With children being on summer holidays during their summer break, parents might be wondering what to do to keep them occupied. If you are staying in the city, Birmingham has a great number of museums and galleries that make for great options for days out with friends and family.
Apart from the well-known Birmingham Museums, there are also smaller and independent specialty museums in and around Birmingham that are interesting. From history of the various industries that used to exist in Birmingham to amazing engineering inventions - these museums have arresting collections where you can spend the whole day learning about the creations of the past.
These are great and have been probably been part of school visits. They also hold guided tours for adults and mixed groups. However, they may not be open all year round. So, it is ideal to check their websites to ensure they are open during the school holidays. Here are eight best speciality museums in and around Birmingham ranked according to Google reviews:
1. J. W. Evans Silver Factory, Jewellery Quarter
This museum established in 1881, is one of the most complete surviving historic factories in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Tours of J. W. Evans are available on a set number of days. The size of the property means these are limited to 10 people per tour and must be booked in advance. Minimum age for the tours is 16yrs. It is rated 4.8 stars from 76 Google reviews. (Photo - Google Maps)
2. Transport Museum Wythall
Located close to Birmingham, this museum has an extensive collections of buses and battery electric vehicles with a cafe, shop and kids kabin activity area, plus a miniature railway that operates on event days and certain days during school holidays. They are open on Saturdays and Sundays plus Wednesdays during local school holidays 10.30am-4pm. On Bank Holidays and other main event days they open 10.30am-4.30pm. It has 4.7 stars from 575 Google reviews. (Photo - John Carver / Wythall Transport Museum - Midland Red Bus & Workshop / CC BY-SA 2.0)
3. The Coffin Works, Jewellery Quarter
This award-winning unique museum about coffin making conducts tours & shares the stories of the funerals of famous people in history. Located on Fleet St, it opened as a museum in 2014 in the historic Newman Brothers’ Coffin Furniture Manufactory which was originally built in 1894. Guided Tours are available from Thursday to Sunday: Thursdays at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm. Friday - Sunday at 11am only. It is rated 4.7 stars from 418 Google reviews. (Photo - Coffin Works)
4. West Midlands Police Museum, Birmingham city centre
You can transport yourself back in time as you learn about two centuries of policing history at the Lock Up on Steelhouse Lane. It’s a great day out for all, so round up your family and friends and be part of policing history at the Victorian lock-up. Outside of school holidays they are open 10am-4pm Wednesday-Saturday 11am -4pm Sunday. Last entry is at 2pm. It is rated 4.6 stars from 267 Google reviews. (Photo - Google Maps)