I'll be honest with you I've only been here twice and both times it was shelter from the rain…read morewhilst I waited for my bus to turn up at nearby Colmore Row - both times it reminded me a bit of my time at Athena (I know this ages me somewhat but I loved working at Athena) - the artwork for sale here is all very nice and discrete and would probably look lovely in a show home but therein lies the problem - it's art designed to go with your sofa. A visit to their website confirms this - they offer an art consultation service which promises advice on what art work to acquire for your home or workplace, which given the photographs seems to depend on what shade of wallpaper you own. I'm sorry to sound sniffy but this really isn't my cup of tea - and this is from someone who rather likes L'enfant prints (we're back to my time at Athena again) and the odd Monet. Still, its a nice enough place to spend a few minutes and if you find yourself left stranded by the 22 bus and without an umbrella its definitely worth a look.

I left a recent trip to the an art gallery rather creative. After stumbling upon the Whitewall…read moreGallery I was extremely inspired but I didn't know what to do with it. The gallery is home to a variety of high end art pieces from all around the world They offer an art consultancy service which helps you find that special investment art piece for you or a gift for a loved one. They specialise in providing fine contemporary art which represents individuality and quality. If you're a true art love then this gallery is definitely worth checking out.

I love the location of Oak House. I remember the first time I visited and truly marvelling that as…read moreI passed through the terraced streets of West Bromwich, tucked away is this half timbered Yeoman's house that was built between 1590-1630. With a small walled garden it is a free museum that often has activity days and public events to get you involved with everything from how to wash your clothes with your own pee to the daily life of a Yeoman. I've had the honour of being allowed in the closed off areas and i really wish that they would let you up as there are even more gems to see from a hidden taxidermy collection to stacks of mayoral chairs from when the Black Country local councils became one Sandwell council. It's worth popping by just to see how random it looks in the middle of a housing estate. Fingers crossed they will get the super ancient barn restored and their great plans to make this an even better museum and visitor centre.

this is a small house set in victorian times great to see a bit of historyread more

We are Mud has a fairly unique selling point, to go with its unusual name. Based on Bearwood high…read morestreet (next door to the Co-Op) it looks like a fairly ordinary cafe selling cakes, bagels and coffee. However, if you move towards the back you'll see that it also caters for children's parties and specialises in pottery painting. Customers (I presume it's open to adults too) can choose from a variety of differing pottery shapes - plant pots, animals, cups etc and go wild on them with a surprisingly varied palette of colours. If like me, you decide to use the loo at the very back of the shop you might want to take a sneaky peek at some of the items waiting for collection - Grayson Perry eat your heart out! The cafe itself is popular and the chap who owns it seemed a real sweetie. Portions are generous.

A group of us visited Mud today and we had a lovely time. The place has a relaxed atmosphere, we…read morespent 4 hours painting, eating and drinking coffees. We didn't feel any pressure to rush. Emma was great and explained the pottery painting to us and was very helpful. The cafe also has pretty good snacks and cakes available, with eclectic clientele. The latte I had was delicious! We were suprised by our experience and will definitely be returning. It's a great place to have a children's party. In my opinion, the only improvement which could be made is the addition of baby changing facilities.

Ulfah Arts was set up in 2004 by Artistic Director Naz Koser, who wanted to create an arts…read moreorganisation that worked with faith communities that traditionally don't engage much with the arts - such as (though not limited to) Muslim women. Since then, her passion to encourage and develop this element of society has grown into an international organisation, who are regularly commissioned to produce theatre, music, skills training, media, poetry, crafts and pretty much anything creative you can shake a stick at! I've been impressed by the Ulfah performances and events that I've been to, and the obvious impact this organisation has had on the lives of the people who have worked with and for it. One of Ulfah's aims is to influence social change through art - and its great to see how creativity and spirituality is often the best ground for fostering dialogue between diverse communities. Ulfah Arts is also the home of the first ever UK Muslim 'girl band' - the Ulfah Collective, who write, produce and perform their own material.

