Family day out

Visit Book tickets

Thinktank offers a fun, exciting and educational day out for all the family.

With four floors to explore, filled to the brim with over 200 hands-on exhibits, there is plenty for every member of the family to enjoy - from toddlers to great-great grandparents! Make a whole day of your visit, or stay for just a few hours.

With so much for families to see and do at Thinktank, we've put together this page to highlight some of the best bits and give you all the information you may need, to enjoy your family visit.

Family-friendly

Thinktank is designed to be a family friendly science museum. Expect interactive exhibits throughout the museum and plenty of opportunities to press buttons, dance, play games and learn through play. Get hands on and have fun!

Top Three

Feedback tells us that the Top 3 Family Favourites are Mini-Brum, the Planetarium and Science Garden.

Exhibition of a small city for children to learn and play in.
A group of schoolchildren watch a film on a planetarium screen
A child on a giant human sized hamster wheel.

MiniBrum

Come and play in our interactive mini city with several different role play zones to excite all interests. From a garage to a hairdressers, vets to a construction zone, plus racetrack, builders slide and more! This gallery is aimed at children aged under 8, and has dedicated areas for little ones age under 3. We are proud to say that Minibrum was created in collaboration with schools, families and community groups in the local area.

Planetarium

Explore the outer reaches of space, journey through the night-sky and adventure through the solar system! This gallery is suitable for all ages. We have a variety of shows available and some are specifically designed for children. Please check on arrival. A visit to the Planetarium is an additional cost.

Science Garden

The Science Garden encourages all ages to learn through experimentation and play. It brings themes of engineering, mechanics and transportation to life through over 30 hands-on (and 'bodies-on') exhibits. Don't miss the eight metre high clanging ‘Terminus’ machine and a giant human-sized hamster wheel!

Image gallery

Photo Gallery - Top Three Family Favourites

A girl smiling with her hands in the air sitting at the end of a slide.
Exhibition of a small city for children to learn and play in
MiniBrum
An adult and child smiling while wearing toy hard hats while building walls with foam bricks.
Two adults racing on the play race track.
An adult and child pressing a larger timer button.
An adult and a child playing with a wooden toy train set.
A child catching balls floating in the air.
A child sitting in a wooden play car.
A child's play building in MiniBrum constructed of mirrored circles with fashion and salon items inside.
The Salon area of MiniBrum
A group of schoolchildren watch a film on a planetarium screen
Planetarium
Stars and galaxies projected onto a Planetarium ceiling with seats underneath.
Planetarium
Earth projected onto a Planetarium ceiling with seats underneath.
Planetarium.
A science garden with trees, plants and science exhibits and two buildings in the distance.
Science Garden
A child in a giant hamster wheel.
Science Garden giant hamster wheel
An adult with a child putting balls into a wire tube in the Science Garden.
Science Garden
Two children playing with 2 water exhibits
Two children playing with an interactive water exhibit
Science Garden
A child using a science exhibition in a garden. She is a under a plastic dome and water pouring over the top of the dome.
Science Garden

Explore the galleries

There's so much to see within the galleries. Everyone goes at their own pace - there's no right or wrong about how long to stay, but with customer feedback, we recommend that you allocate yourself at least 4 hours to spend at Thinktank to get the most out of your visit.

Want to see exactly what is here? Then visit the floor plan page for a map.

Dinosaurs fans?

Then a visit to the Wild Life and Marine World galleries is a must!

Come face to face to with a Triceratops skull, see an Ichthyosaur and Giant Deer skeletons, and walk over a Jurassic crocodile!

An adult and two children looking into a display case containing a fossilised ichthyosaur.
Skull of a Triceratops dinosaur. It is a brown colour and has two horns on top of its head and one above its nose.

Love Transport?

We have a whole Move It gallery dedicated to the theme of transport!

Step on board the city of Birmingham train, or take your picture with the Railton Land Speed Record car.

Don't forget to look up at the planes, including a spitfire, above your head! Plus there's a wide range of other cars and motorbikes to stop and enjoy.

Silver coloured motorvehicle with a red winged horse portrayed on its side. The motor vehicle is long and thin.
A Penny Farthing bicycle with its high front wheel and small back wheel. The seat is high up above the front wheel.

Discover much more!

Meet Robothespian the Robot, press buttons to make him talk and sing to you! What other actions can you make him do?

See the oldest working steam engine in the world, the Smethwick Engine. Watch and wait as the bucket fills with water ready to drop - it falls approximately every 8 minutes, so don't worry if you just miss it.

Dress up and take some selfies in the Spitfire gallery where you can learn the science behind how aircraft fly.

A robot is standing in front of a boy. The robot appears to be talking or singing.

Introduce your kids to science as they explore, play and build - the best way to learn!

Image gallery

  • Skeleton of a giant deer with huge antlers in a display case
  • An Ichthyosaur skull in glass case with a family looking into it.
  • Close up of a name badge on a green train. City of Birmingham is written in gold lettering on a black background.
  • Vintage cars on dispaly at Thinktank.
  • An early motorcycle with black wheels, steel tubing and an upper body in green and cream with BSA in red letters written on the side.
  • Close up of water pouring from the top of a steam engine into a bucket then into a hopper at the bottom
  • Close up of top half of astronaut suit, the helmet has a mirrored visor
  • Large exhibition space containing a Spitfire plane suspended over vintage cars and bikes
  • A life size robot on display.
  • Side view of front wheels and engine of a steam locomotive train
  • Vintage car on display.
  • Two children looking at the Railton Land Speed Record car.

