What an amazing place! We happened to see this museum as we…read morewere walking by and were intrigued by their moving signage. Inside there are plenty of machines that whir and perform small tasks or even make music. Lots of interactive things to see and do, buttons to push, pedals to press, even a magnetic marble track you can build yourself! It's a treat for young and old and definitely worth the small entry fee.

The opening hours are stated for October to March. Opening hours from April to September are a…read morelittle longer (10:30 to 18:30 daily). A friend recommended this place to me thinking that my boys would like it. My friend was right! We did all enjoy the interactive displays. The extent of the interactivity is mainly pressing a button though but it's still good. There is an interesting range of mechanical art and my boys and I were fascinated by the mechanisms. It is quite a small place. It cost £19 for the four of us (2 adults and 2 children) which isn't too bad but, considering we spent less than an hour in there and saw everything, it does seem a little expensive. There are two floors. One very small room on each floor displaying different pieces of art. It can get rather crowded due to the small size, especially downstairs where the entrance/exit is the same. In the same small area, there is a counter where there is a single member of staff who both admits people and serves the gift shop. The gift shop is basically a small portion of the wall within the ground floor of the museum. Many items are over-priced and the selection is very limited. We did enjoy ourselves there and would recommend it but it could get claustrophobic and the upstairs can be noisy (although it does state this on the signage).

Definitely one of the must visit air museums in the UK!…read more I've been to duxford a couple times over the years (also a must visit of course), and in my recent trip to the UK wanted to go somewhere else, so I picked RAF Cosford. Was not sure what to expect but the main hanger there definitely makes an impression on you as you pull up! Inside you will find a great collection of aircraft from WW1, WW2, to the cold war, to the near present (an early eurofighter prototype for example). Some aircraft you might not really see anywhere else as they are either one of a few left or teh ONLY one left in existence! Either way I had a great time walking all around the collection (all housed indoors thankfully). Honestly my only complaint was I felt like the last hanger was a disappointment compared to the others. Especially the main cold-war hanger, but in a way it's a good thing they have room from improvement, as well as room to hopefully expand the collection too, gives me hope there will be a reason to come back on one of my future UK trips.

Great museum to see lots of aircraft primarily stored inside out of the elements, with a few…read moreoutside on display. Absolutely loved the rare Japanese aircraft, experimental odd ones like the Bristol 188 and the Gloster Meteor Prone. Each of the planes have placards with plenty information about the history of that plane that is on display. They are the only place where you can find all of the V-Series bombers all intact, but unfortunately the Cold War hall is so crammed full of planes, that you truly cannot appreciate or completely see all of the planes. The museum overall is free, there is a fee to park which you supposedly can pay in advance online (it did not work for me), or you can pay inside because none of the machines in the parking lot work. There is also a cafe to get something to eat, located immediately to the left when you walk into the entrance.

I stumbled upon the Time Machine Museum recently on a short visit to the sleepy little village of…read moreBromyard and would like to recommend it as certainly somewhere a little different than the ordinary run-of-the-mill attractions, and the perfect place to entertain the kiddies for a couple of hours! The building itself is actually the Old Bakery and looks like a very quaint old-fashioned village grocery store-cum-tea shop, but step inside and you will not only find a stunning Elizabethan style coffee shop, but also THE TARDIS! Step inside the old Police Box and you will immediately find yourself transported back in time to a fantastic wonderland consisting literally thousands of rare & collectable antique toys, bears and dolls just to name a few. There are also dozens of famous film memorabilia including life size droids & characters of The Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Star Wars & of course, Dr Who & the Daleks to delight the enthusiast! There is also a permanent puppet display - the ONLY one in the country, a Railway, and Dads Army memrobilia including a genuine, Millitaria Display. Also, not to forget to mention - Disney! All in all, there is something for everyone, hours of fun for both young & olda magical collection of both fantasy & nostalgia that will take your breath away - I was totally amazed!

