9 hours to kill in Birmingham on Sunday - any ideas?

[KenAdams]

DD has an event that she has to train for then the performance is in the evening. We're too far to drive home in between. I thought a tasting menu but no one does them on a Sunday. Stumped for ideas. It will be just me and DH.

Electric Cinema
Dinner at The Ivy
Drinks at the Grand Hotel
Anything on at the Hippodrome?
Mooch around the Bullring
Look around the Custard Factory
Birmingham Library and the Shakespeare Room

Look around the Mailbox
Wander round the canal

Brindley Place for food and drinks by the water

I love the library, plenty of museums too

Back to Backs - absolutely brilliant especially if you like social history. You can easily lose 2 or 3 hours there and well worth it.

Coffin works

Birmingham botanical gardens

If it was me, I'd see if there's a decent matinee at the hippodrome/Alexandra theatre. Or, there's the odeon cinema in middle of town if you fancy a film.

Shopping wise there's the bullring (mailbox is crap, hardly any shops in it) or as a PP has suggested the back to backs are excellent (but you have to book in advance)

The back to backs have closed.
The library is good and there are lots of museums.
I would see a matine show and have a nice lunchdinner, loads of places to choose from... Turtle Bay? The ivy?

Marco Pierre White in mailbox for Sunday roast?

Just looked and apparently the back to backs are reopening in June?

Oh yes i just looked and they are reopeninvg 23rd June.

Ikon Gallery + cafe www.ikon-gallery.org/visit
BMAG + tea rooms

Library is unhelpfully shut on Sundays despite costing £££££ and that being a good day for school aged kids amd office workers to visit...

You could drive to University campus in Edgbaston (or get train/bus) and visit the Barber (art) and Lapworth (geology) - can park for free on campus on Sundays.

If it's nice weather you could then visit Canon Hill Park, flagship Birmingham park where they spend £££ on upkeep & flowers. There's the MAC on site which has exhibitions and a cafe. It'll be busy!

City centre shopping is mostly chain blah unless you venture out to Digbeth, around the custard factory, short walk from Bull Ring but lots of roadworks and even then pretty sparse independent shops, but it's good for a mooch. This place looks good, many stalls in one place secretbirmingham.com/red-brick-market/ and you can get ethical, veggie eats from a coop cafe here but I think may be closed Sundays www.thewarehousecafe.com/

Better bet would be short walk to Hockley for this market, street food & independents, but I've not visited it yet! ichoosebirmingham.com/sunday-lovely-sunday

Also there's a small Chinatown for dimsum!

We went to the aquarium, and it was fab. Lots of people paddling canoe tours around the canals. It looked like so much fun!

Grab a train to Dudley port and you can go to the Black Country living museum and the canals under Dudley castles and also to Dudley Zoo if so inclined

As an FYI if you like pesky blinders the BCLM is where there filmed a number of scenes across all series

Highly recommend the Grand Hotel, it's stunning. Not sure what they've got going on on Sundays but worth checking it out. The bar alone is worth a visit

Dishoom is amazing.

From what I recall when I went there on site visits:

Bull Ring
Mail box
go to where Multiplex cinema is - there used to be an old children's hospital there, history
canal part of Birmingham has nice cafes, pubs etc
The Birmingham Museum and Art gallery is nice - has the biggest Anglo Saxon gold hoard there

If you fancy a trip to Stratford on Avon (is that that near?) then do the Shakespeare stuff there.

Thank you all I've booked Dishoom for breakfast and Everyman Cinema so far

Or a spa day?

Stratford is pretty far. 40 minutes on a train or driving.

If you've got breakfast and film sorted I'd suggest the museum and art gallery if you've got more time to kill. It's free and I'm certain it's reopened now.

Walking tour: www.birminghamwalkingtours.co.uk/

Tours, paddleboarding and kayaking: roundhousebirmingham.org.uk/things-to-do/

Pen Museum: penmuseum.org.uk/

Coffin Works: www.coffinworks.org/

The Barber Institute and Winterbourne House and Gardens at Birmingham University - it's just over 5 minutes on the train to University station from New Street and then an short across campus walk to the Barber and Winterbourne is a couple of minutes walk from there: barber.org.uk/ www.winterbourne.org.uk/

Secret Birmingham might have some ideas that appeal: secretbirmingham.com/