2021 is well and truly the year of the staycation and instead of thinking about all the things we can’t do this year to relax and unwind, we thought we’d focus on what we could do to create the best staycation ever! And what better year to do it than in 2021, Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture. There’s so much to do that we didn’t have room for everything so here’s our pick of some of the best things to do on your doorstep this summer!
Get Learning!
C0ventry Music Museum: Covering the history of Two Tone and much more, the recently expanded Coventry Music Museum celebrates the many artists to come out of Coventry & Warwickshire. King, The Enemy, Hazel O’Connor, Delia Derbyshire, Panjabi MC are all showcased, as are The Coventry Carol, Frank Ifield, The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat and Madness.
Coventry Police Museum: Enjoying a new location at Hertford Street, find out about some of the city’s more gruesome past. Included in the museum is Mary Ball’s ‘death mask’, the last woman to be hung in Coventry in 1849 alongside original exhibits from the murder of Ringo- Bells pub landlady Amy Davis, which happened in 1945.
Coventry Transport Museum: Housing the largest publicly-owned collection of British vehicles on the planet, Coventry Transport Museum tells the story of a city which changed the world through transport. 14 fully accessible galleries are home to the fastest vehicle in the world, pioneering bicycles, transport champions and many of the most innovative, memorable and luxurious vehicles of the last 200 years.
Coventry Watch Museum Project: Watchmaking was first recorded in the city in the 1680’s, but it was not until the 18th century that Coventry emerged as one of the main centres of the watchmaking industry in England. Proudly illustrating Coventry’s influence within the British watchmaking industry, the Coventry Watch Museum houses a display of clocks, watches, tools, artefacts and family history records and much more.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum: This year home to the illustrious Turner Prize, The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is the perfect place to delve into Coventry’s history and immerse yourself in world class art. Investigate the natural world, modern art, and the Old Masters. Permanent galleries range from the Visual Arts, to Social and Industrial History, Archaeology and Natural History.
Midland Air Museum: Based by Baginton Airport, exhibits at the Midland Air Museum range from the magnificent Avro Vulcan bomber through more than 30 other historic aircraft, both civil and military, aero engines and other artefacts, to a wide range of memorabilia.
Get Historical…
St Michael’s Tower Climb: The best view in Coventry! Open 7 days a week except during bell ringing sessions. the Cathedral Tower Climb is not recommend for children under 8 due to the amount of steps and the nature of the climb.
The Weaver’s House: You can’t look into Coventry’s past without visiting Spon Street, home to The Weaver’s House which has been restored to show how it would have looked in 1540. Experience how John Croke, a Coventry narrow-loom weaver and his family would have lived and worked. At the back of the Weaver’s House is a medieval garden showing the plants that would have been grown for food, flavouring, medicine and household use.
The Charterhouse: Surrounded by parkland in the centre of Coventry, Charterhouse is a Grade I listed 14th Century Carthusian Monastery that was home to a silent order until the Chapel and other religious buildings were destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and used as building materials.
St. Mary’s Guildhall: Located in the city’s historic Cathedral Quarter, St. Mary’s Guildhall miraculously survived the Second World War bombing raids and is home to stories of death, intrigue, scandal and spilt custard… A prison to Mary, Queen of Scots, a theatre for Shakespeare and an inspiration to George Eliot, St. Mary’s Guildhall is a fascinating free experience for all ages, at the historic heart of the city of Coventry.
Get Active…
Ballroom Climbing Wall: From beginners to professionals, the dedicated bouldering centre has over 200 bouldering routes across 700sqm of climbing surface and is constantly changing and innovating to bring the best experience to climbers.
Go Ape: With the beautiful backdrop of Coombe Country Park to your treetop experience Go Ape has something for thrill-seeking adults and fun-seeking children with their high ropes and zip wires through the trees including the Plummet – a stomachchurning 12-metre vertical drop and an exclusive Alpine zip-to-zip.
Escape Coventry! There are two escape games to play in Coventry with Fargo Village’s, Escape Live, offering an experience for 2-20 people in a fully immersive world where they must crack codes, solve puzzles and work together in order to unlock the mystery and escape the room.
Meanwhile, Escape Reality in Broadgate gives teams just 60 minutes to escape one of their six uber-real rooms.
Jam Jam Boomerang: Perfect for those with younger children, Jam Jam Boomerang features a 3-floor play frame for children aged 4-12 years with bridges, rollers, aerial glides, ‘bish bags’, 4-lane wavy slide and the ‘depth drop’ covered slide. With a separate area for the younger children, Jam Jam’s have a 2-floor play frame and a great car track!
Teezers Retro Golf & Cocktails: Teezers is 18-holes of retro-themed, adults-only mini-golf course, created from all your favourite memories of yesteryears in the centre of Coventry. Putt your way through all sorts of bizarre holes from Cool Runnings, ET, or even Bullseye.
Laser Quest: Laser Quest will challenge your skills, tactics and fitness; available for ages seven years and upwards. Be prepared for the ultimate Laser Tag experience taking you to a new generation of sport and fun!
The Wave: Coventry’s brand new water park not only has an amazing pool to splash around in but there are six high-octane slides to enjoy that have been precision-engineered for maximum fun for thrill seekers and water babies alike.
Get Out!
Coventry Canal Basin: Why not start one of the fascinating art trail treks from Coventry’s Canal Basin or take a ride on the The Coventrian Narrow Boat, owned and operated by The Living Environment Trust. The boat is available for private hire cruises, children’s parties and themed events; all cruises are operated by an experienced skipper, and hospitality staff are also onboard during the cruise.
Allesley Park Walled Garden: Explore the kitchen garden as it might have looked 200 years ago. The Walled Garden is an exquisite example of 18th Century Georgian planting at its best with one-quarter of the one-and-a-half acre site replanted with vegetable beds, fruiting trees and flower borders.
Brandon Marsh Nature Centre:
220 acres of nature to explore including a wide variety of large pools, bird hides, woodland walks and wildflower meadows. This former quarry is now home to a number of iconic species including kingfisher, cuckoos and otter.
Ryton Pools Country Park:With 100 acres to explore, Ryton Pools Country Park offers many different habitats to a wide range of birds and other wildlife. What’s more the excellent surfaced paths enable easy ,walking around the site and provide access to an adjoining ancient woodland.
