Activities in Dudley

Home to over 1,300 animals, including some of the rarest species in the world, Dudley Zoological Gardens is an award-winning zoo housed within the grounds of the historic Dudley Castle. They have a strong focus on conservation, with a large proportion of the animals that live there being linked to international breeding programmes. Admission costs around £15 for adults, or a little bit more if you choose to donate to their charitable work, and there are discounted prices for children, concessions and families.

One of the biggest and best open-air museums in the UK, the Black Country Living Museum provides a fascinating insight into the world’s first industrial landscape. Historic Dudley buildings, cars, and day-to-day life have been recreated. You feel truly immersed as you walk the cobbled streets and learn about the history of the area without any glass cabinets or velvet rope barriers to get in your way. Fans of Peaky Blinders will be particularly interested, as this is where much of the first four seasons of the show was filmed. Admission costs less than £20 for an adult with cheaper tickets for children and concessions. Visit their website for up-to-date information on opening times.

A former mining area now transformed into a peaceful park complete with woodland trails, play areas and a sensory garden, Baggeridge Country Park is a great place to spend some time with nature. It’s located a few miles northwest of the town centre and has plenty of parking spaces as well as toilets, baby changing facilities and a tea room.

Cut from the same cloth is Saltwells Local Nature Reserve, a former mining quarry turned countryside haven. This is one of the nicest walks in the area, with interesting sculptures throughout. It’s both fascinating and pleasing to see how nature is reclaiming this former quarry, with fields of bluebells blooming in summer and plenty of wildlife to spot. It’s located around a 10-minute drive from our Dudley (Kingswinford) hotel and has plenty of parking and a nice pub to enjoy a well-deserved drink after your walk.

If the weather is casting doubt over your plans in Dudley, why not spend a day at the town’s best leisure and retail complex? Castlegate Leisure Park is complete with a huge Showcase Cinema, a tenpin bowling alley and plenty of food outlets such as Nando’s, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s. There’s loads of parking available, but you won’t need it if you’re staying at our Dudley Town Centre hotel which is just across the road.