Places I should take my kids before they leave home

[HearTimesWingedChariot]

I grew up in a benignly neglectful family where entertainment was a trip to Asda. I now have lovely kids of my own and want to give them as many experiences as possible.

Where in the UK should every teenager have been before they are 18?

Take a train to Edinburgh & take the No 12 bus from elephant & Castle up to Oxford Circus!

Let them organise a day out to their place of choice and be the leader. (Obviously be there for practical advice and give a set budget!)

We try to go to as many places and people as possible and see as much as possible, indoors and outdoors. Variety is the spice of life and that includes transport. Leave the car at home and use bikes, scooters, feet, buses, trains, trams, planes, cable cars. They might not appreciate it all and might find some things boring but at least you gave them opportunities.

Lovely U.K. trips we’ve had:
london
stonehenge (don’t get the hate, we had a nice weekend)
York - definitely this one!!
lakes
warwick castle
cornwall
And I know not everyone’s cup of tea but… centre parcs!

Somewhere really really quiet. No phones, no TV no street lights.

Theatre to see a play or musical
A concert of their choosing
Fossil hunting on the beach
Museums- all and every kind!
A planetarium and observatory
Lindisfarne
Roman ruins
Lake District
New forest to see wild ponies
Oh and libraries of all kinds!
Art galleries. Not my cup of tea but actually my son enjoys them
Shakespeares globe
Hill walking or a small mountain of feeling adventurous

As well as all these great outings, take them with you to the bank and the launderette and the DIY shop and the polling booth and make sure they're well grounded in the practicalities of life.

Anywhere dark enough for serious stargazing.

Actually, take them on trains and buses.
I can’t drive due to disability and so many people I know are freaked out by the idea of getting a train or a bus, wouldn’t know where to start, think they can’t do it. Mostly because they never have.

As a child we had a yearly trip on the bus to a nearby city with my Nan (which given the nature of my disability must have been tricky) and travelled by train a few times a year. Now I prefer public transport (trains mostly) even when I can get a lift.

Id like to suggest trying a different cuisine each month Japanese, French, Indian etc so they get to know different styles of food and feel like the world is their oyster. Obviously this will depend where you live. Or combine that with some of the cities suggested by others.

I'd take them to Stonehenge personally. It's a good lesson that not everything lives up to the hype 😁.

Get them to interview you for a job
Plan a trip for you all
Cook a meal
Choose a gift
Wash something delicate
Make something with wood
Visit someone vulnerable
Take something back to a shop
Find a bargain something
Choose a house off rightmove
write a letter to their future self
paint you
sew an item of clothing
make a list of the 10 best character traits
make a plan for the next 3, 5 and 10 years
do some work experience
do something nice for a neighbour
do something nice for themselves
do something nice for you
write down the best and worse experience and why off the list!

Do you mean places or experiences?

I’d recommend exploring the world outside of Britain with them - so much of British culture is the same but Japan, Denmark, USA, etc. that’s a real trip and builds so much interest in the rest of the world.

I agree with this, I was astonished when I got to university and some of the people I met didn’t know how to get a bus. I’d grown up hopping around the place on the bus and train and it gave me so much more freedom as a teenager than if I’d had to get lifts off my parents all the time. I rarely drive now either, always go for public transport first if available.

Coventry cathedral
Steam railway anywhere
Beamish or other living history museum
Have a week in London being massive tourists. My kids still talk about our week there doing Madam Tussards, all the free museums, the big shops, theatre and art galleries.
Lake District
Northumberland esp Hadrians Wall and Vindalanda
Cornwall to surf esp in winter
Ramsay Island in Pembrokeshire
National Trust houses
Castles (not Warwick, too commercialised. We like Dover, Deal, Corfe, but there are many)
Fountains Abbey
Robin Hoods Bay
Portsmouth for the amazing museums and ships
Blakeney for the seals
There are so many! We had an Easter cottage holiday in a different place in the UK every year until covid with the extended family. This country has so much to offer.

Climb a Munro

I had a bit of an obsession with this when DC were young too.