I'm about as far from a Sci-fi fan as you can get but as my brother loves all that so a friend…read moresuggested I take him here...... It's a little hidden gem and brought back memories of all the Dr Who I hid behind the sofa during. It's worth just turning up for a chat with Andy the owner of this private & vast collection. No spoilers here but if you were born in the 60's its a great way to spend a couple of hours reliving childhood memories, one or two exhibits are unique gems for avid fans too. Would agree maybe not for kids and OK its £8 adult but something has to pay the bills! No cafe that I seen but Brew just up the road is lovely, Combine with a stroll around Bromyard & its a great and reasonable day out

Ancient castle with lions thrown in! Dudley Castle, part of the Dudley Zoo complex; magnificent,…read morestunning views, historic remains and a fascinating visitor centre opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in June 1994. Constructed in 1070, the keep is largely intact as are the shells of the 16th century palace buildings around the castle retaining wall. A stunning view opens out when you enter the castle grounds via one of the wall gates - possibly the best one is that from the restaurant by the sea-lions (the secondary gate, not the Main Gate). Walking up through here gives no clue to the huge green area of grass that appears before you, stretching out ahead, framed by the dominating profile of the castle keep at the far end and the complex building remains to the left. If this is your first time, a really great surprise (Don't look at the accompanying pictures!). Explore the Sharrington Range, the burnt out palace built in the 1540's. Then dive inside the visitor centre to appreciate the incredible history, life and times of the castle. See, lying in a basket, the heads of John Dudley's son and his wife Lady Jane Grey after they were beheaded by Mary I (only plaster models, don't worry!). Try putting your own head on the chopping block, to find out what it must have felt like (at least the first stage of the process!). See a fascinating montage of the year round activities of castle life and continue through dark passageways glowing with colourful showcases. Excellent stuff. Back in the open, steel yourself for a climb up the narrow, clausterophobia inducing circular stairwell that runs up the inside of the keep. Emerge at the top, panting and dazzled by the sunlight to view a Lord's perspective of Dudley below, Birmingham beyond and as far as the eye can see towards hills and vales to the south. Marvellous and definitely worth the effort - but need a head for heights. Picnic tables and bench seats available for resting after all the excitement and there is a Tavern built into the walls to supply alternative refreshments (and ice creams), though not always open. Make friends with the Zoo animals on the way back. Getting there by train, arriving at Dudley Port station, is not ideal - approx 3 miles to the Zoo and up hill all the way. Bus number 74 will take you to Castle Gate stop from the rail station. Plenty of trains from New Street, every half hour. Cars do seem more easily accommodated, with large pay and display parking facilities on the Zoo site. A really good ancient castle experience for everyone, young and old. All this included in the price of the Zoo entrance!

Few people seem to realise that they have one of the most complete large castle ruins right in the…read moreUK . Its remarkably intact and has a great history . And to have a zoo thrown in as well . I just think that really the whole thing should be tied in with the black country museum to make one if the most complete days out in the country

Free museum in Birmingham city centre focusing on contemporary art. It's in a very grand building,…read moreso I thought the museum would be big too, but it wasn't. Well there is a lot of empty space, and not that much to see. Few different rotating exhibitions, I saw some on the rave scene in the 80s and also racial violence from the 60-90s. On the way out I accidentally insulted one of the artists, but he just brushed it off.

We visited this museum yesterday and we really liked it. Both the exterior and interior of the…read morebuilding are beautiful. The museum has a terrific selection of paintings from the 15th, 16th & 17th centuries and a particularly good selection of Pre-Raphaelites. There's a *gorgeous*/large Edwardian tea room and also a separate café (the latter is small and attractive). The gift shop isn't very large, but it had some nice items. Also, I had a wonderful conversation with one of the guards; she was very friendly and kind-hearted.

I used to go in here as a kid all the time due to my family all living in and coming from around…read morethe area. Me and my husband decided to move back here from the south and be with my family so I decided it was only right to introduce him to the Black Country properly! We enjoyed it in the museum so much because it is one of those places which can take as long as you want it too, we spent a good couple of hours talking to the people who worked there, wandering around and even getting a half pint in the pub. The museum is one of a kind and somewhere I feel everyone has to experience once, whether from the Black Country or not! My husbands family are visiting the Black Country for the first time in a couple of weeks and I've already dedicated a day for this and to go to mad O'Rourkes after (also a necessity when visiting)

We loved this place. It was a great experience that I highly recommend. They have taken great care…read morein recreating a coal mining town. You can also do an amazing tour in the mine. Don't skip it!

