One of Birmingham's lesser known parks, and all the better for it, if you ask me! We really are…read moreblessed / spoiled over in the south of the city when it comes to parks - there seems to be one every few hundred yards - from large, countryside-equse open spaces like Warley Woods and the Lickeys, to ornate urban parks like Cannon Hill Park. This place is a little of both - the large open space that dominates it provides a lovely respite from the bustle of Harborne, and the gardens that border it are well kept and a legacy of the park's Victorian roots. A great little park - much recommended!

Queens Park is one of Birmingham's best parks in my opinion, its very secluded and not very known…read moreabout and all the better for it! We don't have many great outdoor spaces in Harborne so its a great place for young children, teenagers and adults too. Its has a great open large space, people come here to play football, tennis (has 2 tennis courts), basketball (has a basketball court). Has a playground area for young children. Very popular with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists. Ive been here day and night and never had any trouble, the gardens are well kept and very pretty in every season. There is 2 car parks available on site which is free, space available for disabled vehicles too. A great little park!

Grove Park is a medium-sized Victorian park in Harborne with a nice little lake, playground,…read morefields, and plenty of trees and flowers. It is absolutely beautiful year round and one of my favourite places to go toss a frisbee, or sit and watch the ducks. I pretty much always detour through the park on my way to Harborne High Street. It's never overrun with people, even in the summer months, and has fields that are great for dog walking, picnics, and playing sports. Grove Park has a few wide paved paths that leave plenty of room for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as some small hidden dirt paths. There are plenty of benches. Absolutely stunning foliage year round, buzzing with wildlife, and lots of little nooks to be explored.

Grove Park is situated in the South of the city just off Harborne Park Road - it's about a 5 minute…read morewalk from the top end of the High Street, one of two parks in the area and very close to the well regarded St Peter's junior and infant schools. As well as having a rather nice lake, several large fields that are ideal for dog walking (and at weekends often double up as football fields - jumpers for goalposts and all that) it hosts a popular children's play area, several nice benches where you can sit and admire the view and a recently restored lodge. The latter is a nod to 'The Grove' - previously the home of social reformer and Birmingham's first Member of Parliament, Thomas Attwood which stood in the grounds of what is now the park but was sadly demolished in the 60s.

This place is another indoor play area for kids, they seem to be the only places I get to visit…read morenowadays!! It is actually fairly small and so can get fairly crowded at weekends and durin the school holidays. There are seperate areas for over and under fives and free squash for the kids . The party area is very small and i really would not recommend this. I once went to a party that they had double booked and all the parents and kids had to traipse into the attached pub for the party food. Because the pace was packed we had to stand in the aisles watching our children eat while other diners gave us dirty looks!!! Not fun on a saturday afternoon i can tell you. It is worth going to todler time during term time though as the entrance fee is a little cheaper and also parent/ carer gets a free drink and there is hardly anyone there. So you can take a book or watch the big screen tv while your child is occupied and happy and you can enjoy a bit of R & R. Parking is great and for those parents needing the support of an alcoholic beverage prior to any type of kids activity, the pubs next door.

We took our dog here last weekend following the recommendations here on Yelp. I've lived in…read moreBirmingham for 14 years and didn't even know the place existed despite having driven past it many times! Wow. What a place. The fist thing that struck me was how big it is for saying that I never knew it was there. A huge open golf course area (which is not your usual fancy pants golf club - dog walkers were very welcome), a children's play area and a beautiful wooded area. There is also a cafe but we didn't try that out. The paths are well kept and there are many dog waste bins. I didn't spot any dog mess on the ground - clearly it's a park for well behaved dog owners!! I was also struck by how well kept it is. The people who care for the park obviously take great pride in the park. There are some lovely sculptures and boards showing the history of the park. Absolutely loved it and it's now on our regular dog walking rota! I've deducted one point because the car park is tiny - we visited in February and it was very full so I imagine that in summer it's a nightmare. It did look as though there would be decent street parking around re area though.

This park has an active team who organise a great deal of activities year round. Their latest event…read moreis a tree walk and talk by Chris Shortis. Chris is a local resident and an expert when it comes to the many variety of trees in Warley Woods. We may take trees for granted but after one of Chris's walk and talk events you'll be forever hugging trees everywhere and telling them just how fabulous they are. A learn how to identify birds walk and talk by Liz Coleman who's an RSPB volunteer will get you twitching like crazy, you'll be amazed just how many birds we have flying about us. or you could just use the park to have a wander. It's 100 acres, about 4 miles from the city centre, offers free parking and is another of Birmingham's fantastic retreats.