Activities and events

We run a range of hands-on activities and events at weekends and school holidays. These are suitable for all ages. The programming does vary, so we recommend you visit What's On for details. Activities can include:

A staff member doing a science experiment with fire and flames shooting out of a bottle
A staff member demonstrating forces by pulling a toy car along a table.
Two school children one of which is holding a skull
A young child with her hands in the air standing on a circle within a soft play area.

Science shows

Come along to our large theatre and watch one of our fun, educational and interactive science shows. From fabulous forces to monster mayhem - expect bangs, explosions, laughs and a whole lot more!

Interactive drop-in sessions

From science busking to kitchen science labs, children can investigate the world around them. They'll learn how to do some simple, exciting and interactive science demos with the help and support of our dedicated museum team.

Object handling and art activities

Join us for some highly interactive sessions with our handling collections. Forget "don't touch", we encourage getting hands on!

Under 8s activities

Our interactive under 8s sessions are designed to engage and inspire, allowing children to be creative and inquisitive. From Space Buggies to Dino Storytelling, we have some fun activities for all the family to enjoy.

Morning explorer sessions

We know that sometimes our museums can be a bit crowded and overwhelming for some visitors. If you or someone you care for are on the autistic spectrum; living with a sensory processing disorder; or have other special needs, you are very welcome to join one of our Morning Explorers sessions. These sessions allow adults and children to explore our museums at a quieter time, before we open to the public.

Toddler Thursdays

Join our family-friendly relaxed Planetarium experience, especially designed for little ones aged 1 to 3 years. Explore our night sky, look for shapes and patterns in the stars, and use our imaginations to blast off to explore the Solar System! Our adventure will finish with immersive space imagery ideal for your young astronauts!

See what's on

Where to eat, drink and shop

There are a few places to eat within Thinktank. Enjoy a hot or cold meal prepared for you at Thinktank in our Signal box café on the ground floor. For those who prefer a quick coffee and snack we have a handy coffee cart located in MiniBrum that sells refreshments and snacks.

You are welcome to bring your own lunch with you. We have created a dedicated picnic area with tables on the ground floor for you to bring your own lunch and snacks.

We also have a wonderful shop that sells a range of products, from pocket money toys to cuddly toy animals, science kits and LEGO.

Brightly-coloured coffee kiosk behind a mobile ice cream fridge attached to a bicycle
Café dining area in large exhibition hall, an old tram and steam locomotive train are in the background
A wooden jeep that is full of cuddly animal toys for sale.

Facilities for families

Pushchairs and Buggies

The museum is fully accessible to prams and buggies. There are central lifts to all floors within Thinktank and the Millennium Point building.

A buggy park is located in Minbrum.

Baby changing facilities

Baby changing facilities can be found on Levels 0 and 2.
If you need a nappy there is a dispensing machine in the Level 2 baby changing room or ask a member of staff at the Ticket Desk.

Baby feeding

We have bottle warming facilities and highchairs in the Signal Box café.

We also have quiet spaces on each level of the museum, which can be used for baby feeding, please speak to a member of staff if you need to use a quiet space.

Other facilites
  • Lockers
  • Toilets on all levels (including disabled toilets)
  • Car park available (operated by Birmingham City Council, charges apply)
  • Quiet rooms
    Thinktank can have high levels of noise at peak times. If, while you are visiting the museum, you find that you need somewhere quiet to retreat to, please speak to a member of staff who will assist you.

Tickets

  • Under 3s are FREE at Thinktank.
  • We now have a new family ticket for up to 4 individuals (with at least one child) for just £37.50*.
  • If you want to visit multiple times then you can become a member and can enjoy 12 months days out to all our sites.

For all admission options see tickets.

Home educators

Thinktank is a great place for home educators too. We offer group discounts and home educators can also take part in our schools educational programme too.

FAQs

Do I need to book in advance?

We highly recommend pre-booking your admission tickets to guarantee and speed up entry to the museum, particularly at busy times such as weekends and school holidays.

Our planetarium tickets currently need to be purchased at the ticket desk on arrival. (These are available on a first come first served basis and as a result tickets to the planetarium cannot be guaranteed for every visitor at this time).

What age is Thinktank suitable for?

Thinktank is a suitable for all ages! Many areas of the museum are specifically aimed at children (such as MiniBrum) but there are also areas that are great for older children and adults too.

When is a quiet time to visit?

Traditionally, October and February half term are our busiest weeks of the year.

We suggest visiting after 1.30pm during the school holidays as we get extra busy from 10am-1.30pm. Visiting after 1.30pm will still give you over three hours to discover the museum and make the most of our events programming.

If you are able to visit during the week outside of Birmingham school holidays you will find the museum is less busy.

How long does it take to look around?

We recommend that you give yourself 4 hours to spend at Thinktank to get the most out of your visit.

Is there a map of Thinktank?

Yes take a look at our floor plan page. You can also pick up one up at the reception desk on the day.

Do you have a car park?

We don't have our own car park but there are Birmingham City Council car parks very close by (the closest is just 20 metres away). See how to get here for more details.

If you are driving in, please be aware that Thinktank is located in the' Clean Air Zone', this means owners of the most high-polluting vehicles will be charged to drive within certain parts of the city centre. To check if your vehicle will be charged visit brumbreathes.co.uk

Is it easy to get to Thinktank by public transport?

Yes we are really easy to get to. Moor Street train station is just 10minutes walk way and New Street is 15 minutes walk away. There are lots of bus routes very close by too. See how to get here for more details.