I do seriously love this place, and even though some of the exhibits are looking a bit tired,…read morethere's still a lot there, and new things coming in. There is a lot crammed in here, which, although it means the information on each subject is a bit watered down and lower quality than a specific museum, it's great for sparking the interest of kids and finding out what they love and keeping attention with varying material, the human body, forensics, machinery, industry, recycling, building, space, robots, computers, medicine, even a lighthouse bulb, it's got a lot going for it. The science garden is great, but filled with pushy children and parents who've given up caring after a full couple of hours inside, the planetarium was excellent. Our favourite bits were the planetarium and the beating heart that beats to your pulse, and the vehicles. Obscurely a lot of it seems to high up for kids, but there are loads of activities for them to get stuck into.

ThinkTank is a slightly sprawling science museum spread over 3 (and a half) floors. It can be…read morepricey for a family visit, but there's a lot to do and there are often good offers available. I'd recommend turning up early as on arrival you are given a timetable of talks, events and planetarium showings. You get a wristband on entry so you can go in and out as you please. (I recommend coffee from 6/8 Kafe, next door, or a well priced pub lunch at the Woodman, opposite Millennium Point.) The ground floor showcases huge bits of machinery, including car-manufacturing robots, traction engines, a lovely tram and.. A Spitfire, a Hurricane and the 1939 City of Birmingham Locomotive. A huuuge steam engine, one of the most powerful ever used. The main theme being Birmingham made, so it's a great Brummy experience. Just a shame you can go on any of them to explore. (Especially the Spitfire ;)) Other floors have sections on the human body (with videos of the digestive system.. Best not viewed near lunch), forensic crime scene investigations, how recycling works etc. There's a good little area called Kids City which has a doctor/dentist surgery, a cafe, a garden shed, and a big water play area (with aprons). It's really good for little ones. Upstairs is the space section, with a great 360 degrees planetarium which has a range of shows for different age ranges. The science garden wasn't open when we went, but in spring and summer it's another sciencey play area for kids. And grown ups.

An atmospheric glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people who helped make Birmingham the city it…read moreis today. On a fascinating guided tour, we stepped back in time at Birmingham's last surviving court of back to backs. These houses were built literally back-to-back around a communal courtyard. Moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s, we discovered the lives of some of the former residents who crammed into these small houses to live and work. With fires alight in the grates, and sounds and smells from the past, experience an evocative and intimate insight into life at the Back to Backs I would certainly recommend the guided tour which brings the houses and characters to life. Make yourself at home, warm up by the fire and make sure you visit the adjoining sweet shop for even more nostalgia.

Really facinating!! The tour takes you around these tiny houses and the guide gives you all sorts…read moreof info. You can touch the stuff too, so its not so museum like. The yard has the old toilets and wash house and then there is a little discovery centre type thing inside. There is also an old sweet shop which is open to anyone. There are some steep steps and low ceilings. Very interesting and well worth a visit. There is something available for those who cant do the steps.

Beutiful open common with woodland covering many acres very popular .read more

Definitely one of the must visit air museums in the UK!…read more I've been to duxford a couple times over the years (also a must visit of course), and in my recent trip to the UK wanted to go somewhere else, so I picked RAF Cosford. Was not sure what to expect but the main hanger there definitely makes an impression on you as you pull up! Inside you will find a great collection of aircraft from WW1, WW2, to the cold war, to the near present (an early eurofighter prototype for example). Some aircraft you might not really see anywhere else as they are either one of a few left or teh ONLY one left in existence! Either way I had a great time walking all around the collection (all housed indoors thankfully). Honestly my only complaint was I felt like the last hanger was a disappointment compared to the others. Especially the main cold-war hanger, but in a way it's a good thing they have room from improvement, as well as room to hopefully expand the collection too, gives me hope there will be a reason to come back on one of my future UK trips.

Great museum to see lots of aircraft primarily stored inside out of the elements, with a few…read moreoutside on display. Absolutely loved the rare Japanese aircraft, experimental odd ones like the Bristol 188 and the Gloster Meteor Prone. Each of the planes have placards with plenty information about the history of that plane that is on display. They are the only place where you can find all of the V-Series bombers all intact, but unfortunately the Cold War hall is so crammed full of planes, that you truly cannot appreciate or completely see all of the planes. The museum overall is free, there is a fee to park which you supposedly can pay in advance online (it did not work for me), or you can pay inside because none of the machines in the parking lot work. There is also a cafe to get something to eat, located immediately to the left when you walk into the entrance.