Are you planning on visiting Thinktank Birmingham? Would you like information on Thinktank vouchers or discount offers? How about the best spots for free Thinktank parking? Well you’re in the right place! Scroll on for everything you need to visit this award-winning science museum from a local resident. Find out how to get cheap or free entry tickets and free parking places.
Thinktank Vouchers. Thinktank Prices for entry.
The standard adult ticket costs £13.50 and a child ticket (3-15 years) is £9.75 with under3s entering for free. There are various family combo tickets that will work out cheaper however there are a few options of getting tickets even cheaper. Entry to the Science garden only is free after 3pm.
Free entry weekend Thinktank vouchers.
Twice a year (usually around December and May although the dates aren’t set in stone) Birmingham Museums open up the Thinktank to the public for free over a number of days. Admission is via a leaflet which they hand out to schools and other public organisations such as libraries, community centres and leisure centres too. The catch here is that these vouchers are only available in certain areas of the city and they don’t usually publicise their availability. It is however, easy to find out by simply emailing them and asking then going to a library or other location to grab a leaflet or 2 or 3!
Aside from giving you free entry into the Thinktank this particular voucher will also give you 50% off a 12 month membership plus fee. Previously this offer was open to one and all however, recently it is restricted to residents of certain local postcodes. This is great if you happen to live in one of these postcodes as membership plus allows you free entry into all Birmingham Museum sites as well as other benefits. It’s even better of you find a friend to share membership with as this reduces the cost down even further so you end up splitting the cost and pay a quarter of the usual membership price. So what can you do if you don’t live in the specified postcode? Well perhaps you know someone in the postcodes who would be happy to get membership on your behalf and add you as second adult on their card? It’s definitely worth asking around.
Thinktank Groupon Discount.
Groupon will usually have discounted tickets on which remain valid for up to three months so it’s worth planning your trip in advance to make use of the Groupon discounts. Adult prices go down to £8 and child entry is £6. Waiting to purchase when Groupon has one of their flash discounts across the board will make the prices reduce even further so always keep an eye out and purchase when the discounts can be piled up.
2FOR1 National Rail Vouchers.
If you’re travelling by train your ticket could be valid for their 2FOR1 offer which allows one person to enter free when one adult pays the full admission fee. Check before travelling to make sure your ticket/voucher is valid and don’t forget to print the voucher – vouchers on mobile devices are not accepted.
£3 admission fee after 3pm term time weekdays only between 3 June-22 July 2019
The above special offer will be on until 12 April 2019 and then back on again between 2 June – 22 July 2019. Make the most of it by arriving bang on time since they close at 5pm.
Thinktank Birmingham Parking. Best & Closest places to park and free parking places.
There are a number of places to park around the Thinktank the closest being Millenium Point car park which is right next to the Thinktank. Be warned; it does get busy and you’ll be lucky to find spaces since a lot of spaces are taken up by season ticket holders working in the city centre. If you do find a space then it’s best to park on the second floor so you can walk straight into the Thinktank reception area and won’t need to go up or down the lifts.
There are two cheaper alternatives which are about a 5 minute walk away. The first is on Freeman Street very next to Moor Street Station. This is usually my go to parking space when visiting the city centre or the Thinktank since there’s usually space available and it’s cheaper than Millenium Point car park. The second is the car park on the corner of Andover street and Fazeley street which is well priced and is FREE on Sundays.
Thinktank Birmingham Parking – FREE options.
As I mentioned above there is free parking on Sundays on the corner of Andover and Fazeley Street. There are also free street parking spaces on Banbury Street and directly across the Thinktank on Curzon Street(see 1st map) but be warned; finding spaces there at a decent time is like gold dust! The other option is to park around the residential areas about a 10 minute walk away from the Thinktank (see map below).
What to expect – Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum
Now you’ve got free or cheap admission tickets and free (hopefully) parking (take your own snacks too!! Picnic area & café available as well as microwaves to heat up food) what can you expect on your visit? There’s enough to keep you and your little ones busy for a full day especially when the weather is pleasant.
Since entry is on level 2 we’ll start there and work our way up the levels then down to level 1 and out at level 0 with a summary of what to expect and the must-sees/dos.
