Ever since I first dabbled into the world of Crazy Golf at Alton Towers, I have been hooked. There…read moreis just something about a group of adults with miniature putters and different coloured plastic balls walking around on fake grass that both amuses and entertains me greatly. When putting together a Weekly Yelp on fun things to do in the city, I spotted Mohamade A's review of this place and bookmarked it for something new to do on a Sunday. After a mad Friday night and busy Saturday, I just wanted to get out of house and do something fun (but not too intensive). Mini golf seemed to be the perfect low energy, silly activity for me and Dan to enjoy. First thing to note, Star City can be accessed by bus but offers plentiful free parking if you plan on driving. I haven't been here in a few years and was surprised to see quite a few newer businesses here (including at least a couple of independents). Adventure Island is at the front of the building and easy to spot with it's clear signage. As we had to get to the supermarket before it closed (ROCK'N'ROLL), we opted to do 18 holes instead of the full course. There are two different courses to choose from and you can do one for £6.45, the full 36 for £10.95 or there are combo deals for bowling and lazer tag as well. We decided on the "Lost Hut Trail" and off we went! Thus proceeded 45 minutes of frustration, fun and giggles around the course. In retrospect, we wish we had done both or opted for the "Hidden Cove" course (which boasts a volcano in the middle), but we will be back to try this at some point. It's of note that the venue has a bar (for golf/beer times) and does a 2-4-1 offer on a Wednesday. It would make a fun place for a date or a birthday party. Yeah, it's not high brow entertainment... but if you want to challenge someone to a duel - there are worse ways than with a miniture putter and a brightly coloured plastic ball. Recommended.

Since we always go bowling when in star city, we decided to try something else. We had amazing time…read morehere withgroup of friends. We thought it was going to be empty since it didn't look like anyone was going in or out by the entrance. We were suprised it was full of people. From couples to families. So many different crazy courses to keep you entertained and competitive till the end.

I went to watch the F1 movie I'm a huge fan of F1 and I took my niece with me who also loves F1 the…read moreperson who directs you were to go sent us to the wrong cinema we were already few minutes late and the movie was playing we assumed it had started so we sat down and watched not realising that we had been sent to the wrong movie and it was half way through already . This ruined the movie for me as we only realised at the end we were sent to the wrong one .

Affectionately referred to by some as 'Stab City' (doesn't take a wild imagination to guess why)…read morethis is a kind of a shell of an entertainment venue. Yes, the Vue cinema is fine and has loads of screens - so whilst it gets busy you can normally see whichever film you want without feeling rammed into the last seats. The restaurants are all chains - and very bland ones at that. There used to be a fairly decent Mexican, but even that has now gone and been replaced by a KFC/Nandos/McDs/delete as appropriate. There's a casino, but I have no interest in that, and there's a bowling alley / amusement arcade which is always rammed with tweens. When it was first built, there was a climbing centre spanning the interior dome of the atrium, and they installed a dry ice slope to sledge down alongside the escalators.. there was also shops to keep people entertained, but slowly and surely these have all closed down. Now it's just a large vacuous space with chain restaurants, a chain cinema, and a gaudy casino skirting the edges. I go to Star City on the very rare occurrence they're showing a film I want to see that isn't on elsewhere, or if I manage to score free tickets via showfilmfirst or a similar offer. Otherwise, there's nothing for me in the entire 'entertainment' establishment.

If you're an enjoyer of local urban wildlife then I suggest a visit to this nature reserve. There's…read morearound 30 acres of natural open space, woodland, meadow and a number of pools. This is a natural attraction for all kinds of wildlife. There's a visitor centre manned by friendly and knowledgeable staff who take pride in their work. There's a Ranger Service too which is always on hand to help with education. Get children involved early with the Plantsbrook Young Explorers club which meet every third Saturday of the month, it's for 7 - 11 year olds and membership is absolutely free. Of course this area is used by the usual dog-walkers, joggers, strollers and so on but my advice when you pay a visit is to get involved, ask the staff about stuff, you'll be surprised what you learn.

