Things To Do in Birmingham
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Birmingham Attractions
Stephenson Place, at the intersection of New and Corporation streets, is a good starting point for sampling the attractions of City Centre. A 5-minute stroll along New Street leads to Victoria Square, where Council House, Victoria Square (tel. 0121/303-2040), the city's most impressive Victorian building, anchors the piazza. Built in 1879, it is still the meeting place for the Birmingham City Council and an impressive example of the Italian Renaissance style. It's open for viewing Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm and on Friday from 9am to 4pm. The chamber can only be seen by guided tour, which must be arranged in advance.
Along Broad Street is the Gas Street Basin (tel. 0121/236-9811). Operated by Second City Canal Cruises, it forms the hub of the 3,220km (2,000-mile) canal network that runs in all directions from Birmingham to Liverpool, London, Nottingham, and Gloucester. From the Basin, you can take a cruise along the canals or just walk by the towpaths.
Just a 10-minute walk from City Centre is the Jewelry Quarter at 75-79 Vyse St. (tel. 0121/554-3598; www.the-quarter.com). This complex includes more than 100 jewelry shops. The skill of the jeweler's craft can be viewed at the Discovery Centre's restored Smith and Pepper factory displays, or by visiting shop workbenches that still produce most of the jewelry made in Britain. A unique time capsule of the ancient craft of jewelry making and working with precious metals, the quarter offers bargain hunters the opportunity to arrange repairs, design a custom piece, or just browse. Admission to the Museum of the Jewelry Quarter is free; it's open April to October Tuesday to Sunday 11:30am to 4pm and November to March Tuesday to Saturday 11:30am to 4pm.
- Historic Site
Blakesley Hall
Modern houses live outside its gates, but once inside the grounds of Blakesley Hall you are transported back in time some 400 years. Blakesley is a restored Tudor farmhouse from 1590. The half-timbered structure is typical of building once common in the West Midlands. Its original… - Tour
Sherborne Wharf Heritage Narrowboats
One of the best ways to see Birmingham is by water, a series of artificial canals created as the "motorways" of their day during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. These waters, still in good shape after 2 centuries or more, cut across deep valleys on high aqueducts and…
Birmingham Shopping
In addition to exploring the Jewelry Quarter, Birmingham is a great town for shopping. There are more than 700 retail stores, and many people in the Midlands come here just to shop, especially along Cannon Street and New Street, with recently opened top-brand designer stores. The city's Mailbox complex at Wharfside Street (tel. 0121/632-1000; www.mailboxlife.com) was once used to sort the mail. But now it's become a gargantuan shopping center, with such department stores as Harvey Nichols moving in. Emporio Armani, DKNY, Hugo Boss, Jaeger, and Crabtree & Evelyn call the Mailbox home. It also houses 12 restaurants, a spa, and the upscale Malmaison hotel. In the heart of town, the Bullring (tel. 0121/632-1500; www.bullring.co.uk), near St. Martin's Square, has been developed into Europe's largest city-center retail area, based around the historic street patterns of the city and linking New Street and High Street. It's more affordable and less classy than its cousin the Mailbox, with such U.S. mainstays as H&M, Gap, FCUK, and Foot Locker.
The reinvention of "Brum" (as Britain's much-maligned second city is nicknamed) is reflected by the opening of a grand department store, Selfridges, Bullring Centre (tel. 0800/123400; www.selfridges.co.uk). As a fashion emporium, its architecture was appropriately inspired by a dress. The curvaceous complex is adorned with 15,000 aluminum disks, a la Paco Rabanne's 1960 chain-mail frocks.
Birmingham Nightlife
The Performing Arts
Connected to the Convention Centre, Symphony Hall, at Broad Street (tel. 0121/780-3333; www.thsh.co.uk.), has been hailed as an acoustical gem since its completion in 1990. Home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, it also hosts special classical music events.
The National Indoor Arena, King Edward's Road (tel. 0844/338-8000; www.necgroup.co.uk), seats 13,000 and is a favorite site for jazz, pop, and rock concerts; sporting events; and conventions.
The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, on Broad Street, at Centenary Square (tel. 0121/236-4455; www.birmingham-rep.co.uk), houses one of the top companies in England. Some of the world's greatest actors have performed with the repertory company over the years, including Lord Olivier, Albert Finney, Paul Scofield, Dame Edith Evans, and Kenneth Branagh. The widely known "Rep" comprises the Main House, which seats 800 theatergoers, and the Door, a more intimate 120-seat venue that often stages new and innovative works. The box office is open from Monday through Saturday 10am to 8pm on performance days, 10am to 6pm on nonperformance days. Tickets cost £10 to £25.
Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Cannon Hill Park (tel. 0121/440-3838; www.macarts.co.uk) is close to the Edgbaston Cricket Ground and reached by car or bus (no. 1, 45, or 47). The MAC houses three performance areas and stages a lively range of drama, dance, and musical performances, as well as films. The box office is open daily from 9am to 8:45pm.
The Alexandra Theatre, Station Street (tel. 0870/607-7533; www.alexandratheatre.org.uk), hosts national touring companies, including productions from London's West End. The theater serves as a temporary home to many of England's touring companies. Contact the box office for show details.
Note: Tickets for all Birmingham theaters are available through Birmingham visitor offices.
The restored Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street (tel. 0844/338-5000; www.birminghamhippodrome.com), is home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and visiting companies from around the world. It hosts a variety of events, from the Welsh National Opera to musicals to dance. The box office is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30am to 8:30pm.
Clubs & Pubs
Boho Rooms, 52 Gas St., along the City Centre canal (tel. 0121/643-2572), is a converted warehouse with a bar and two nightclubs.
Otherwise, Broad Street has become the center of nightlife in Birmingham. Just walk up and down the street and pick your favorites. We like Revolution, Broad Street (tel. 0121/665-6508; www.revolution-bars.co.uk), a vodka bar drawing a hip collection of the younger-than-40 crowd.
Birmingham has a thriving gay and lesbian community, most of them seemingly packed at night into the Nightingale, on Kent Street (tel. 0121/6226-1718; www.nightingaleclub.co.uk), nicknamed "the Gale." With its five bars and two frenzied dance floors, it is the "Queer as Folk" choice. There's also a jazz lounge. The cover is £5, but this can vary. It's open Tuesday to Thursday 9pm to 2am, Friday 7pm to 4am, Saturday 7pm to 6am, and Sunday 7pm to 2am.
