Hundreds of free tickets for family days out across Birmingham will be available to book this weekend as Birmingham Heritage Week returns. The festival, which runs later this month, includes free entry to Selly Manor, the Back-to-Backs, and New Hall Watermill, along with discounts at attractions like Thinktank and West Midlands Safari Park.
Free Tickets and Hidden Gems
Birmingham Heritage Week offers families a chance to save money on days out, according to Zoe Chamberlain, parenting editor at BirminghamLive. This year's surprise inclusion is the 'rainbow dome' church in Aston, Sacred Heart and St Margaret Mary, which Chamberlain says looks more like a cathedral in Rome or Paris than a church in Birmingham.
Selly Manor is hosting a free open day, with tickets normally costing £18 for a family of four, representing a significant saving. The Back-to-Backs, a National Trust property in the city centre, and New Hall Watermill in Sutton Coldfield, which also has a cream tea room, are also offering free tickets.
Moseley Park, usually kept under lock and key, is opening as part of the festival, along with its mysterious ice house. These hidden places are typically not open to the public, making the festival a unique opportunity to explore them.
How to Book and What's On
Free and cheap tickets go live on Saturday August 15, including to places like Thinktank, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and Winterbourne House and Gardens. Chamberlain advises that tickets tend to get snapped up quickly, so families should be ready to book as soon as they become available.
West Midlands Safari Park has reduced kids' tickets for the summer, but availability is limited. Drayton Manor is offering a 'solar eclipse flash sale' on annual passes for just five days only. Mary Arden's Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon is re-opening to the public for one day only this weekend, with tickets costing £5 for adults and £1 for kids. The farm closed to all but school trips in August 2024.
The Just So Festival at Rode Hall near Stoke on Trent is also approaching, with discounts available for local residents with postcodes ST7, CW11, and CW12.
Community Spirit and Summer Fun
In a heartwarming story, staff at Little Adventures Nursery in Washwood Heath decided to take the kids to the seaside but were stunned when 200 parents, grandparents, and siblings asked to join. They ended up booking four coaches, and for many, it was their first-ever visit to the beach.
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