The Birmingham Botanical Gardens — Attraction in Birmingham

My partner and I enjoyed a lovely visit to the Laminate exhibit hosted by the botanical gardens which started out with a field of LED roses which flicked in patterns in response to the music soundtracks which were playing. We then moved on to some tiles which lit up under each step which were really fun to run around and jump on, then we moved to some controllable lights which I forgot to photograph but they were again fun to mess with. Next, we moved to the slow spirals on the floor which we stood and span with. The light trail then guided us to a tunnel of triangular light which was very popular with guests looking for fun photo opportunities .This then led down to some spherical string lights which were captivating to both my partner and I as we enjoyed being able to walk into the lights and hold onto them. We then followed a rainbow path to a large, path shaped light overhead projecting into the sky, I really liked the pattern changes in this time and through both walkthroughs I stood and stared in awe as I thought the patterns and colourations in the overhead light were fascinating. We then headed to the cages in the forest which sadly didn't have their intended effects as only two of the tablets used in the projections were working slightly so the cages looked mildly confusing as they just appeared as glass panes in cages. We followed these down the the make a wish wall where my partner and I both made some wholesome wishes and had a look at the hopes of other visitors which brought a smile to ourselves and another group. This followed on to a game where you had to stop a light to a line on a timed sequence, after the little thrill game you come to a disco ball zone with calm music and lights that make you feel like dancing. The trail ends at a little hand warming station over hot coal with a photo opportunity on exit at some heart shaped candy canes. The exhibition is more sensory based than I remember it being several years ago which I think is an exciting direction for the show to take, however I do think that if they do this they should make the music more drawing so that it helps bring you into each exhibition more and that they should still have one or two light based art sculpture type things as they really were the main highlight of my first luminate visit back in 2019, this is just a gentle suggestion though as the experience was still lovely despite the minor technical error with tablets and I'd still say to visit if you're in Birmingham as it's a gentle paced expefience that we travelled twice to re-immerse...

In the interest of giving a balanced opinion I am going to explain why, on this occasion, the review is accompanied by 3 stars.

My first visit to The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and I would return again as I enjoyed the visit enough to say it was worth it.

The best way to sum up in a short statement is, the Gardens are not in their best condition and I would imagine far away from the condition I would assume it was in 1998 when it was one of the locations used to host foreign dignitaries at the G8 Summit.

I guess in a small part due to the challenges many public spaces and attractions have had to deal with in the last couple of years or so. Hopefully once again at some point in the future things will align to bring the Gardens back nearer to the 'glory' days.

There was evidence on view of revitalisation / rejuvenation of some areas of the Gardens and ongoing work, however it is also quite clear to see how difficult it must be to stay on top of the general upkeep of the Gardens.

The Glasshouses were in a reasonable condition, housing some of the most stunning plant collections and some delightful visual experiences. On the other hand, outside, most of the bird aviaries were either uninhabited or looking slightly run down. Thankfully not run down to the point of being detrimental to the birds, with enough evidence that the welfare and upkeep of the birds is paramount.

Many of the themed Garden areas were in need of maintenance, including quite a few of the features, such as viewing platforms or bridges etc, which may have been closed off for other reasons initially, now looking in need of safety maintenance before they return to visitor use.

In conclusion, I did enjoy my visit and would return again. However, as mentioned before, I can see that there is a bit of a Catch 22 situation at the moment. Investment is clearly needed to bring the Gardens up to their previous standards, but investment is easier to justify when visitor numbers are buoyant and visitor numbers on the rise.

Hope that when I do return again their is fresh evidence of the Garden restorations and healthier visitor numbers. It is a Garden with...

I am writing here because their unprofessional team can’t reply to my email. I want express my disappointment with the personal photoshoot experience I had at your venue on Thursday, 24th April. I paid the £75 entrance fee specifically for a personal photoshoot, under the impression that certain amenities and support would be provided to facilitate this. Prior to my visit, on Tuesday, 22nd April, I called to confirm details about the booking. I was assured that there would be a designated space for my team to leave our equipment, and that someone would be available on-site to assist us and explain how the photoshoot process would work. Unfortunately, upon arrival, none of these expectations were met. We were handed only a basic map and left to navigate the gardens ourselves, without any guidance or support. No storage area or safe space was provided for our belongings, which meant we had to carry all of our equipment throughout the entire shoot. When my model had to go to the toilet to change we found really clean and spacious one. After taking some pictures and coming back there was a message on the door “staff only access”. We had use another disgusting one. It felt like we were denied basic need after being charged horrendous amount of money. Additionally, the key features We hoped to include in our shoot — such as the waterfall — were closed off, and the white birdcage that had been a highlight of the previous visits was no longer there. Frankly, the space felt more like a standard public park rather than a botanical gardens. As a graduate student already managing significant expenses, I feel misled and taken advantage of. The lack of preparation, communication, and available amenities for what is marketed as a “photoshoot booking” is unacceptable. After weeks of waiting for your email I would appreciate to finally get a response to this complaint and a discussion about potential compensation for the subpar experience and lack of services that were implied at the...