Things to See
and Do
The West Midlands’ concentration of big, bustling cities and major towns has created one of the most exciting urban destinations in Europe.
Whether a devotee of 24/7 city life, a frequent high-street shopper, an occasional culture vulture, or a part-time tourist, the region offers anyone who loves the buzz of big cities and busy town centres everything they could wish for.
The Urban Playground
Being one of the largest metropolitan regions in the UK, it’s a given that we’ve got plenty of bars, live music venues, theatres, galleries and restaurants to frequent. Then there are theme parks and activity centres – like Cadbury World, The Wave waterpark and Legoland Birmingham – and lots of other family-friendly great days out to enjoy.
If you’re feeling daring, you can also kayak in our city-centre canals, snowboard on our dry ski slopes, or try your hand at bouldering on one of our climbing walls, without having to venture very far.
On top of that, we’ve plenty of famous stores and big brand shopping, plus hundreds of independent retailers, upmarket boutiques, hidden Victorian arcades, outdoor markets and thrift shops for you to find the perfect purchase or bag a bargain.
Having a university student population of 185,000 (plus nearly a third of the region’s population being aged under 25), also means that our retail offer is always changing to keep up with the latest trends and styles.
Even though our city and town centres are extremely walkable, we’ve excellent public transport to get you to and from where you need to be. That includes lots and lots of buses, trams, and local light-rail services. We’re also fully Ubered-up and have all the rapid ‘to the door’ delivery services you could want when you need the high street to come to you.
A world-class centre of sport
We’re a bit obsessed with sport in the West Midlands (which is probably why the region gave birth to the football league, lawn tennis, rugby union, and the world’s first-ever cricket world cup).
Our football teams – including Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Walsall – are all followed intensely and passionately.
Cricket enthusiasts are equally well-served – with county, one-day, test and international cricket being regularly hosted at Birmingham’s legendary Edgbaston Stadium (which is also home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club).
For those preferring a more oval-shaped ball, Premiership Rugby Union club Wasps is also here.
Golf is also a very big deal in these parts. We have two championship golf courses on our doorstep (including the world-famous Belfry), and we’re home to the UK’s Professional Golfers Association.
The Ryder Cup is a regular visitor (it’s been hosted here more times than anywhere else in the UK), as is the PGA European Tour, the British Masters, and the English Open.
We’re also one of the few places in the UK where you can see top international athletics (including the Wanda Diamond League) and we host WTA tennis, world championship snooker, international badminton, professional boxing, horseracing, and many other popular spectator sports.
2022 saw us host the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which featured 6,500 athletes from over 70 countries competing in over 20 different sports. Many of the events (of which there are over 280) took place in brand-new sporting facilities, and these same elite sporting facilities will continue to host world-class competitive sport for many years to come.
And for sports that are perhaps emergent in the UK, the inaugural Commonwealth eSports championship was held here in the summer of 2022, and the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup will be held in the West Midlands – the first time in history that it will have been held outside of Asia.
From fine dining to fish & chips
It shocks some people we know, but we’ve now got 11 Michelin-starred restaurants on our patch (one of the highest concentrations in the UK). This is further testament to how we’re continually upping our game in everything we do.
Foodies will also love our artisan bakers, micro-brewers and slow food producers, as well as our wholefood delis, vegan cafes, organic grocers, butchers and fishmongers. It doesn’t end there. From our fine wine merchants and backstreet boozers to tasty street food vendors and world food superstores, you can also enjoy our busy Balti houses, delicious Thai takeaways and upmarket Chinatown restaurants.
Add to the mix sushi counters, shawarma shacks, dining clubs and gourmet gatherings, jerk chicken joints and Middle Eastern meze to get a feel for the rich culinary culture we have in the West Midlands.
And if you’ve still got room for a bit of bratwurst (or a glug of glühwein), we’re also home to the largest authentic Germanic Christmas markets outside of both Germany and Austria.
Celebrating our different cultures and communities
What really makes the urban experience incredibly special in the West Midlands is the fusion of cultures and communities that continually shape it.
With residents drawn from 190 different nationalities, the West Midlands is where Europe meets South East Asia, Africa meets the Middle East and China meets the Caribbean. The result is a rich blend of faiths, friendships and festivities which we actively encourage, nurture and celebrate.
Where else would you find one of the world’s largest St Patrick’s Day celebrations, one of the world’s biggest Bengali boat races, and the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ Pride parade?
And where else would you find Desi Pubs? Indian-run hostelries which have taken the traditional English public house and infused it with South Asian culture, cuisine and character.
We also enjoy lively Caribbean carnivals, dazzling South Asian Melas and explosive Chinese New Year celebrations. Then there’s an extensive programme of international festivals (covering everything from dance, jazz, folk, and theatre to books, science, comedy, and film), Bhangra and Bollywood showcases, military tattoos, street theatre, and just about every other artform you could wish for.
Basically, whatever you’re into – or whatever you want to get into – you’ll most likely find it here.
Where the present meets the past
When it comes to outstanding examples of English history, the towns and cities of the West Midlands are as equally blessed as their rural cousins.
For example, many of our major public parks feature botanical gardens, boating lakes and bowling greens which have been in public use for nearly 200 years.
If you look up, you’ll see our city streets are brimming with stunning Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, art-deco and mid-century architecture, together with incredibly well-preserved medieval buildings. In between, you’ll also see striking examples of more contemporary design from award-winning and world-renowned architects.
While hundreds of our buildings are now officially listed (meaning they can’t be significantly altered), many are publicly accessible spaces you can visit and explore.
That includes Birmingham’s magnificent Town Hall – where Charles Dickens gave the first ever reading of A Christmas Carol – which is now used for public events, and the majestic Coventry Cathedral.
Originally constructed in the 14th century, Coventry Cathedral was infamously destroyed in World War II. While its imposing ruins remain, a completely new cathedral was built adjacent to the original site in the 1950s. The second incarnation of the cathedral has since gone on to become one of Britain’s most loved buildings.
Add to that the 60 or so other galleries and museums which the West Midlands is home to (including the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery which hosts the most important collection of Pre-Raphaelite art anywhere in the world and Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s amazing Pop Art archive), and you’ll see that history and heritage is very much alive in every single part of our region.
Urban playgrounds and great green vistas
We’ve also invested millions to reclaim and repurpose former commercial districts to create new, low-carbon, resident-centred neighbourhoods.
Many of these regenerated areas come with green space, parks and waterways as standard (allowing for lots of car-free activities and high-quality ‘15-minute’ compact living). Also, with a population density per square kilometre 92% lower than that of somewhere like London, the region is significantly less cramped than the capital and many major international cities.
We also have large, beautiful protected green land and parks across the West Midlands, with even more in the surrounding areas. Our bustling town centres are only a short journey from some of the most picturesque landscapes in the country.
