I wanted to wait until my youngest was out of the toddler years and now aged four the time felt right.
Along with our nine year old, we made the trip from Northamptonshire up the M1 and M6 to Birmingham.
The award-winning science museum opened in 2001 and is part of the Birmingham Museum Trust.
Located within the Millennium Point complex in Digbeth, we paid £8.80 to park at the multi-story car park right next door.
A hop, skip and a jump and we were inside the building where a very warm welcome awaited us from the friendly and helpful staff on the front desk.
The children were super keen to explore, their eyes wide with the huge ground floor exhibits including historical trains, planes and automobiles.
Highlights on the ground floor were definitely the huge City of Birmingham train which the boys played on and around for ages as well as the huge bucket of water that tipped up every 15 minutes or so, much to their delight.
A glass lift easily takes you from floor to floor and the whole museum is really accessible for pushchairs for little legs.
Across floors one and two spans dozens and dozens of exhibits, many of which are interactive and fun for all ages.
We learnt about our changing planet, wildlife and marine worlds, dinosaurs and the human body before heading to floor three with highlights including a robot which you can program to move and speak, Mini Brum and the planetarium (extra cost and well worth it).
We saved Mini Brum until last - the children had the best time running around letting off steam in the play areas and mini city set up.
My definite highlight of the museum is the science garden - an area to explore, play and learn like no other. I - and more importantly - the children absolutely loved it.
There was so much to do including lift pulleys, ball games and water play - including pistols and a target.
We had to drag them out of the garden but they’d have happily spent hours outside in the sunshine.
There is a cafe on the ground floor if you can’t be bothered to pack a lunch - my only feedback would be it would have been great to have a little cafe in Mini Brum perhaps for parents to refresh and revive while the youngsters play.
Elsewhere it was brilliant to have access to a huge picnic area making the cost even more affordable if you take your own food.
I thought the value for money was absolutely incredible for the time you can spend at the Thinktank.
We arrived at 10.45am and left just before closing at 5pm. I wish I’d have got there for the opening of the doors at 10am as we would have easily filled another 45 minutes and more.
The Thinktank was a huge hit with all of the family and I would recommend to anyone that it’s well worth making the trip.
We left hearing the words ‘can we come again’...
Check out the website for term time opening hours and what’s on. For the up and coming Easter holiday the Thinktank will be open seven days a week from 10am-5pm