting a domestic setting: you can look at the house, then take your time outside rather than choosing between architecture and a garden visit. It's a calmer change of pace from the city-centre galleries.

Good to know

  • Admission is paid. You can buy on arrival or book a date online; the site is cashless, so bring a payment card.
  • It opens seven days a week, with shorter hours from November to February and short closures over Christmas and New Year. Check winterbourne.org.uk before travelling.
  • It is on the University of Birmingham campus in Edgbaston. Check the visitor page for public-transport options rather than assuming it is a city-centre stop.

5. Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Choose the Botanical Gardens when you'd like a day centred on plants, with outdoor gardens and glasshouses to explore. You can move between the grounds and covered spaces, then stop at Medicine Bakery or bring a picnic. There's no need to squeeze this and Winterbourne into the same afternoon; give one garden time to be the main event.

Good to know

  • Day admission is paid. Online booking asks you to choose an arrival time, but you can stay until closing.
  • Hours change by season, and evening events can mean an earlier daytime closure. Check the visitor information before setting off.
  • Picnics are welcome on the lawn, and there is a water-refill fountain at the end of the Terrace.
  • If driving, register your vehicle at reception even if you are a member; on-site parking is limited.

6. Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Thinktank connects science with the machines that helped shape Birmingham. Look for the Smethwick Engine and the Spitfire, then explore displays about transport and the changing planet. With younger children, MiniBrum offers a child-sized city with shops, a transport area and a construction site to play in.

Good to know

  • Admission is paid; book ahead to guarantee entry, especially at weekends and in school holidays. Planetarium shows cost extra.
  • It normally opens Tuesday to Sunday in term time, with extra holiday and bank holiday opening. Check the current calendar.
  • Find the entrance on level 0 of Millennium Point. MiniBrum is aimed at under-8s and includes sensory areas for babies.

Quick tips

  • For a culture-led day, choose Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Ikon; check both programmes before deciding how long to spend at each.
  • Give Winterbourne or the Botanical Gardens a separate half day instead of trying to fit both around museum visits.
  • Monday opening varies: check the museum calendars, particularly outside school holidays.
  • Want company? Check upcoming events in Birmingham on Socroo below and find someone to go with.

Upcoming events

Things to do in Birmingham by season Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Ikon Gallery Library of Birmingham Winterbourne House and Garden Birmingham Botanical Gardens Thinktank