My list was:

The Lake District and climb Scafell Pike
Scottish Highlands and climb Ben Nevis
Wales - climb Snowdon
Proper seaside holiday with fish and chips and Mr Whippys
London - Major sights - the tower, Parliament tour, boat trip to Greenwich, British museum, Science and Nat History Museums, National Gallery, ride upstairs on a London bus
DH's and my home towns so they got a sense of where we grew up
A panto and a proper play. We went for funny ones like one Man Two Givs or The Play That Goes Wrong when they were little. A West end musical too. They loved Matilda.

And like Pp, other more general things like caring for pets, going hiking and camping, building dens and bonfires, learning to swim and ride a bike, learning to cook a few meals, iron a shirt etc

I'm over 50 now but from my childhood I remember going to:

Alton Towers
All over the Peak District
Chester zoo
York inc. The Castle museum
London (auntie lived there)
Wales (Rhyll, Tenby, Snowdonia)
Driving through the night to Cornwall/Devon on holiday
Wookey Hole/Cheddar gorge
Stonehenge
Camping (Jersey/Northen France)
Blackpool, Rhyl and places like that

We lived in the Midlands so some of those places were close to home, but lots of them I've never been again as an adult so I am glad my parents took me!

I agree with @Onthelastdayofseptember - it is probably more about experiences that specific places.

I'd say their capital City (not sure where you live)
the seaside
a large hill or mountain
a farm
a theatre
some sort of live music experience
staying away from you (Guides, Scouts, or school residential)
a zoo or safari park
a stately home
a castle
a pantomime
PYO fruit or a farm or garden where they see veg growing / taste home grown veg
on a bus
on a train

London - Buckingham palace, Trafalger square, Big Ben, Covent garden, etc

Pantomime
seaside - build sandcastles, swim in sea etc
castle

Actually, what they’ll remember is not the scenery etc, but the seagull that stole the chips, crabbing, etc. and spending time together.

On the National Trust website, there’s various lists.

eg 50 things to do before you’re 11. Etc

This is a really inspiring thread! I've done lots of these with DD but there are many that I'd love to do with her.
Thanks all for the ideas.

I was going to say it's more about the confidence to go anywhere they want, then I looked at this list and realised that on my (informal) list had been Cadbury World, Harry Potter whatever, a seaside arcade (honestly this one, with their cousins, trading a load of tickets at margate for absolute tatt was a high point for them), and "london" - which I'd interpretted as the natural history and science museums.

Still, honestly, take them to this stuff, but the most important thing is for them to realise that days out/trips aren't a big deal, and they can do them with very little effort (becuase as an adult it's easy, it's kids that are a pain)

Definitely the theatre, to see different types of performances that you think they would like. The ballet? Something with a good story and nice tunes to start with, it's not just for girls - the strength the men need to have is enormous! A science museum is a good bet even if they think they won't like it - my daughter was thrilled to go to one in Cardiff when she was young, and my grandsons loved the science thing they went to in Bristol. Some sort of sporting event is probably a good idea. I hate sport, including watching it, but if I had been taken to a high level event where I didn't need to stand around in the cold (ex-rugby widow here...) I might have liked it - maybe. I went to the V&A when I was at school in the 1970s and we saw the first ever display of lasers and holograms - all very basic but I've never forgotten it. And I think all museums are now so very much more interactive now, with lots of things for young people to do. Some really good musical events - not just festivals and gigs, but opera and classical concerts. Introduce them gently by going to something with a good story and rollicking tunes, that is sung either in English or which has a subtitle display. Some of these may be things you haven't done either - why not try them, if not? There is no need to go to London to see really great stuff (unless you are there already obviously). And why stick to just Western culture, we all ought to learn more about Asian, African, South American, whatever other culture we can find.
Oh - and food. Trying good food in good restaurants is also important, as is trying food from all over the World. The restaurant experience is important, but expensive, so learning to cook good, and different, food together is a way to try new things.
So much to learn - how exciting!

Would that be Glasgow?

We often did cottage holidays in October half term. The one my children remember most was one where we walked to and from the local pub for dinner down an unlit track with our torches and saw bats.