You may have already seen our blog on Walks across the West Midlands, which is full of great ideas to get you out and about. However, sometimes the weather has other ideas! Keep boredom at bay without breaking the bank with these fun, free and inexpensive, rainy day activities in West Midlands.
Local Museums with Free Entry
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Free entry and family friendly! What more could you ask for. With family trails and extra events during school holidays.
Tudor House Museum, Worcester
Tudor House is a beautiful 16th century building full of unique features and fascinating stories.
Coventry Transport Museum
Coventry Transport Museum houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles in the world.
The Oak House Museum, West Bromwich
The Oak House Museum boasts some fine panelling and beautiful 17th century furniture. Set in its own grounds with a children’s playground on site.
Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford
Free to enter and a great day out for all. Explore the fascinating story of the Royal Air Force and of the thousands of ordinary Servicemen and women who have served in it.
Dudley Museum at the Archives
Geology, fine art, fossils and dinosaurs are all on display. Free entry and family friendly.
The Lapworth Museum of Geology, Edgbaston
Enabling visitors to explore life over the past 3.5 billion years. The Lapworth Museum showcases objects from one of the UK’s most outstanding geological collections completely free of charge.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is the perfect place to delve into Coventry’s history and engage with art and culture.
Haden Hill House Museum, Cradley Heath
Haden Hill House Museum in Cradley Heath is a late Victorian gentleman’s residence furnished in period style. Surrounded by 55 acres of award winning parkland.
Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton
Visit Bantock House Museum and explore the history of Wolverhampton and its people in the period settings of the former Bantock family home.
Local Art Galleries with Free Entry
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
Ikon is a family friendly place offering a range of free activities aimed at families and young visitors.
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Explore more than 300 years of art in our free gallery with fantastic changing exhibitions and permanent galleries.
Bilston Craft Gallery
Contemporary craft exhibitions and displays of historic items created by skilled makers, plus events for all ages.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall and is housed in one of Birmingham’s finest Art Deco buildings.
Other Local Attractions with Free Entry
Himley Hall & Park, Dudley
Himley Hall is open to the general public in spring and summer and for special events and bookings throughout the year.
The Library of Birmingham
The Children’s Library at the Library of Birmingham is a bright and welcoming space specifically for children.
BBC Birmingham – Visitor Centre
Visit the BBC Birmingham’s Visitor Centre tucked away on Level 3 of The Mailbox. The Visitor Centre is open seven days a week. Admission is FREE and there is no need to book!
Other inexpensive rainy day activities in West Midlands
Aston Hall
Follow in the footsteps of royalty and visit one of the last great Jacobean houses to be built.
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
A remarkable museum, which tells the story of the Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage.
Sarehole Mill
A 250 year old watermill famous for its association with author J.R.R Tolkien
Selly Manor Museum
Step into Selly Manor to discover how the Tudors cooked, dressed and lived over 500 years ago.
Soho House
Georgian home of the Birmingham industrialist, Matthew Boulton.
National Motorcycle Museum
The National Motorcycle Museum is the finest and largest British motorcycle museum in the world with a collection of 350 motorcycles on display.
Tamworth Castle
Step back in time through 900 years of history in Tamworth Castle.
Transport Museum, Wythall
Extensive collections of buses with a cafe, shop and kids kabin activity area. Plus a miniature railway that operates on event days and certain days during school holidays
Aldridge Transport Museum
This specialty museum features buses, trucks and tramcars of yesteryear, with lots of related artefacts and displays of transport history.
Another fail safe back up plan is swimming! There’s plenty of local swimming pools to choose from. Take a look at this list of swimming pools in the West Midlands from ‘Days Out With The Kids’ for inspiration!
Local Shopping Centres and Shopping Villages
Check shopping centre websites events and what’s on pages as they often have extra activities going on too!
Webbs, Wychbold
With plenty of things to do, you won’t be disappointed with a visit to Webbs! Much more than just a garden centre with children’s events over the holidays, photography competitions and information events.
Hatton Shopping Village, Warwick
Take a stroll along the ‘streets’ of Victorian buildings lined with independent retailers selling all manner of high quality items.
Touchwood Shopping Centre, Solihull
Touchwood has a huge range of shops, restaurants and cafes to while away the hours! Also home to Solihull Cineworld, get in on the action on the new 4DX, or Superscreen.
The Valley Evesham
The Valley is a great place to spend a day; with a huge mix of brand names and unique gift shops all set within 125 acres of stunning rural Worcestershire countryside.
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill has lots to offer from shopping to entertainment! With tons of stores to browse, places to eat and a cinema, there’s something for everyone
The Gracechurch Centre, Sutton Coldfield
Situated at the heart of Sutton Coldfield, The Gracechurch Centre will be sure to satisfy your needs if you are looking to shop
Kingfisher Shopping Centre, Redditch
Kingfisher Shopping Centre is located in the heart of Redditch town centre. Home to 140 stores including Debenhams, Primark, and The Range.
Bullring, Birmingham
Situated alongside Grand Central train station, the Bullring is the premier destination for shopping in the Midlands.
Family Friendly Restaurants & Dining
Hillfield Farm, Solihull
Hillfield Farm has a play area in the restaurant with games to keep the children entertained while you relax with a coffee or have a bite to eat.
Bluebell Farm, Worcester
Bluebell Farm is a great place to take the whole family.
The Half Penny Farm, Oldbury
Offering all the pub classics and also a carvery style roast dinner.
The Manor Farm, Castle Bromwich
Whether you’re stopping for breakfast, lunch or dinner – there’s something to tickle everyone’s fancy.
Creative Coffee Hub, Selly Oak
Enjoy a coffee while the kids get stuck into pottery painting, drawing on the chalkboard wall or getting involved in one of the workshops.
Gorilla Coffee Café, Kings Heath
Gorilla Coffee offer delicious coffee, light-bites, sweets and fine premium beers. Combined their love for cycling with their café they also offer bicycle repairs in their workshop.
The Lounges
The Lounges offer a lovely, homely and relaxed atmosphere. Great for children, usually offering a small range of games, books and toys to keep them busy too! Dog friendly lounges also offer water bowls and dog biscuits!
Paramo Lounge – Solihull
Allegro Lounge – Northfield
Sorrento Lounge – Moseley
Faro Lounge – Lichfield
Verdo Lounge – Sutton Coldfield
Quinto Lounge – Sutton Coldfield
Renato Lounge – Mere Green
Loco Lounge – Kings Heath
Arco Lounge Harborne
Desco Lounge- Shirley
Take a look at our ‘What’s on this Month’ blog for more events and activities in West Midlands.