Merlin Attractions in the West Midlands
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Being relatively centrally located, there are several Merlin Attractions in the West Midlands. Likewise, there are several within a couple of hours drive. Even more are based in London that are quite easy to reach by train from the Midlands. This post takes an in-depth look at Merlin attractions in the West Midlands. It then lists others that are within a reasonable distance.
If you regularly visit Merlin attractions, it’s well worth looking into the various options for the Merlin Annual Pass. Whilst it’s more expensive up-front, it could save you money in the long run. You can also check out my post about whether the Merlin annual pass is worthwhile if you live in the West Midlands.
Merlin Attractions in the West Midlands
The following Merlin attractions are all based in the West Midlands Region. Whilst Merlin are probably best known for theme parks, there are also LEGO themed days out and as places of historic interest.
Alton Towers
Theme Park
One of the most popular Merlin attractions in the West Midlands is Alton Towers Resort. These days, it’s a destination that offers far more than just rollercoasters. The theme park itself is the main draw, with over 40 rides and attractions. These range from world-class thrill rides to family areas like cBeebies Land, and live entertainment throughout the season. Visitors can explore themed lands, experience signature coasters, and enjoy seasonal events such as Halloween “Scarefest” and festive experiences later in the year.
Water Park
Beyond the theme park gates, the Alton Towers Waterpark provides a completely different experience. This indoor tropical-themed attraction is open year-round and features slides, lazy rivers, splash zones, and family-friendly water play areas. It’s designed as a separate attraction within the resort. This makes it ideal either as a break from rides or as part of a longer stay. Merlin Annual Passholders don’t get free entry to the waterpark. However, most pass types receive discounted tickets (typically around 20% off when booked in advance).
Alton Towers Resort Stays
For visitors wanting to turn their trip into a short break, the resort hotels and themed sleepovers are a big part of the Alton Towers experience. Options include themed hotel rooms, lodges, and unique accommodation such as Stargazing Pods. Many packages include breakfast and park access. Overnight stays often bundle resort activities together and can sometimes include promotional perks such as Merlin Annual Pass offers or attraction discounts. This makes them popular with families planning multi-day visits.
Using Merlin Annual Passes at Alton Towers
Merlin Annual Passes work slightly differently across the resort:
Theme park access
- Included with Merlin Annual Passes (Essential, Gold, and Platinum), though some passes have exclusion dates.
- Passholders must pre-book visits before arriving.
Waterpark and secondary attractions
- Not included with Merlin Annual Pass entry.
- Most passholders can get discounted entry (around 20%) to the waterpark and other paid resort activities.
Hotels and short breaks
- Passholders can often access discounts on hotel stays, food, retail, and Fastrack, depending on pass level.
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre
If you’re looking for a fun, hands-on day out with younger children, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham delivers a colourful world of LEGO creativity, play and imagination. This indoor attraction is designed for families with kids aged around 3-10 years old. It offers plenty to explore whether you’re escaping a rainy day or planning a dedicated brick-building visit.
They have range of interactive experiences built around two million LEGO bricks. From the beloved Merlin’s Apprentice Ride and the lively Kingdom Quest Laser Ride to soft-play areas and themed zones where kids can build, create and test their own LEGO creations. Explore the intricate MINILAND, featuring iconic Midlands landmarks recreated in LEGO brick form, or settle down for a show in the 4D LEGO cinema — complete with special effects that bring films to life.
There’s also plenty of room for free-play fun. Build stations and DUPLO® soft-play areas keep younger visitors entertained, while regular special activities and seasonal events add new themes and challenges throughout the year. While typical visits last around 2–3 hours, most families find they could happily spend even longer imagining, building and playing together.
Pre-Booking, Entry & Practical Tips
All visitors, including annual passholders, must pre-book a timed entry slot before heading to the attraction. This helps manage capacity and ensures a smooth experience on the day. Adults must be accompanied by children (aged 17 and under) at all times. Ride restrictions do apply on the attractions within the centre: for example, smaller children often need to ride with a supervising adult on things like Merlin’s Apprentice.
Annual Pass Options & Merlin Pass Access
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham offers both local annual passes and Merlin Annual Pass access, so you can choose a ticket that best fits how often you’ll visit.
Local Annual Passes
Local annual passes are specifically for repeated visits to just the Birmingham Discovery Centre:
- Adventurer Pass (around £30) – Unlimited weekday visits during term-time.
- Awesome Adventurer Pass (around £45) – Nearly unlimited visits throughout the year with fewer exclusion dates.
Both local passes include benefits such as 10% off food, drinks and shop purchases, plus access to exclusive passholder previews and events.
Merlin Annual Passes
You can also use Merlin Annual Passes (Standard, Gold or Platinum) to visit LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham. These are broader passes that unlock entry to many Merlin attractions across the UK. Key points include:
- Merlin Annual Passholders must pre-book their visit before going.
- Passes include entry to multiple Merlin attractions such as LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, SEA LIFE centres, The London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Alton Towers Resort and much more.
- Gold and Platinum passes offer extra perks like free parking, food and retail discounts, Fastrack savings, and more.
- Merlin passes do have exclusion dates on some tickets and events — check the official calendar when booking.
Passholders can also buy Friends & Family tickets at reduced rates for companions on the day of their visit. Ideal for bringing kids or friends along.