You could be forgiven for not knowing about Martineau Gardens…read more Rather inconspicuous, it sits alongside a busy junction in the Edgbaston area and doesn't warrant much attention from the road. Once through the gates you find yourself in amongst fruit trees and carefully nurtured plants and flowers, on this occasion we didn't venture past the club house but had already witnessed an almost surreal scene of classes being given on the lawn with a tree being the focus of the lesson, needless to say the world of traffic noise and commuter squabble is soon forgotten. The staff were friendly when approached and assisted with our guesswork as to exactly which fruits blossomed within the protective netting of various beds. Martineau Gardens is a welcoming place and offers a great deal for anyone interested in the simple joys of gardening. Events are held regularly and more information can be found at their website: http://www.martineau-gardens.org.uk/visitor-information/plants-produce/

An oasis of calm just set back from busy Edgbaston roads…read more Volunteer gardeners are friendly and always willing to help. Produce and plants are also often for sale (wood chips, seasonal vegetables and fruit and preserves) There are always interesting things growing and it's good for a look around any time of year. They even have a mulberry tree, not many of those in the area. Their events are worth visiting as there's always a lot going on (from Seed swaps to Apple Days)There's also a great play area with large wooden ship for the tiddlywinks to have a play on.

Lots to see and do at this 15-acre botanical garden: a koi pond, aviary, butterfly house, bonsai…read morecollection, glasshouses, and many trails winding through various gardens. I was also witnessed a poor wild peacock being chased by children across the Main Lawn. Tickets are low-priced at £7.50 per adult. A 15 to 20 minute bus ride from the main city stops right by the garden. We didn't explore every nook and cranny, but covered the highlights in the hour that we stayed.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a medium-sized and well-maintained gardens a bit outside the…read morecity center. They have pleasant fields for strolling, a small area with some bird houses for your bird-watching enjoyment, plus some indoor greenhouses with plants from different climates. It's not that large, but you could enjoy an hour or two here. Come when the weather is nice to enjoy some greenery.

This is one of several parks in the area and possibly the least interesting one, but that's not to…read moresay it's not a good park. It's really just a large, open, square grassy area surrounded on three of its four sides by roads. I tend to walk my dogs over there when it's quiet as they can have a good old scarper about. There are three football pitches that dominate the space - two full size and one smaller, kids pitch. During the winter months there are goal posts erected by the council and on Sunday mornings there are usually one or two games going on. In the summer months it becomes extremely popular with students and gets invaded by literally hundreds of people enjoying BBQs, games and drinks. In fairness to those people they generally clean up after themselves and the park doesn't resemble Glastonbury festival the next morning. Recently some gym equipment has been installed in the park and, so far at least, this has remained intact and hasn't been vandalised, which I suppose tells you something about the area. As such it's popular with joggers who break up their runs with a few exercises.

Selly Park is a large, spacious area of parkland, and makes for one of the main University of…read moreBirmingham student hang-outs during the summer months. The park is a very good size, meaning that there's enough room for defacto areas to emerge daily for those wanting to play football or with a Frisbee, and those who just want to sit on the grass and soak up the sun. The park caters for all, being a perfect flat site for joggers and runners to loop around, and there's a well-equipped play park for young children that should keep them entertained for a good while. Recently, there has been some outdoor cross trainer exercise machines installed at various points around the perimeter for those wishing to break up their rigorous exercise regimes with... more exercise. The centre of the park lacks much identity, but large trees line the outside, making it a pleasant location.

I'll admit when I went to explore Barnford Hill Park, I was already mentally preparing a sneering…read moredismissal of a little bit of grass with the word 'park' tagged rather patronisingly onto it. Therefore I'm very pleased to write instead that Barnford Hill Park is a great place that I never even knew was on my doorstep! The place looks tiny from the road but is actually huge and boasts a cricket pitch, two playgrounds, a basketball court, some well-tended gardens and plenty of grass. Perhaps the best thing about the place however is the keep-fit equipment dotted along the paths. It's a bit like a free outdoor gym, with steel walkers, rowing machines, balance beams and various other equipment to help you get in shape. As I strolled round the Tuesday morning drizzle, I was amazed at how such a comparatively big place is so well secreted behind some houses. Next sunny day that comes along, I'll be down there with my bathing towel, book and gym headband.

Read about the 1953 Coronation Cup football tournament held at Barnford Hill Park in Alan Ahlberg's…read morebook 'The Boyhood of Burglar Bill' p37 onwards. Brilliant book about growing up in 1950s Oldbury.