At Austin Court and got some free time?

If you have some time free and you need to get some fresh air why not think about visiting the following places close to Austin Court?

Legoland Discovery Centre

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham is the ultimate indoor LEGO playground. The attraction is full of totally awesome LEGO activities including a 4d Cinema, two rides, a build and test zone to improve LEGO your building skills, as well as a LEGO cafe to sit back and enjoy after a fun day of building. IET Members can gain discounts through Member Rewards.

Bosworth Cruises

An unforgettable experience exploring beautiful and mysterious views of Birmingham Canals, offering cruises every day around the canals, taking you on a magical trip all the way from Brindley Place to the Vale

The Birmingham Canals

Visiting and leaving Birmingham without a trip to its famed canals would be a missed opportunity. Brindleyplace is where the main hub of the city centre canal network is situated, and the area is populated by many fine eateries and drinking establishments. 

Perrott’s Tower

Perrott’s Tower has called Birmingham home for almost 300 years and almost looks fit for Rapunzel with her long flowing hair. Legend has it that Perrott’s Tower inspired J. R. R. Tolkien (who lived nearby) with key references to use in his The Lord of the Rings books, who knew?

National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham

Dive and be wowed by the many strange, beautiful and fascinating creatures of the deep as you journey through the amazing underwater world of The National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham. Prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish to tropical sharks. IET Members can gain discounts through Member Rewards.

The Distillery

Just a stone’s throw away from Austin Court, this relatively new gin distillery is the perfect place to pick up a bottle of their own signature blend gin; Roundhouse Gin after a day of meetings. The Distillery also hosts Gin School sessions where guests can create their own bespoke gin while enjoying regular gin and tonic top-ups throughout the session.

Ikon Gallery

Located in the trendy Brindleyplace complex, this two-floor gallery showcases contemporary art and entry is free. The Ikon Shop is Birmingham’s only specialist art bookshop, or after you’re done looking at the exhibition, relax at the Ikon café.

Roundhouse Birmingham

These nineteenth-century canal-side stables and stores in Birmingham city centre have been transformed by the National Trust and are in their final stages, soon to be accessible to the public. Still worth a look from the outside for the time being though, as it’s one of Birmingham’s most distinctive buildings.

Library of Birmingham

Tucked next to the Birmingham New Main Line Canal, the Roundhouse is a horseshoe-shaped building, constructed in 1874. It was designed by architect WH Ward as stables and stores, serving as the base for the City’s lamplighters and the horses of the Public Works department.

Hall of Memory

In tribute to those who lost their lives in combat from World War I to the present day, the interior of this sombre memorial offers books with the names of the fallen, as well as impressive stained glass windows and skylights.

Coffin Works

A Victorian Coffin Fittings factory, restored by Birmingham Conservation Trust and opened as a museum in October 2014. The shelves and workbenches at Newman Brothers are full of original stock and tools of the trade. With the original machinery working again, you can truly experience how this old Jewellery Quarter firm once operated on a day-to-day basis, producing some of the world's finest coffin furniture, including the fittings for the funerals of Joseph Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother.

Gas Street Basin

Once a thriving port, this area where several canals meet offers colourful canal boats, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Pen Museum

Did you know that Birmingham manufactured 75% of the world’s pens during the 19th century? The Jewellery Quarter was at the heart of the city’s pen trade, and you can check it all out for yourself at the Pen Museum. It’s not all just looking at pens though; you can try your hand at writing with feather quills, steel pens and use original typewriters.

Centenary Square

This city square in the heart of Birmingham features the War Memorial in its centre and is surrounded by important attractions such as the ICC, Birmingham Rep and the Symphony Hall.

Three Wise Men

This distinctive, gold-coloured statue is of Birmingham's three great industrialists and entrepreneurs who contributed greatly to the city's prosperity during the 18th century: Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

From Renaissance masterpieces and cutting-edge contemporary art to Egyptian mummies and the iconic HP factory sign, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery showcases a world-class collection and offers fascinating glimpses into Birmingham's rich and vibrant past. Highlights include the finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world and the largest find of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered - the Staffordshire Hoard.

Town Hall Birmingham

Birmingham's Grade I listed concert hall, managed along with sister venue Symphony Hall, is home to a diverse programme of events including jazz, world, folk, rock, pop and classical concerts, organ recitals, spoken word, dance, family, educational and community performances.

City Centre Gardens

A calm and quiet oasis located close to the International Convention Centre, which offers small and well-tended gardens of exotic-looking plants along with plenty of benches to just sit and relax.