Billesley Tennis club provides an all weather Tennis facility for all budding Tennis players. It…read moreoffers indoor and outdoor courts, with the indoor courts being the most popular and the outdoors serving as an overflow. Often as Billesley becomes busy the courts are rotated but playing outdoors, when the weather is agreeable surrounded by fellow tennis players it's no real hardship. Inside you'll find changing rooms and snack dispensers, enough to keep you going. On this occasion the wind was up, but not enough to impact on our game. Staff were friendly and professional and Tennis equipment was available for hire. Tennis was seen as a sport for the rich but with the increase in availability of Tennis facilities it is only a matter of time before we start to see professional tennis players from a wide range of backgrounds.

I didn't even know this place existed until I went to play football on the astroturf that sits…read morealongside it. I went into the tennis centre to get changed, only to be told that the astroturf belongs to Moseley Rugby Club, which is next door. I then had to clamber over a few fences and almost done myself an injury, but that's another story. The tennis centre itself is very impressive and I've been back on a few occasions as my friend's son competes here. There are four outdoor courts that are in excellent condition, but it was the inside that really impressed me. The changing rooms and public areas are clean and spacious, and the indoor tennis facilities are superb. They also offer a good range of clubs and instruction, from young kids to adults. Next time the Wimbledon insanity takes temporary hold, you know where to go.

As a keen swimmer, I've always longed for somewhere that allows me to have a swimming only…read moremembership and access to a steam room, and yet I've never found anywhere that offers this. Personally, I'm not interested in using the gym; sweaty, horrible places full of grunting, depressed looking people, rather like 80's rock clubs (at least until the Jack Daniels kicked in). Anyway, I digress... Undeterred in my pursuit of a swimming only membership and determined that my days of being a human apple in a life size game of apple bobbing, which is how it feels to use the local council pool when half of Birmingham has the same idea, I managed to find a local venue that offered just what I wanted. North Solihull Sports Centre is part of Parkwood Leisure, and they offer something called Swim 23. Simply put, for £23 a month, you can use the huge pool (so huge you need hawk like eyesight to see the far end), the steam room, sauna and (drum roll please) Jacuzzi. Well, I was impressed, and went along just over a week ago to take a cheeky look and see if it was for me. Okay, I knew it was (they had me at steam room) but it's good to play a little bit hard to get! I went for the first time on Monday, and really enjoyed it. Okay, it's not a spa. The changing rooms are unisex but the showers are in cubicles, and they have plenty of them. The steam room whilst small and deliciously hot, the Jacuzzi the same, and just because I was like a kid in a brand new sweet shop, I ventures into the sauna too. With friendly staff and decent enough facilities for a very affordable price, I am delighted with my new membership! They also have a gym, and run lots of different classes. There's plenty of parking, oh, and a cafe (which I've yet to explore). It's a decent place with good facilities, and affordable memberships.

Visited this centre about a year back…read more. Chemsley Wood in general is a deprived area of Solihull (that's not be snobby) in parts but for the facility and the customers that go in there are generally friendly. For the pool I will say it probably has one of the best up to date pools in Birmingham and Solihull. The gym is big saw it but never used it, the site is run by Parkwood Leisure which also run Tudor Grange Leisure Centre which is a bigger facility. I like the pool, I don't know how much it accommodate for lane swimming so best to check with the site yourself, one thing you need to be aware is their deep end is very deep like 3.0m. and the deep end is in the middle of the pool which I find quite strange. I once had a go trying to get to the bottom of their pool I managed it but i ended up coming back up in the lane area haha. Must of travelled far. It looks like since Parkwood took over it has been refurbished a lot, so it is very nice, it has a big sports hall which i assume is popular with badminton etc. Their memberships don't come cheap its like £39 a month I was a member once at tudor grange where i'm paying £10 less than that with Birmingham Community Leisure Trust and some of their sites have big gyms as big as this one, so Parkwood maybe want to work on their pricing strategy. Also within the Solihull area their ain't enough public pool as there are 2... Tudor Grange and this one, plus a load of private ones at probably silly prices, so maybe Parkwood and Solihull Council want to look at building atleast 2 more around the Solihull area maybe in Marston Green and maybe one in the posher areas so they ain't enough in my opinion.

