Birmingham

Though it’s not your typical tourist destination,
Birmingham offers much

England's second-largest city may lay claim fairly to the title "Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution." James Watt, the father of the steam engine, and other famous 18th-century members of the Lunar Society met regularly under a full moon in the nearby Soho mansion of manufacturer Matthew Boulton. Together, Watt, Boulton, and other "lunatics," as Joseph Priestly, Charles Darwin, and Josiah Wedgwood cheerfully called themselves, launched the revolution that thrust Great Britain and the world into the modern era.

Today, this brawny, unpretentious metropolis 120 miles from London and 25 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon still bears scars of industrial excess and the devastation of the Nazi Luftwaffe bombing during World War II. But an energetic building boom has occurred recently, and Brummies have nurtured the city's rebirth by working diligently to overcome the blight of over-industrialization and poor urban planning. New areas of green space, as well as the development of a first-rate symphony and ballet company, as well as art galleries and museums, have all made Birmingham more appealing to travel to.

Birmingham also has a vibrant nightlife and restaurant scene, three universities, 6,000 acres of parks and nearby pastoral sanctuaries, and restored canal walkways.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.