I love the location of Oak House. I remember the first time I visited and truly marvelling that as…read moreI passed through the terraced streets of West Bromwich, tucked away is this half timbered Yeoman's house that was built between 1590-1630. With a small walled garden it is a free museum that often has activity days and public events to get you involved with everything from how to wash your clothes with your own pee to the daily life of a Yeoman. I've had the honour of being allowed in the closed off areas and i really wish that they would let you up as there are even more gems to see from a hidden taxidermy collection to stacks of mayoral chairs from when the Black Country local councils became one Sandwell council. It's worth popping by just to see how random it looks in the middle of a housing estate. Fingers crossed they will get the super ancient barn restored and their great plans to make this an even better museum and visitor centre.

this is a small house set in victorian times great to see a bit of historyread more

Yes yes yes! Drive…read moreup, or walk from picturesque iron bridge, and pay in (with a gorge passport to get more bang for your buck if you fancy the other nearby museums or visiting more than once) and enter up the spiral staircase, through the dark industry introductions, and into the sun at the edge of the little town. You may be tempted by the little cafe on the left as you enter, but personally, I would ignore this and head to the bank. You can change new money for old, with a little helping guide sheet about how much your halfpennies and farthings are worth, and into the museum. The shed opposite often contains activities, candle dipping, or plays, and victorian carolling near christmas. You can find a post office (with a museum upstairs), an outfitters, sweetshop, woodturners, fish and chip shop, butchers, blacksmiths, school, candlemakers, printers, tinsmiths, photographers (unfortunately with a digital camera rather than silver baths, but still), green grocers, bakers, squatters cottage, doctors, dentists, church (where you can actually get married) and those are just the staffed buildings, where you can often find demonstrations or people in the know, with plenty of others too. You can buy products, with your victorian money of course, and it doesn't feel like they're just trying to make money off you, there's efforts with everything to make them look genuine, and a lot of things made by the staff themselves too, which is far more impressive than buying it in. There are sing-a-longs in the pub (yes, a proper pub, with beer and everything) every day, and so much tasty food where you don't have to go through the cafes for if you don't want to. Its a bit hilly to get down the the shipyard, the incline and the funfair, which is complete with a coconut shy and carousel among other treats and games, but if you don't fancy that there's always the horse bus. It's a good look into life, engineering and culture, along with all the little historical professions. It's excellent education for kids, but it's lovely for grownups too, extra entertained by some of the slightly cheeky old advertising. And if all of that isn't good enough, I took a die hard northerner last week, and he said it's better than beamish!!! Suck on that!

Step back into the early 19th century when people lived much harder daily lives. Start by stopping…read moreby Loyds bank to make sure you have a few shillings to spend on the goods you may need. Once you've collected your farthings and shillings, head on over to the general grocer or the pharmacy if you need a tonic or remedy for an ailment. Certainly pop on into the local pub for a meat pie and libations if you find your self famished. This place was so unique and everything I hoped it would be! Be sure to get here early because it takes a whole day to see everything.

Great collection of buses here and a collection of milk floats and other electric vehicles. There…read moreis an exhibition about bus services in the Midlands, which is well done. Interpretation in the bus halls is less good, with some displays awkwardly positioned and I spotted one description of the wrong bus. The cafe is very basic, a pity it does not do cakes and cream teas etc. However, we worth a visit an what is excellent here is that they have running days when buses offer rides that really demonstrate well what these venerable vehicles sound like and feel like to ride on.

We've all taken a bus ride in our time but how about a trip down memory lane with this excellent…read moremuseum. With buses from all eras you'll probably spot one that you used to catch often. There are all sorts of buses here which have been beautifully restored and maintain by the members. Many of the vehicles are still running, I have to admit I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to large vehicles, not quite a train spotter, but close! I defy anyone not to be impressed by the finest and largest collection of beautifully preserved buses this country has. If you are into trains as well then there's also a miniature steam railway too. This is a fabulous day out for the whole family, take grandma and pops, they'll love it. Admission is £3.00 for adults £1.50 for children.