Things to do in Lichfield on rainy days

For an unbooked museum day, check Darwin’s weekday calendar first. It is closed on Wednesdays and on winter Tuesdays; Johnson’s birthplace normally opens daily but has shorter winter hours and specific closure dates. On a day both open, choose the subject you prefer, spend an hour to ninety minutes there and take lunch nearby. Add the cathedral if its visitor calendar suits, rather than committing to two houses and a large church simply to stay indoors. For a more structured afternoon, book an actual Garrick screening or matinee and work backwards from the start time. Johnson’s museum is a short walk from the theatre, but leave at least half an hour for theatre arrival after a meal, plus the outdoor transfer. Running times and intervals belong to the show listing, not the theatre’s daytime box-office hours. If the programme has nothing you want to see, a museum and lunch still make a useful short visit. Choose access as carefully as shelter. Darwin has lift access to its museum floors; Johnson has five entrance steps and narrow staircases, with no visitor toilets. The cathedral’s accessible toilets are outside the building, and rehearsals can make it noisy. Rain also affects the cobbled streets between stops, so allow a slower pace and use waterproofs. For a shorter version, stay with one open museum or one performance and a meal; leave Minster Pool and Beacon Park for weather that makes them enjoyable.