My 13 year old daughter will be in Birmingham for 10 days visiting a friend and they will be doing some sightseeing and day tripping (with adult supervision!). A few things we have spotted on our own that look good are day trips to Bath, Nottingham Castle, and Oxford. Also, have been advised that the Cadbury Chocolate factory is in Birmingham and available for touring!!! Can anyone advise us if these are the best choices or are we missing something special that they should try to include? <BR> <BR>Thank you in advance, Maria

Cadbury's/Bourneville well worth a half day if you or your son like chocolate.

I would like to add Stratford upon avon and Warwick into your long lists. Shopping is very great in B'ham.

Alton Towers is a popular family attraction in the Midlands. <BR> <BR>I think you mean Warwick Castle, not Nottingham...

Warwick Castle is definitely worth the visit. It is HUGE and one of the best examples of a Medieval castle. You can spend almost all day poking around the place and climbing up into the towers. You also get plenty of history. Not to mention the area surrounding it is beautiful.

Thanks for the help...Yes, I meant Warwick Castle and she will be visiting next month in February so, according to the Alton Towers webite, the theme park does not open until April, so unless there are other attractions that will probably not work. <BR> <BR>Maria

When you go to Warwick Castle try to schedule a visit to nearby Kenilworth. Warwick is more or less intact, furnished, majestic, a great visit. Kenilworth, another major castle, is a romantic ruin. <BR> <BR>Doug

Dear Maria, <BR>The Black Country Museum at Dudley is easily accessible from Birmingham. It is an open air museum of the Industrial Revolution showing all the reasons why the "Black Country" is black. There is a canal and a trip into the limestone mine under Dudley Castle, huge sweet shop and various workshops. Very interesting.

I'm originally from Birmingham (I've now escaped to London), and I'm ashamed to admit that it's not the most attractive city - freinds always laugh when they hear where I'm from, Brummies (as we're known) being the butt of everyone jokes because everyone think it's a hole. Partly true, but a little harsh. <BR> <BR>The good thing about it is the location, smack in the heart of england, so nowhere (apart from, say, Cornwall and Scotland) is out of your reach. You can be in London by train in 1.5 hours, Bath and Oxford even sooner , and the birthplace of Shakespere - Stratford-on-Avon, is 40 mins down the road and is an absolute must. Warwick castle is incredible, Shrewbury is a very pretty, ancient town. <BR> <BR>And of course you MUST go to Cadbury World, a chocolate 'experience' attached to the famous chocolate factory, located in a quaint suburb of the city (Bournville) which was entirely built at the turn of the century by the cadbury family to house the workers. The cadbury family still work there and I went to school with a couple of Cadbury Girls. They were obviously far wealthier than me.

One of the things I've always loved about Birmingham is that so much of it is green -- lots of trees, rhodendendron, etc. and some lovely parks. The canal area in town has been brilliantly renovated, and new buildings are going up all the time, with prestige department stores moving in next year.

I write a children's guidebook covering the Heart of England. I would advise a trip to Stratford and to Warwick Castle. If your daughter likes animals she may enjoy Hatton Country World for farm animals or Twycross Zoo for wild animals. Birmingham is good for shopping however it is being redeveloped and some of the shops have closed. Merry Hill which is a large indoor shopping centre may be preferable.

I don't understand the comment about some of the shops having been closed. A few have temporarily, but others have opened in places like the new Mailbox. <BR> <BR>http://birmingham.gov.uk is the city's web site, have a look there! <BR> <BR>Doug