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In the sporting field, Birmingham has two professional football clubs in Birmingham City and Aston Villa, both of whom have had, following promotion in 2009 to the Premiership, a successful season and will be joined in the 2010-2011 season by local rivals West Bromwich Albion following their promotion from the Cricket stores near me. Birmingham is also home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, based at Edgbaston, the Edgbaston ground also hosts tests and international one day matches. There is also the Birmingham Brummies Speedway team based at Perry Bar, Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Union Club and Moseley Rugby Union Club, both currently playing in the Championship League. Horse Racing is also available a short distance away at Warwick. In athletics, international track and field meetings take place at the Alexandra Stadium, the home of Birchfield Harriers Athletic Club. International lawn tennis also takes place at Edgbastons Priory Club. Birmingham is also home to the professional basketball team, Birmingham Panthers, with Greyhound racing also available in the city.

Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, internationally acclaimed as one of the World's finest indoor venues, holds a number of Athletic meetings during the year. It has also played host to World and European Championships. In the field of leisure Birmingham is perhaps second to none, with virtually everything in the field of leisure and sport available to the keen amateur, with Athletics, Paintballing, Golf, Tennis, Table Tennis, Squash, Badminton, Basket Ball, Net Ball, Bowls, Ten Pin Bowling, Hockey, Boxing, Course Fishing, Gym & Fitness Facilities, Golf, Soccer, Cricket, Rugby Union etc., available to anyone interested.

In rock music, Birmingham has often been described as the birthplace of heavy metal music, with Magnum, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and two members of the great Led Zeppelin, lead singer Robert Plant and drummer, the late John Bonam being local. Duran Duran, ELO & UB40 are also from the Birmingham area. For places of interest, again Birmingham provides it all, either within the city or locally. Birmingham itself boasts Millennium Point, with its Think Tank, which replaced the former Science & Industry museum, the most modern of science museums, and also its Planetarium and Imax Cinema. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery contains leading displays of art work which includes a collection of work by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones. Other museums include Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Soho House and Sarehole Mill, a popular attraction for J.R.R.Tolkien fans. The Barber Institute is both an art gallery and concert hall. It also contains a large coin collection, said to be one of the World's most detailed.

Birmingham also has Cadbury World, Brindley Place, a major canal side development, with its National Sea Life Centre and stylish bars, cafes and restaurants. There are also numerous theatres, cinemas, museums, century old halls and houses in Birmingham. The Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses is well worth a visit with various hands on activities available throughout the year. Birmingham is also home to more parks than any other European city. There is over 8,000 acres of parkland in Birmingham with Sutton Park, the largest, covering some 2,400 acres. Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston, is also worthy of a visit. Birmingham also boasts a record breaking 14 consecutive gold medals from the Chelsea Flower Show and maintains some 6,000,000 trees. For the lovers of gold and precious gems, there is also the world renowned Birmingham Jewellery Quarter and its museum. A must see for all visitors.

The City Library, Europe's largest, is Birmingham's biggest building and loans some 8,000,000 books each year. The varied Birmingham population has a wide and diverse number of religious buildings at their disposal including St Phillips, which was upgraded in status from church to cathedral in 1905, Birmingham has two other cathedrals, the Roman Catholic St Chad's and the Greek Orthodox Dormition of the Mother of God and St Andrew. There is also the parish church of St Martin in the Bull Ring, the Singers Hill Synagogue, Birmingham Central Mosque and a re-developed mosque in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, the largest in the City, to name but a few.

For the shoppers amongst us, Birmingham has excellent and varied shops and stores, including the revamped Bull Ring Centre, the country's busiest shopping centre, with its indoor, open and rag markets. The largest department store outside London, in the House of Fraser, Birmingham is also home to one of only four Selfridges Department Stores plus the second largest Debenhams branch in the country. If you want to take your shopping experience to a totally new level why not visit The Mailbox with its designer stores?

Birmingham's Broad Street is the place to be after a hard day's work. There are bars and clubs a plenty here and you will be sure to find something to suit your taste of the day. As well as the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham is also home to the International Convention Centre and the National Exhibition Centre which includes the LG Arena.