Jewellery Quarter

The Jewellery Quarter is one of the oldest districts in Birmingham. Around a 15-minute walk from the Austin Court, the area has a reputation for high quality, bespoke Jewellery but is also home to countless independent restaurants, bars and cafes. The Quarter is home to over 200 listed buildings including the Grade I* St Paul’s Church which sits on top of the last Georgian Square in Birmingham.

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

Discover the skill of the jeweller's craft and enjoy a unique tour of an original jewellery factory, which traces the 200-year history of the ancient crafting skills that made Birmingham the centre of the British jewellery industry.

W. Evans Silver Factory

Established in 1881, J. W. Evans is one of the most complete surviving historic factories in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. To walk into the factory today is to enter a lost industrial world. Behind the frontage of four terraced houses, the workshops retain their original drop stamps and fly presses. They are packed with thousands of dies (like a mold) for the manufacture of silverware, as well as the whole of the working equipment, stock and records of the business.

Birmingham Cathedral

The UK's third-smallest Cathedral, but truly stunning and the only green space within the city. Designed in a fine English Baroque style, this elegant Cathedral is decorated with four stained glass windows by Pre-Raphaelite artist, Edward Burne-Jones.

Birmingham New Street Station

Redeveloped in 2015. The new concourse is three times larger and is enclosed by a giant atrium, allowing natural light throughout the station. The redevelopment has transformed the experience for passengers, improving links to and through the city centre and has plenty of opportunities for shopping and eating to pass the time until your train.

Victoria Square

This square has been changed recently from a grassy slope used for picnics during summer days to a European-style pedestrian plaza that is accessible throughout the year.​

Iron Man

Standing almost twenty feet high, this metal sculpture erected in 1993 depicts a stylized human figure bound like a mummy and leaning slightly to one side.

Peace Gardens

Created in 1995 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, this park was the site of the G8 summit in 1998, where world leaders planted trees that represented their respective countries.

Nanetta Stocker's Grave

Intrigued by the unusual? Visit the grave of "the smallest woman ever" in the British Isles, who was only 33 inches high when she died in 1819.

Assay Office Birmingham

The Silver Collection at Assay Office Birmingham is a historic collection of spectacular objects created by some of Birmingham's most celebrated Silversmiths including Matthew Boulton, Nathaniel Mills and Elkington & Co.

Birmingham Back To Backs

Birmingham’s last remaining Back To Back houses are now operated by the National Trust, which runs incredibly informative tours throughout the day. Get an insight into what it was like to live in this 19th-century courtyard, with original artefacts to be seen and stories to be heard. For the full, authentic experience, visits to the Back To Backs are by guided tour only, with advance booking essential.

Peaky Blinders tour

Delve into the depths of Digbeth and discover the original Peaky Blinders gang that roamed the back alleys of Birmingham’s suburbs, with Peaky Tours. Led by local historian (and legend) Carl Chinn MBE, you’ll head off on a walking tour of the sights and haunts of Victorian Birmingham that the real Peaky Blinders would frequent. The tour ends with an 1880s themed dinner and a Q&A session with Carl Chinn himself.

Hop on the water bus

Yeah, we know you know. Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice. But what better way to explore them than on Ariel The Narrowboat? Yes, it has a name, and it’s not exactly a gondola, but it costs a mere £4 and gets you around all of the main city centre canalside hotspots including The Mailbox and Brindleyplace!

If you have more time on your hands and want to venture further afield then why not visit these places?

Cadbury World

If you like chocolate (and hey, who doesn’t?) you’ll go out of your mind at Cadbury World. Travel through various chocolatey zones and learn all about the history, heritage and current-day workings of the world-famous brand. Play in chocolate rain, strap into the 4D cinema experience and watch the Cadbury chocolatiers reveal their secrets – yes, yes, you get to taste it too. At the end, you’ll find the largest Cadbury shop ever, where you can purchase copious supplies.

The biggest statue in Birmingham is, quite possibly... Faraday.

This bronze work celebrates the genius of leading scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867). He established the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics and invented an early form of the Bunsen burner. The year-2000 statue is half-man, half-machine – and at the right time of year, you can see the sun effectively burning a hole through its centre.

Go all Middle Earth at Sarehole Mill

Providing inspiration for Lord of the Rings author J.R.R Tolkien, Sarehole Mill is a 250-year-old working watermill which hosts a very special celebration each September. Taking place from September 9 to 10, the Middle Earth Festival is an annual celebration of the world-renowned author of the series, with re-enactments, a special elven path trail, pop up Two Towers brewery stand and much more. Entry to the festival is free and fancy dress is encouraged; discounted entry to the Mill is available on the weekend.