Harran

The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley is an open-air museum of rebuilt, replica and recreated shops, houses and industrial workshops, spread across 26 acres of former industrial land. Historic characters in period settings chat to visitors and demonstrate traditional skills, such as hand-forging nails and casting brass. The visit is self-guided, so you can explore at your own pace.

Tip: Allow 4 to 5 hours, and head first to the trams or trolleybuses to reach the village at the heart of the site.

West Midlands Safari Park, near Bewdley in Worcestershire, combines a drive-through safari with walk-through animal areas and an adventure theme park. The four-mile Safari Drive takes you past lions, giraffes, rhinos, tigers and more, including white lions and cheetahs, with the cheetah reserve billed as the UK's largest drive-by one.

Worcester Cathedral rises above the River Severn and has been a place of worship for fourteen centuries. The present building was begun in 1084 and is Grade I listed. Inside you will find a Romanesque crypt, a chapter house dating from 1120, medieval misericords and a central tower completed in 1374.

Tip: Join a guided tour if one is running, as visitors rate the library tour highly. Summer holidays can be busier.

Dudley Zoo & Castle is a 40-acre zoo within the grounds of Dudley Castle, in the Black Country. It opened in 1937 and is run today by a registered charity. The castle ruins share the wooded hillside with the animal enclosures.

Tip: The site is steep, and the car park is barrier-operated with a token needed to exit, so keep that in mind when you arrive.

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is a small zoo on the edge of Cannon Hill Park, run by Birmingham City Council. The council describes a collection of animals from across the world, including lemurs, reptiles, meerkats, otters, birds, wallabies and a large collection of monkeys.

Tip: You can turn up and pay at reception, but the council encourages everyone to pre-book online and to have the original confirmation email ready to show, as screenshots and forwarded emails aren't accepted.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, is the former farmhouse where Shakespeare's wife-to-be was born and raised. The earliest part dates to 1463, and despite the name it is a twelve-roomed house with visible timber framing and several chimneys. Inside you can see original furniture, including the Hathaway bed, and learn about the family who lived here for 13 generations.

Tip: Pre-booking is recommended. Backpacks are limited and given out first come, first served, so ask for one when you arrive.

Spetchley Park Gardens is a 30-acre garden on the doorstep of Worcester, part of the Berkeley family's estate. It mixes formal, informal and woodland gardens, and very little has changed since Ellen Willmott's day. You can wander walled gardens, a melon yard with its original glasshouses, a Victorian conservatory, a root house, rose gardens, lakes and bridges, plus superb herbaceous borders and fine specimen trees.

Tip: Picnics aren't permitted, so plan to have lunch at the garden café.

The National Sea Life Centre is an aquarium in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, beside the canal and opposite Arena Birmingham. The building was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and the centre opened in 1996 as the only inland sea life centre in the UK.

Tip: Book online in advance, as entry is at a chosen timed slot.