National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham
The National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham was one of our favourite attractions to visit when the children were younger. You can read my review of the attraction here. This immersive aquarium takes visitors beneath the waves to explore more than 60 interactive displays and habitats. From playful penguins and interactive rock pools to mesmerising jellyfish and colourful reef species, there’s plenty to see and learn for visitors of all ages. One of the real highlights is the UK’s only 360° ocean tunnel, where you can walk through a giant marine tank and watch sharks, rays and even green sea turtles glide overhead.
Designed to be both educational and entertaining, the centre offers engaging talks and activities that bring alive the wonders of ocean life. Children especially enjoy the touch pools and themed zones where they can get hands-on with starfish and other creatures under supervision. And because it’s entirely indoors, it’s a perfect choice for a rainy day adventure or a planned day out with younger family members.
Planning Your Visit
Entry to the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham is by pre-booked tickets, and this includes passes held through Merlin Annual Passes. You’ll need to reserve your visit in advance even if you’re a passholder. This pre-booking system helps manage capacity and ensures a smooth experience for all visitors.
The centre is located in Brindley Place, right by Birmingham’s waterways, making it easy to combine with a day of dining or exploring the nearby canal-side attractions and restaurants. Accessibility features are available throughout the centre to help all guests enjoy their visit comfortably.
Annual Pass Options & Merlin Pass Access
One of the great things about visiting SEA LIFE Birmingham is that you can choose the ticket type based on your plans, whether you’re a one-off visitor or want to explore multiple attractions throughout the year.
SEA LIFE Birmingham Annual Pass
The aquarium offers its own 12-month annual pass that gives you unlimited entry for a year — perfect if you plan to return frequently to see seasonal animal updates and new exhibits. These annual passes are digital and still require pre-booking your visit date and time slot.
Merlin Annual Passes
You can also use a Merlin Annual Pass to visit SEA LIFE Birmingham — this is ideal if you want access to multiple attractions across the UK. Merlin Passholders must also pre-book their entry before visiting.
Here’s a quick guide to what each Merlin pass level offers generally (and that applies at SEA LIFE along with other Merlin attractions like Alton Towers and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres):
- Essential Pass – Basic annual access to 20+ Merlin attractions, including SEA LIFE centres, with some exclusion dates.
- Gold Pass – More days of access with discounts on parking, food & drink, and retail, plus the ability to buy discounted Friends & Family tickets.
- Platinum Pass – Maximum flexibility with minimal or no exclusion dates, additional perks like free “Bring a Friend” tickets and extra discount benefits.
All Merlin Pass levels offer access to SEA LIFE aquariums across the UK as part of the attraction list.
Warwick Castle & Knight’s Village
Set against the banks of the River Avon in Warwickshire, Warwick Castle is a huge historical attraction with over 1,100 years of history to explore. Originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068, it stands today as one of Britain’s most complete and engaging historic attractions, blending incredible architecture with interactive history.
A day at the castle offers far more than just wandering the ramparts. Visitors can venture through the Great Hall and State Rooms, climb towers and battlements for sweeping views, watch birds of prey in action in the Falconer’s Quest, and immerse themselves in interactive experiences such as the Horrible Histories Maze and the Zog-themed Zog Playland — perfect for younger guests. Seasonal events, like jousting tournaments or archery festivals, bring history to life and make every visit feel different from the last.
Living in the West Midlands, we visit Warwick Castle relatively regularly. You can read my review of Warwick Castle and the accommodation in the Knight’s Lodge.
Day Tickets & What’s Included
Standard day tickets give you full access to Warwick Castle’s grounds, gardens, shows, and attractions, with prices starting from around £22-£26 when booked in advance online. Pre-booking is recommended to guarantee your entry and make the most of your visit. Under-2s get free entry, and family ticket options can help save money if you’re visiting with kids.
If you want something extra, combo tickets are available that bundle in entry to The Warwick Castle Dungeon (a separate live-action walkthrough experience), though regular passes do not include free Dungeon entry (Merlin passholders can get discounted dungeon tickets).
Short Breaks and Overnight Stays
For a truly immersive experience, Warwick Castle also offers on-site accommodation within its historic grounds. Options range from woodland lodges and medieval glamping tents to luxurious Tower Suites nestled high in the castle’s ancient stonework.
Through the Merlin Holiday Club, passholders can enjoy discounted short breaks that include evening entertainment, overnight stays, breakfast and free parking. Making it a brilliant choice if you want to turn a day out into a family getaway. Special promotion periods sometimes bundle a Merlin Essential Annual Pass with selected short break stays, giving access to top UK attractions as well as the castle.
Visiting Warwick Castle with a Merlin Annual Pass
Warwick Castle is part of the Merlin Entertainments family of attractions, so you can use a Merlin Annual Pass to visit and save all year round, but it’s important to know how it works.
- Merlin Annual Passholders must pre-book a ticket before visiting the attraction, even with a pass. This is standard across Merlin attractions to help manage capacity.
- Passes include entry to Warwick Castle (exclusion dates may apply depending on pass level), free parking, and discounts on food, retail and short breaks.
- Some Merlin Pass perks include up to 20% off shopping and dining, and the ability to purchase discounted Friends & Family tickets so companions can join you at reduced rates.
Important: Merlin Passes do not include free entry to The Warwick Castle Dungeon — but passholders can get discounted entry on selected dates.
Other Merlin Attractions Near the West Midlands
If you live in and around the West Midlands and you’re considering buying a Merlin annual pass, it’s worth being aware of other nearby attractions where the pass can be used. If you regularly visit London and visit tourist attractions, an annual pass could work out as a money-saver. I’ve been quite surprised by which London attractions are owned by Merlin, including the London Eye.
