London days out....This summer!

[justforthisonce]

to ask you to recommend any London days out.... something quirky or a bit different,....definately easy on the wallet..

My dd is almost 7 , i live in London, i've done quite a lot of the museums,...I'm trying to organise some odd days of fun for us, it could also be water park related, it doesn't have to be cutltural.

Your best please and ones to avoid?

[superram]

Thames clipper from embankment to Greenwich. Greenwich park and the maritime museum, look round the market, stand on meridian line. Cable car over Thames and museum if docklands. Fountains in granary square. Museum of childhood. Sky garden-you need to book but free-keep checking website every day.

[AuntJane]

Dinosaurs at Crystal Palace park.

[NotYoda]

Horniman Museum (lovely little aquarium)and there's a nice park opposite side of the road - virtually free

Coram's Fields Playground - near Russell Square

Pool at the Olympic Park - they have Splash sessions with big floaty things also the helter skelter thingy, in the Olympic Park although it's not cheap

Imax Cinema near Waterloo

Battersea Park - Adventure playground, and the zoo is really nice

Alexandra Palace and park - great views and pedaloes

Ice Skating at Ally Pally or Lea Valley

Will think more

[justforthisonce]

great thanks ! these are brilliant, im just checking them out!

[NotYoda]

Theres' a funny little Natural History Museum at UCL. Forgotten what it's called. Could combine with a trip "Up West"

[NotYoda]

Museum of Docklands and then get DLR to Mudchute - there's "countryside2 there - nice views and Mudchute City Farm

[dementedma]

I am heading to London with Ds (14) and we have tickets for London Zoo. What are the top beasts to see...any tips from regular zoo goers?

[NotYoda]

Ruislip Lido and miniature railway

dementedma

London Zoo is, sad to sad, a bit tired.. The apes and tigers are good. You have to see the Snowdon Aviary and the giraffes - if you are old enough to remember Johnny Morris you'll recognise.

The butterfly tunnel is worth a walk through

Reptile house - again, Harry Potter fans will recognise

[bakingaddict]

Coram's field is a bit run down now, no animals and very few play equipment. I was there a couple of weeks ago. Go to Victoria Park near Mile End. it has a splash park bit and has much more to do for kids. The Olympic Park is usually a good bet go to the Tumble lodge playground.
I saw in Timeout that they are recycling all the plants from the Chelsea Flower show and putting them at Greenwich peninsula and doing like a mini festival. It starts from 30th July and is called
Agree with pp Horniman is great jump on the overground for an extra stop and see the Dinosaurs at Crystal Palace as well

[NotYoda]

"sad to say"

[NotYoda]

baking

Oh that's a shame. We used to go there a lot. But last time was about 4 years ago

[bakingaddict]

Called Farmopolis

[BusStopBetty]

I've been linked up with this BFG trail on another thread which looks good fun. www.visitlondon.com/bfg.

I also fancy doing one of these walks. www.walks.com/ possibly the Harry Potter one.

Treasure hunts are also good fun. The two main sites are, I think, treasure trails and hunt fun.

[Sleepingbunnies]

We are members of London zoo.. our DDs love it. The mini beast talks are always good. And if you are there early they do the birds breakfast at 11 and they come and sit next to you on the ropes. My DD still talks about that.

Take a swimming cossie and towel as there is a splash park bit for if it's a really hot day :)

[bakingaddict]

They have done the Lion village this year NotYoda I've got Tesco days out vouchers so I'll go after summer holidays in case it's manic

[NotYoda]

London Fields Lido

[NotYoda]

The UCL Museum is called The Grant Zoological Museum

Good reviews on Tripadvisor

[NickiFury]

I am in London. We are doing:-

The BFG jar trail as linked to above. We are going to go early in the day though and do it on scooters.

Mini mornings at VUE, these are on every day during the holidays £1.99 per person.

Kids go free to the theatre in August - google it, one adult pays for a ticket and a child goes free, with subsequent children going half price. Dd and I are going to see "Wicked" in August.

Workshops at The Museums of Brands and Packaging on weekends throughout the holidays. Google the museum, it is in my opinion the best museum in London, a real trip down memory lane, we love it there.

Holland Park, an overgrown wilderness with a great adventure playground and Japanese water gardens, can't even hear traffic once you get in there.

Race for life 5km at Hyde Park at the end of July, you can meander round in your own time so not really a race.

Just walking along the South Bank is cool, there is usually a "beach" area set up there over the holidays.

Google Tate Modern, they always have free activities going on over the holidays.

[LucyLastik]

Does anyone know the bus route for sightseeing? I saw it on here a while back but it's not the route I remember

[UnikittyInHerBusinessSuit]

Grant Museum is good if you aren't squeamish about dead things. Best to go on one of their special family activity days. www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/zoology/whats-on

Horniman Museum and gardens in Forest Hill are very good, everything free apart from the child-friendly basement exhibition and the good and cheap aquarium.

London Zoo is just too expensive to be worthwhile.

The Old Operating Theatre Museum worth a try if DC are of a morbid turn.

Museum of London good and free and easily combined with City of London sightseeing.

Skygarden is good, but you have to book.

Look up the Tower Bridge opening times to see the boats going though.

Queen Elizabeth Park makes a lovely day out, very easy to get to.

City farms are good - pick your nearest.

I find the Somerset House fountains most restful with children because it's completely enclosed but all visible so I don't keep panicking that they'll get lost and I'll lose sight of them. More space for me to sit and relax with the towels and change of clothes.

[HalsallRedux]

We went to the Skygarden a couple of weeks ago. Booked online with no trouble but be warned, it can be VERY busy and your lovely official-looking timed entry then means nothing - you just end up queueing until they've let enough people out to allow a fresh lot up.

It's definitely worth doing, though. Amazing views and is FREE. Top tip: don't go to the cafe in the main bit of the concourse. Climb up the stairs up the sides of the atrium once you get out of the lift, and go to the other cafe at the back. Far quieter, nicer and they had cakes left, unlike the main cafe, which had sold out

[UnikittyInHerBusinessSuit]

and although it's not London specific, don't forget your local libraries' Summer Reading Challenge.

[dementedma]

Don't want to hijack but where else can I take 14 year old Ds for a day? Must be free or cheap. He's into gaming, and tech and cool stuff. Not sports or art, and we dont really have no way or shopping so not clothes etc. Has been to Observatory, RAF Museum,boat trip on previous visits. I'm thinking maybe Churchill War Rooms...

[zad716]

Sounds like if you go to sky garden you should do what we did and book the earliest slot you can (I think 11 on a Saturday). You then don't have to wait long at all to get in even if it's busy.

[UnikittyInHerBusinessSuit]

War rooms fascinated my nerdy DC demented. What about HMS Belfast? There's going to be a (paying ticketed) gaming exhibition at the Science Museum this summer. You can control the fountains at Granary Square to play Snake (though not at the moment because they're being cleaned).