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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Natural history museum

13 replies

RudolphLovesoftplay · 20/04/2013 21:01

Hi, planning on taking my DS to NHM on 30th April. It's a Tuesday so is it going to be horrendously busy? We can get there quite early I guess. Also, anyone know any good places for lunch? We live about an hour from London but this is the first time I will have taken DS on my own.

OP posts:

Phineyj · 20/04/2013 21:06

Yes it probably will be busy but it is very large so unless all he wants to see is the dinosaurs, you should be okay (don't miss the dinosaurs though!). However, it won't be as busy as during the Easter holidays I shouldn't think. If there is a special exhibition you want to see book tickets online in advance so you don't have to queue. You can have lunch in the museum, or else the other places to eat are down near South Kensington tube station (if you go up to the street from the tube and walk down Exhibition Road rather than using the tunnel, you will pass most of them). I can't remember the name but there is an independent pizza place very near the tube (to the right as you exit onto Exhibition Road, near the book shop) that is cheapish, good and friendly.

Charmingbaker · 20/04/2013 21:08

It's term time, so there will be lots of school children from around 10am - 2pm.

Original poster

RudolphLovesoftplay · 20/04/2013 21:14

Thanks, I think all he wants to see is dinosaurs so I might take him straight to NHM then go onto science museum. We have all day so could go later maybe? I dunno

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Asterisk · 20/04/2013 21:20

The Easter holidays were unbelievably busy with long queues to get in (NHM still insisting on time-consuming bag checks). A Tuesday in term time will be fine. There is building work going on though that seems to have divided the Museum so I suggest going in the main entrance rather than the one off Exhibition Road. You will probably need to queue for the dinosaurs, so getting there early is a good idea. For lunch, there are lots of eateries around South Ken, but if you are making a day of it, probably easiest to eat in one of the museums or bring a packed lunch. The Science Museum next door to the NHM has a nice restaurant at the very back of the ground floor, in the Blue Wellcome Wing. Museum cafes are never cheap, but that one is fairly good value. In my opinion, the dinosaurs at the NHM are worth going to see, but I'd then transfer to the Science Museum where the exhibitions are more innovative and have more of a wow factor than rooms of stuffed animals. What is your DS interested in and how old is he? I might be able to give more specific advice about how to make the most of your day.

Mutt · 20/04/2013 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

RudolphLovesoftplay · 20/04/2013 21:31

He is just 4 and (not boasting) but mega clever. Loves the mechanics of "how things work" and "how things are made" but also likes traditional 4yr old boy stuff like dinosaurs and rockets etc :)

Thanks for the secret entrance tip

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noramum · 22/04/2013 10:55

Be there at 10 and go straight to the dinosaurs. We once left at 1ish and the queue then was 30 min at least.

If you are prepared that you won't see everything then you can do both. Pick what is of really interest and skip the rest.

There is a nice restaurant, Carlocchios, near South Kensington station where we often go with DD. Or take a packed lunch and sit in the garden. Leaves money to get a toy or a drink and cookie.

NumTumDeDum · 22/04/2013 11:01

If he likes cupcakes then there is a branch of The Hummingbird Bakery the other side of South Kensington Tube station for a treat we all know it's a treat for mummy really

Original poster

RudolphLovesoftplay · 22/04/2013 20:38

I am thinking that I will probably only see dinosaurs in NHM and spend the rest of the day in the science museum. I think there will be more he enjoys in the science museum. Are the museum cafes any good does anyone know?

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EverybodysSootyEyed · 22/04/2013 20:58

we went last friday so term time

it was rammed - we had to queue for 1 mins at the secret entrance
and we didn't manage to see the dinosaurs because the queue was so long.

we arrived at 10.30 so i would recommend you go as early as possible and go straight to the dinosaurs (right inside the main entrance)

we went to the science museum straight afterwards - the garden (basement kids area) was really busy but the rest of the museum was ok

notcitrus · 22/04/2013 21:16

Museum cafes are good but expensive.

daisydoodoo · 22/04/2013 21:22

The same as not. Museum cafes lovely but usually huge queues and expensive. There are several chain takeaways just a few minutes away such as mcd's burger king kfc. We went to the mcd's 5-10 minutes away if you go past main entrance to v&a and keep going straight was next door to mulberry store.

Not sure which my children preferred the illicit mcd's or nhm.

Original poster

RudolphLovesoftplay · 30/04/2013 17:05

Well, been today and he loved it!! Bit of a queue to get in, but no queues after that. Went to the restaurant in the museum as didn't want to go out then have to queue to get back in again, and food was good.

Turned out he wasn't that interested in the dinosaurs (FGS) but he was fascinated by the stuffed animals and the "my body" bit. We were there about 4 hours and he was done in by the end so good sleep tonight!!

Thanks for all your hints and tips

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