Places of Interest in Birmingham
On this page are details of and links to places of interest that can be visited in Birmingham. It is believed that all the places are free.
Parks
Birmingham has many parks. They are all open to the public. Most are green open spaces with trees and pathways but some include other features such as pools and flower beds. They provide a space for those living in a town to enjoy natural surroundings.
The parks listed below are some of the main ones around Selly Oak.
Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston Rd, Moseley.
Cannon Hill Park is one of the premier parks in the city. With beautiful flowerbeds, lakes, pools and a wonderful collection of trees, it's easy to see why. There's plenty of opportunity for exercise at the park's tennis courts, bowling and putting greens and wildlife enthusiasts can follow the walkways and cycle routes longside the River Rea.
The conservation area within the park includes a 5 acre woodland known as The RSPB Centenary Plantation. There is also a wildflower meadow, which is sown each year with cornfield annuals such as field poppy, cornflower and corn marigold, providing visitors to the Park with a spectacle which is very rare in the urban environment. Traditional forms of land management are used to enhance this beautiful area, less than 2 miles from the centre of Birmingham.
The park is an ideal venue for families with children's play areas and boats for hire on the lake in the summer. There are plenty of picnic areas and refreshments are available at the Garden Tea Rooms and the Midland Arts Centre.
Kings Heath Park, Vicarage Rd, Kings Heath
Gardens, Sports facilities and tea room.
Highgate Park, Kings Heath
Used to be the garden of Highgate Hall, Trees and walks.
Selly Oak Park, Gibbins Road
Open space with trees and footpaths.
Bournville Park, off Linden Road
Located across from Cadbury's World and nestling in the very heart of Bournville Village the site is very picturesque with two very popular bowling greens as well as a new children's play area.
Woodbrooke, Bournville Lane
An open area which contains a boating pool used by model boat enthousiasts on a Sunday.
Recreation Grounds
Scattered around the city are open pieces of land suitable for playing games on. They often have children's play facilities.Sometimes they are marked out with football pitches etc. Anybody can walk fly kites, play football on these areas. However sometimes at weekend local teams may have matches and will have booked the area.
In Selly Oak there is one alongside Raddlebarn Road, and another at Woodbrooke
Most of the art and photographic exhibitions at the MAC are free. They regularly change. There is also a café.
This is the area where Tolkien based some of the Lord of the Rings stories. It is near Sarehole Mill.
Walks
One of the most pleasant places to walk is by the canals. These are all over Birmingham but the nearest to Selly Oak is the Birmingham Worcester Canal which runs past the Cadburys factory and on towards the city alongside the University. They are often full of wildlife.
Another pleasant walk is alongside the river which starts at Longbridge, goes through Kings Norton, Lifford, Stirchley and into Cannon Hill Park. It is well signposted all the way. It is also a cycle route.
Edgbaston Reservoir which is fairly close to the city centre makes an ideal place to go for a walk. Access is possible Rotten Park Road, Icknield Port Road, and Reservoir Road.
Sutton Park is Birmingham's largest park, covering 2,400 acres consisting of woodlands, heathlands and wetlands. The entire park was recently designated a National Nature Reserve by English Nature.
It is the home for a wide variety of wildlife, many species uncommon elsewhere in the West Midlands region. Visitors benefit from a true countryside experience, remarkably within 10 Km (6 miles) of the very heart of the City. The Visitor Centre contains displays and information related to the park.
The park is a remnant of an extensive forest that used to cover much of the Midlands. Sutton Park has retained many ancient features including prehistoric mounds and ruins as well as a Roman road making it of great interest to historical enthusiasts.
People use the park for a great variety of reasons: walking, cycling, horse riding, fishing, jogging, kite flying, canoeing, sailing and orienteering are among the pastimes the park's annual 2 million visitors enjoy.
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