Level 2 – Entrance & Shop
Buy your tickets here and get a map, ‘what’s on’ guide/info sheet. If you’re planning on going to the Planetarium (yes please!) get your tickets here too. Have a quick glance at the ‘what’s on’ guide and book/buy any tickets you fancy for workshops you’d like to do etc. You should do this here because tickets will sell out for popular workshops and numbers are limited so get in early especially at weekends (Lego workshops are particularly popular). If there are any quizzes or trails running then get your sheets here too – there may be a little gift on offer on completion. I’d avoid the shop until the end just so you don’t lose too much time there especially if you’re on tight schedule.
There’s a cloakroom and buggy park as well as lockers (keep a trolley coin or pound coin handy for this) available on this level. If needed there’s also a quiet room for nursing or praying – ask staff to open it up for you.
We usually spend most of our time on this level since Kids’ City is located here. Our kids enjoy playing dress up as Police, paramedics and chefs not to mention they love operating the digger. There’s also an amazing water play area on level 2 so bring a spare top or 2 if your little ones are likely to enjoy the water a bit too much! If your kids are anything like mine you’ll have trouble dragging them away from Kids’ City. When you do manage it there’s the Marine Worlds Gallery to enjoy which includes the giant Itchysaurus & Triceratops skull and the human body hands on/interactive section (yes this is where the kids get to hear plopping poops and farts).
Level 3 – Planetarium & The Future
Our favourites on this level are the Planetarium, Robothespian and controlling the Mars Rover.
If you’ve got tickets for the Planetarium be sure to arrive 5 minutes before the show. Doors are closed once the show has started and latecomers will miss out (experience talking here!). There’s a space to park pushchairs close by if need be. The kids enjoy programming Robothespian the life-sized robot however this usually gets busy after a Planetarium show so it’s usually a good idea to get in there before the crowds come out – the same goes for the Mars Rover.
Level 1 – Spitfire Gallery
The star of this level is undoubtedly the real life Spitfire hanging on display in the gallery. There are lots of hands on displays that tell the story of Birmingham’s manufacturing history but our kids mostly enjoy playing pilot and dressing up in caps and goggles when they sit in the cockpit. If you walk to the end of the gallery on this level towards the Mini assembly area and look down on to level 0 this is where you see the water filling up into the Smethwick engine and get the best view as it tips forward and empties itself out – guaranteed to thrill the kids every single time.
Level 0 – Smethwick Engine & Industrial Birmingham
There are plenty of machines to keep kids, big and small, interested here; the Smethwick engine being the star of the floor. The oldest working steam engine in the world gets powered up on certain days of the year and its worth keeping an eye on the dates here if you’d like your visit to coincide with a steaming of the engine. Running in and out the old steam locomotives is fun as is watching all the cogs and wheels turn and whirr.
By the time you’ve reached this level it’s probably time to fill up on some munchies so there’s a café and picnic area close by. There are microwaves available to heat up your own food too. Don’t forget members get a discount in the café. Arts & craft activities usually happen on this level too from 3pm onwards (picnic tables).
Science Garden & Kids’ Park
We usually leave this part of the museum till then end since it’s outdoors and you cannot access it until you’ve paid for entrance (unless you’re entering after 3pm of course) which is on Level 2 so it always seems to make sense to leave the outdoor section till last (make sure to leave enough time – at least an hour – & energy for this especially when the weather is great! ).
The Science garden has much more to offer than the Kids’ park so it’s usual always busier. The hands on discovery area will give kids a chance to explore different types of mechanics including a human pulley and human size hamster wheel. It’s great for kinesthetic learners and for using up those last bits of energy before heading home. The Kids’ park is much smaller in comparison and has hands on exhibits that’ll help kids understand the science behind the three senses of touch, sound and movement through musical games and super-sized instruments (the huge chimes are a favourite here).
We visit the Thinktank at least once a month and have been doing that for over a year – it’s a form favourite in this family and our boys don’t seem to tire of it. It helps that the activities are always stimulating and there’s different things on offer every time. It’s definitely one to visit regularly or anytime you come to Birmingham for sure and as I’ve shown above it can be a relatively cheap day out with a bit of planning.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve been and what your thoughts are. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy it there as much as we do!
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