There is a huge choice of activities and days on offer in Birmingham's city suburbs and the surrounding West Midlands. To the south, Lord of the Rings fans will want to follow the Tolkien Trail, while those with a sweet tooth will make a beeline for Cadbury World. To the west, Dudley boasts both a zoo and a castle, and that's not not to mention its excellent Black Country Living Museum. Also to the west, in Bridgenorth, the Severn Valley railway is a must for steam train enthusiasts. And if you're interested in other forms of transport, head east for a day out at the fascinating Coventry Transport Museum.

1 The Tolkien Trail
There is little doubt that recent Lord of the Rings films have boosted the profile of author JRR Tolkien. Most people associate Tolkien with Oxford, but few realise that his childhood was spent in the Birmingham suburbs.
Two areas are of special interest. To the south, Sarehole is not only said to be the model for ‘The Shire', the home of Hobbits, but Sarehole Mill is the likely model for ‘The Great Mill' featured in The Hobbit. And the Moseley Bog is thought to be the base for the ‘The Old Forest'. West of the city centre, in Edgebaston, is Perrott's Folly, a mid-18th century structure which, together with a Victorian tower (part of the local waterworks) is reputedly the inspiration for The Two Towers of Gondor. Download a copy of the Tolkien Trail leaflet from www.bmag.org.uk.

2 Cadbury World
On the southern edge of Birmingham is chocoholic's paradise: Cadbury World. Based in the suburb of Bournville, it gets around a half million visitors a year and tells an inspiring story. It all started in the quaker John Cadbury's grocer's shop. Inventing a chocolate nightcap (‘Cocoa Nibs') in the hope of enticing working men away from the demon drink, he was amazed by its popularity. Other products followed. Fifty years later, his sons George and Richard relocated to Bournville where a magnificent new factory was built along with a village to house the factory workers.
From there, Cadbury's expanded into a world-wide chocolate empire.
Cadbury World, attached to the Bournville factory, contains excellent displays on the cocoa bean, the manufacture of chocolate, and the history of the company. But by far the greatest attraction is the chocolate itself – free samples during the factory tour, and a cut-price bonanza in the factory shop afterwards.

3 The Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings
Established in 1967, Bromsgrove's Avoncroft open-air museum now contains 25 or more historic buildings spanning seven centuries. These range from agricultural buildings (a mill, a granary, and a wagon shed) through to industrial buildings (a forge cottage, a chain shop, and a merchants house), estate buildings (a dovecote and an ice house) to a variety of urban and other structures (chimneys, telephone kiosks, even an earth closet) all dotted around pleasant park-land.
A programme of events and demonstrations runs throughout the year, and whenever you visit you will be able to watch traditional craftsmen in action.

4 Dudley
Eight miles west of Birmingham lies Dudley. It was here, in the 17th century, that coal was first used to smelt iron, giving the region its rather pejorative name – the Black Country. Today it makes a great day out for three very good reasons.
First there's Dudley Castle. The romantic ruins of a Norman keep, built shortly after the battle of Hastings, offer splendid views out across the surrounding area. Blending in with the castle ruins is Dudley's second main attraction, the zoo. Established in 1937, it now has a fine collection of animals: take one of the zoo's guided tours to learn more about them.
Finally, it's well worth spending a day at the splendid Black Country Living Museum, located about a mile outside the town. A whole village of Black Country buildings has been erected on a 40-acre site and is filled with staff in period costumes, live demonstrations, and tram and canal trips, all aimed at giving you a taste of what life was like in the industrial heyday of the Midlands.


5 The Severn Valley Railway
Ten miles west of Dudley is the terminus of the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgnorth. A 16-mile, full-gauge railway linking Bridgnorth with Kidderminster, it has the largest collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock in the country. Trains run regularly through Hampton Load, Highley, Arley and Bewdley, with a typical family ticket for two adults and up to four children costing £29. Look out, too, for special events: children will love next May's Thomas the Tank Engine themed days.

6 Coventry Transport Museum
Moving from rail to road, the Coventry Transport Museum, some 20 miles south-east of Birmingham, is the largest museum of its type in the world. On show are more than 230 cars and commercial vehicles, 250 bikes and 90 motorcycles. Re-opened this March after massive refurbishment, it is now world-class.
Coventry has always been associated with the motor industry. The first car factory opened here in 1896, with Daimler being the city's first big success. Since then, the list of famous manufacturers (Armstrong-Siddeley, Humber, Hillman, Sunbeam and many more) and home-grown famous models (including the E-type Jaguar and the Mini) is almost endless.

7 Tamworth
Situated to the north-east of Birmingham, Tamworth offers two main attractions. The first is the Snowdome, housed in Tamworth's Leisure Island. It has three slopes, an ice rink, bars and restaurants. Sledging, tobogganing, ice-skating, skiing, snow-blading, and snow-tubing are all on offer here, but remember that the snow is real, so wrap up warmly. Drayton Manor Park is a fantastic theme park, packed with an array of white-knuckle rides as well as some smaller family rides and stalls and a good choice of places to eat. You can travel around the park by boat, train, or chairlift, and there is also a small zoo.