If there's one activity that my friends and family are mutually fanatic about, then its bowling! We…read moreoften head down to Bowlplex, which is in the Broadway Plaza complex. Underground paid parking is available, although you could be cheeky and look for side-street parking. Bowlplex isn't limited to just bowling. There's a restaurant area, bar, arcade and American Pool upstairs. So, in general there's something to keep all ages engaged. Parties can be booked here too, so don't be surprised to find a whole load of balloons and excited kids if you go at the weekend! They usually have offers available during the holidays, although it gets very busy at this time. Generally, the more games you play, the cheaper it is. There is also a "Munch and Play" deal where you can eat from the grill and bowl (although not simultaneously!) for £13.50 for adults. It's a fun-day out for the family, especially when it's too cold to be outdoors!

Who loves Bowling?? Then if you do, Bowlplex is somewhere you should go. It's situated in the same…read moreBroadway complex where AMC cinema, Frankie & Benny's, Subways and more are located. Bowlplex (Broadway Complex) is situated just before you get to Hagley Road and just after the big six ways roundabout near Broad Street. Bowlplex is a great place to take kids if you have any because of the fun factor. It's a brilliant way to entertain the family but also as a parent enjoy and relax in the bar area which they have- you can even treat yourself to a cold beer or maybe just stick to a J20 which your kids play. They also serve food in the restaurant/bar area but if I remember rightly there is an age restriction in the bar area, so you'll need to be aware of this. I don't have kids so it's something I didn't enquire about when I last went. Not to worry about that though, as there's plenty of activities kids can do; not just bowling. There are arcade type games which the small and the big kids will all enjoy.

I'm without a car but close to a railway station so Tudor Grange Park was a great find for me as it…read moreis within easy walking distance of Solihull Train Station. The quickest way to get to it is to go down the station steps and when the lift is in front of you turn LEFT (it's a right turn to the bus station and the shops, past the ticket office) This leads to a public footpath, turn left again and walk for a minute until you reach the main road. Cross at the pelican crossing before the railway bridge and walk into the swimming baths car park, carry on walking alongside the leisure centre and you'll soon be in the park. Last time I went there was some building work going on but it was still easy to negotiate your way round. There's a wide flat expanse of green, ponds with geese etc. and a children's play area that has a good variety of playthings. My children especially like the slide as it is (by their standards) a high one. I've bitten my nails a few times watching a 3 year old climb up it. There's a skate park next to it and in school holidays and at weekends this can get quite busy. I've seen quite a high standard of skaters here and they can attract a wealth of hangers -on. Plenty of stuff to have fun with on a fine day, then just a short walk back to the station and home. I looked it up in the A-Z and it looks as if there are a number of different entrances to it that locals would probably use but I'm just a tourist and come by train!

Very good gym, friendly staff, good facilities including cage and boxing ring, bags, a room…read morededicated to hyrox and outdoor weight section for the summer. Tobias sorted me out

This park is a little more disappointing when compared to Old Yardley Park up the road; it doesn't…read morehave as much to explore. It's good for children to play football on, because there's a great stretch of grass, but there isn't that much to seee regarding plants or forestry. When I was at school, I used to love coming here when it was snowing; there are some great hills, which are perfect for sledging. Me and my mates would always go up here to build snowmen and to have huge snowball fights. (To be honest, I'd do this again if I could persuade my friends to!) The top end of the park is probably the best, because there's a couple of large tennis courts. If you can get them, they're really great to play on, but there's usually always people using them during the summer. There's a play area in here too, but it's not a very good one for young children, because it's dirty and grotty. There's usually some older youths messing about on the swings and smoking too. The youths do ruin the park a quite bit, and I've seen a few riding scooters and quad bikes all over it, which is obviously very dangerous for any pedestrians, and especially dangerous for really young children.