360-degree Ocean Tunnel
Britain's only fully transparent walkway, with sea turtles, sharks and rays passing overhead and underfoot in a million-litre tank.
The tunnel wraps all the way round you, floor included. That is the one thing Birmingham's aquarium can claim that no other in Britain can: a fully transparent 360-degree walkway through a million-litre ocean tank, where a green sea turtle the size of a café table drifts over your head and blacktip reef sharks circle at knee height. The building itself, on the canal at Brindleyplace, came from Norman Foster's office and opened in 1996, when it was the country's only sea-life centre nowhere near the sea. Inside, around sixty tanks run from tropical river fish through lit-up jellyfish to a colony of gentoo penguins and, as the finale, Ozzy and Ola, the first sea otters ever exhibited in the UK and the pair every child will still be talking about weeks later. Ramps and lifts carry pushchairs along the whole route, but the corridors are narrow and fill fast, and there is nowhere to leave a buggy or bags. The old 4D cinema no longer features; in its place is a separately charged VR experience (about £7) that you can skip without regret. Be honest about expectations. It is compact; ninety minutes to two hours covers it even at a dawdle, and the £28 walk-up price is steep for the size. The fix is simple: book a timed slot online and the adult ticket falls to about £19, with free rescheduling up to 24 hours before, and under-2s go free. Online booking is a practical necessity rather than a bonus, since entry runs in ten-minute slots and the morning ones sell out in the summer and Christmas holidays. It sits five minutes' walk from Broad Street and the ICC, two from the Brindleyplace tram stop and roughly fifteen from New Street station, with the Utilita Arena South car park on Sheepcote Street the nearest of the two the aquarium recommends for a hire car. The ideal visit is a wet winter or autumn afternoon when the city's other doors shut early; without children, skip it with a clear conscience and walk the canal instead.
Britain's only fully transparent walkway, with sea turtles, sharks and rays passing overhead and underfoot in a million-litre tank.
The first sea otters ever shown in the UK, rescued as pups in Alaska and now the finale that children remember longest.
A colony of gentoo penguins diving and jostling behind the glass; time your stop for a feeding session.
The Water's Edge, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HL
Half of it repeats: the tropical tanks and jellyfish look the same in every SEA LIFE. What is new here is the full 360-degree tunnel and the sea otters, neither of which London has. With children under ten it earns two hours on a rainy day; without children, or fresh from London, no.
Yes, the whole route is ramps and lifts and the buggy never needs folding, but there is no cloakroom so you push it the entire way, and the corridors get tight in school holidays. With two young children allow two hours including long stops at the penguins and otters, and book the first morning slot to stay ahead of the crowd.