Birmingham Family Days Out | Millennium Point, city centre
If you’re in Birmingham with kids and need a guaranteed winner, head to Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. This award-winning museum at Millennium Point has four floors packed with more than 200 hands-on exhibits, and it’s open every day over October half term. Here are five reasons to go.
1. MiniBrum, a city just for kids
MiniBrum is a child-sized version of Birmingham, designed for under-8s, where children can play at being grown-ups. They can run a shop, be a builder or play doctor, which makes it one of the most popular spots in the museum for younger visitors.
2. A 4K planetarium
Journey to the stars in the museum’s 4K planetarium. There are regular shows at weekends, and over Halloween there are special “Spooky Cinema” screenings under the dome, including Hocus Pocus on Friday 30 October.
3. The outdoor Science Garden
Step outside into the interactive Science Garden, where kids can run in a giant hamster wheel and play with experiments on a big scale. It’s next to Eastside City Park, so it’s a great place to burn off energy between galleries.
4. Spitfires, steam engines and dinosaurs
Discover Birmingham’s industrial past through steam engines, trains, cars and planes from yesteryear, including a Spitfire suspended in mid-air. You can also come face to face with a dinosaur, and older kids will love Gamesworld’s retro gaming sessions covering six decades of video games.
5. Easy to reach, and rain-proof
Thinktank is about a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street, and it’s a reliable choice for a wet day, with easily three hours of entertainment indoors. During school holidays it opens every day from 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm), and it’s worth pre-booking to guarantee and speed up entry.
Plan your visit
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG
Half term: open daily 24 October – 1 November, 10am – 5pm
Term time: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Nearest stations: Birmingham Moor Street and New Street