Things to do in Birmingham when it rains

Things to do in Birmingham when it rains are far easier to find than most people expect. The city was practically designed for bad weather. It has covered arcades, more canal bridges than Venice, and a centre you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. However, the moment the sky turns grey, most of us default to the same shopping centre. Therefore this guide takes a different approach. It maps out indoor plans area by area, from Broad Street to Brindleyplace. As a result, you can fill a whole day without getting soaked.

Start in the city centre: culture without the queue

The city centre is the obvious place to begin. Everything sits within a short walk, and most of that walk is sheltered. For example, you can move between the library, the arcades and the main squares while barely opening an umbrella.

Museums and galleries are the classic wet weather fallback, and for good reason. They are warm, they are cheap, and several of the biggest ones in Birmingham are free to enter. In addition, they are quietest on weekday mornings. Therefore a rainy Tuesday is the best time to visit. In short, they remain the most reliable things to do in Birmingham before lunch.

If you prefer something less formal, the city’s covered shopping quarters do a decent job of killing an hour. Meanwhile, the independent shops around the Jewellery Quarter beat the big chains. Better still, most of that route is under cover.

Broad Street: the busiest indoor mile in the city

Broad Street is where the rain stops mattering. It is the entertainment spine of Birmingham, and almost everything on it happens indoors. As a result, it packs more things to do in Birmingham into one stretch of pavement than anywhere else in the city.

You will find bowling, cinemas, karaoke rooms, live music venues, arcade bars and immersive experiences within a few hundred metres of each other. Therefore you can change plans on the spot. In practice, you will barely step outside for more than a minute.

Broad Street also connects straight through to Brindleyplace at one end and the city centre at the other. In short, it works well as the middle chapter of a longer day rather than a destination on its own.

Brindleyplace and the canals: the calmer option

Brindleyplace is the grown up counterweight to Broad Street. It is quieter, prettier and full of covered walkways. For example, you can sit by the water under a canopy and watch the rain hit the canal. It is one of the nicer ways to waste an hour here.

The canalside is also where the city’s better restaurants cluster. Meanwhile, the towpaths link Brindleyplace to Gas Street Basin and the Mailbox. Therefore you can move between areas with shelter most of the way.

These are the gentler things to do in Birmingham. Therefore they suit couples, families with older children and anyone after a slower pace. However, they are less useful if you have a group of restless teenagers on your hands.

Things to do in Birmingham with a group when the weather turns

Groups are where rainy days usually fall apart. Everyone wants something different, nobody wants to walk far, and someone always suggests the pub within ten minutes. Therefore the best group plans are the ones that give everyone the same job to do.

Active plans that need no kit

Indoor climbing walls, trampoline parks, bowling alleys and indoor karting all work well for mixed groups. In addition, they need no preparation and no special clothing. However, several of them reward whoever is fittest or most competitive. As a result, part of the group ends up standing around.

Puzzle and problem solving plans

Escape rooms remain one of the most reliable rainy day options in Birmingham. They last around an hour and they suit groups of four to eight. In addition, they force people to talk to each other. As a result, they are a common choice for birthdays and work outings alike.

Free roam virtual reality

Free roam VR is the newer arrival on this list, and it solves the group problem neatly. You wear a wireless headset and walk freely around a large physical arena. Up to eight players share the same game at the same time. There are no cables, no controllers on a screen, and no sitting down.

meetspaceVR sits on Broad Street itself, inside the Park Regis building at number 158. Therefore it slots easily into a Broad Street afternoon. Sessions run for around thirty to forty minutes of play, which leaves plenty of time for food afterwards. In addition, nobody in your group has done it before, so the usual gaming hierarchy does not apply.

Where to eat when you are already wet

Birmingham eats well, and the rain gives you a good excuse to sit somewhere for longer than you planned. The Chinese Quarter and the Arcadian sit just south of the centre and are packed with options. Meanwhile, Brindleyplace and the Mailbox cover the smarter end of the scale.

Balti houses in the south of the city are the local classic. However, they are worth a dedicated trip rather than a detour. For example, a rainy evening in Sparkbrook or Moseley is a far better plan than a rushed lunch between activities.

A rainy day itinerary that actually works

If you want a ready made plan, this one strings the best things to do in Birmingham into a single route. It holds up well for groups of four to eight people.

• Late morning: start in the city centre with a gallery or museum, then walk the arcades.
• Lunch: head down to Brindleyplace or the Mailbox and eat by the canal, under cover.
• Afternoon: move on to Broad Street for the active part of the day, whether that is bowling, an escape room or free roam VR.
• Evening: stay on Broad Street for drinks, or take the short walk into the Chinese Quarter for dinner.

The whole route is roughly a mile end to end. Therefore you can do it comfortably on foot, even in poor weather.

Practical tips for a wet day out

A few small things make a rainy day in Birmingham noticeably better. First, book anything popular in advance, because indoor venues fill up fast the moment the forecast turns. In addition, weekday slots are cheaper and far less crowded than Saturday afternoons.

Second, use the trams and the buses rather than driving. Parking in the centre is expensive, and the rain makes the traffic worse. Meanwhile, New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill stations all sit within walking distance of everything mentioned here.

Third, keep the group small enough to move quickly. Eight people can change plans on a whim, whereas twenty cannot. As a result, larger parties should book their main activity first and build the rest of the day around it.

Make the rain work in your favour

In short, bad weather is not the end of a day out. It simply changes the shape of it. There are enough indoor things to do in Birmingham within one square mile to fill a long weekend, and Broad Street alone can carry an entire afternoon.

If you want one plan that keeps a whole group busy, upright and off their phones, free roam VR is a strong shout. Our Birmingham arena is on Broad Street, it takes up to eight players at once, and it runs whatever the forecast says. Book your session at meetspaceVR Birmingham and let it rain.