The Midlands is sorely under-appreciated when it comes to great places for a family holiday, and if you’re thinking of staying in the UK at one of our luxury cottages in the Midlands you’ll be surprised at how much amazing stuff there is for families to do. Don’t believe us? Check out some of the best family activities in Midlands in our handy blog below!
1. Go chocolate crazy in Cadbury World
Ask a child about their favourite food and the chances of them saying ‘chocolate’ is rather high; many adults will give the same answer too. You don’t have to be a chocoholic, however, to enjoy Cadbury World, a multimedia museum dedicated to the perennially popular foodstuff. The highlight of the experience is the 4D Chocolate Adventure, a cinematic spectacle enhanced by moving chairs and three-dimensional images. Elsewhere in the museum, children can learn about how chocolate is made, walk down a replica 19th-century street where John Cadbury first set up shop and trek through an Aztec jungle to find the legendary cocoa beans. By the time you’ve also watched a practical chocolate-making workshop and tasted the results, your defences will have been lowered as you reach the world’s largest Cadbury’s chocolate shop.
Price: Adult £16.75 Child £12.30 and family tickets starting from £49.96
Location: Linden Rd, Birmingham West Midlands b30 1jr
Book: Online at Cadbury World or call 0844 880 7667
2. Ride a cable car into the hills with The Heights of Abraham
The best way to see the spectacular scenery of the Peak District National Park is from above, and the cable car at the Heights of Abraham takes you right through the heart of the woods. The carriages are surrounded by glass windows, giving visitors panoramic views of the surrounding countryside as you rise from the Derwent Valley to the top of the steep hill. You are carried through the air for over a kilometre, giving you plenty of time to appreciate the surroundings. Once there, the gardens at the top feature a shop and café, a children’s play area and underground caverns to explore. The top is also the setting for the Long View, a museum that chronicles the history of the region as a mining area and spa destination.
Price: Adult £14.50 Child £10.00
Location: The Heights of Abraham Matlock Bath De4 3nt
Book: No need to book just show up!
3. Fight alien invaders at The National Videogame Arcade
Spending hours in a darkened room playing electronic games is almost a rite of passage for the 21st-century child, and the National Videogame Arcade lets kids do all this with an educational twist. While the museum does have three floors of interactive gaming exhibits, it’s more than just a place to kill time. Minecraft Marathons and game-making exhibits encourage creativity in a format that kids will immediately take to, while boundary-pushing technologies provide the most fun kind of scientific engagement that children could imagine. You can get an insight into how games are made in the Early Access Greenhouse, which also lets you give feedback to developers on their work-in-progress, and there are exhibits on the history of gaming that will let you reminisce with your children about your first Super Nintendo.
Price: Adult £10.50, Child £8.50, Family £35 (under 5s go free!)
Location: 24-32 Carlton Street Nottingham Ng1 1nn
Book: Online National Videogame Arcade
4. Start your epic adventure with The Lost City – Mini Golf
Venture your way through the lost city golf course an activity both kids and adults are sure to love! The lost city has two indoor adventure golf courses, Sacred Skull pass and Temple Trail. Experience the challenge of playing amid a thunder and lightning storm, risking a venomous snake, talking idols and crumbling walls. Test your families ability for the chance to win ‘Inca Gold’ Which you are able to exchange for a free game. The perfect activity for budding explorers and adventurers of all ages, the lost city is a fun interactive adventure golf course challenging everyone to put their ‘putting’ skills to the test in an Inca themed landscape.
Price: Family ticket £25
Location: The Cornerhouse, Burton St, NG1 4DB Nottingham, United Kingdom
Book: No Need to Book Just Show up!
5. Dangle from high ropes with Challenge Academy
Children will discover their wild side while parents can prove their bravery in Closer to the Edge’s high thrills adventure centres. Four different venues across the Midlands offer zip wires, rope bridges and swinging ladders, which will push the limits of your courage in the most exciting way. Different courses have different heights, reaching up to over nine metres from the ground at some of the venues. All the kit is provided and the courses have been carefully designed to ensure maximum safety, so any children aged five and upwards can have a go at becoming high-flying adventurers.
Price: Junior Pack £12.50, Extreme Challenge Pack £17.50
Location: Various including, Sandwell Valley, Markeaton Park, Telford Town Park and Baggeridge Country Park.
Book: Online at Challenge Academy
6. Descend below ground at Poole’s Cavern
This subterranean destination is a year-round attraction that allows little visitors to traverse walkways cut into the limestone core of England. The paths in Poole’s Cavern lead underneath rocky ceilings, which are decorated with the ancient, icicle-like stalactites. Information points throughout the cave complex reveal the history and geology behind these breathtaking formations. The highlight is the Showcave, a vast naturally formed cavern that has attracted curious visitors since the 16th century. If your kids still have the energy to spare post cave exploring, the surrounding countryside is awash with woodland paths.
Price: Child £5.50, Adult £9.95, Family £27
Location: Green Lane, Buxton, Derbyshire, sk17 9dh
Book: No need to book just show up!
7. Ride the Shakespeare Express
Jump aboard the Shakespeare Express as it puffs through some of Warwickshire’s prettiest scenery, leading from Birmingham to Stratford. Make a day out of it and book a meal on board; you and your family can feast on lunch in the dining carriage, which is replete with immaculately restored period details. The return journey joins a different line and takes a different route, providing a whole new array of scenery out the window. Kids will like spotting farmers at work and waving at passers-by on the bridges, though perhaps the biggest thrill will be hearing the loud hooting of the steam train’s iconic whistle.
Price: Child £17.50, Adult £27.50, Family £55
Location: Various meeting points including, Snow Hill, Moor St, Tyseley, Henley and Stratford
Book: Online at Shakespeare Express
Convinced that the Midlands is the place to go for your next family holiday? Talk to our concierge team if you’re looking for somewhere to stay – if you let them know the kind of thing you’re looking for they can even narrow down the search! Need a bit more UK travel inspiration? Check out more family activities and our fantastic range of cottages and holiday homes for kids!
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