We've been to the London Aquarium too often - where else can a fish obsessed London child visit

[bran]

DS is fish mad. I asked him if he was going to be an icthyologist when he grows up, he thought about it for a moment and said "No, I'm going to be a shark".

We go to the London Aquarium quite a lot, but there must be better places (and hopefully cheaper, it was £14-ish for an adult and nearly £10 for 3 yr old ds). Has anyone been to the Sealife Adventure in Southend? Would you recommend it? Or the Sea Life Centre in Brighton (not as easy for us to get to but I'll go if it's worth the journey)?

Naat History Museum to look at the whale?

Not necessarily cheaper, but quite a decent little aquarium under the palm house at Kew Gardens. Don't think they quite stretch to sharks though. However, there is a little play space at Kew now, and also Kew itself is very enjoyable for adults, especially in autumn.

i'd say sea life in brighton is worth a visit, especially because you can do other stuff there, the train journey down is fab, the shops are a treat... if your kid is scooter-obsessed like mine, just scooting along the huge wide beachfront pavement is fun enough.

I should bring him to the Nat Hist Museum anyway, although I'm pretty sure that he prefers animals and fish to be alive. That was his only criticism of the Dinosaur Park in Norfolk, about half-way around he said that there were lots of statues of dinosaurs but where were the real ones. That took a bit of explaining, as a week is a long time to a 3 year old, let alone 65 million years. And he'd seen them on tv so they must be real.

Kew is lovely js, but I don't think I can face the journey there from docklands, it's a real trek, especially as both ds and I get travel sick and the District line is pretty bumpy (unless they've done some track maintenance since I last travelled on it).

We went to nat hist with ds & dd (3.5 & 18mths) and they loved it. If he wants real ones, the roaring tyranasaurus is pretty cool

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We dont' have any aquariums very close so every now and again we go to the aquarium shop (y'know, sells tropical fish and equipment) on a Saturday afternoon when its busy so they don't notice that we are just entertaining our kids!
Have you got any of those you could go round?

Ooo pruners, great minds think alike

Look for Koi shops. We used to go to one in Orpington area that had Koi fish about 3 ft long. Even I was impressed at that. Plus its free

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Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, SE London

Great little aquarium. And nice mini zoo with wallabies, koala bears, goats and kangaroos (among others)

I think it's still free

ok, so this is not totally fishy BUT there is a THai restaurant in Stoke Newington N16, which has an open fish tank in the floor next to the tables where you eat. All of the kids love it there, and spend ages looking in at all the fish swimming around, its perfectly safe, and the food is amazing, the staff are so lovely, and they have great cocktails, including kids ones so they feel very much like they are joining in. Its all round a really lovely experience

second the horniman museum. Fab place

I've been to various Sea Life Centres (Brighton, Southend, Birmingham & Newquay) and really they're not a patch on the London Aquarium, but usually far less crowded and your son would enjoy them.

However - what about London or Whipsnade Zoos? There are fish - but so much else besides. My 2 were big fans of the sea lion display at Whipsnade, but it only runs from Spring until Oct half term.

i third the Hornimann museum. we go for the amazing interactive musical instruments display in the basement....

anyway if you are anywhere near Syon Park (home of the dreaded snakes and ladders) there is a huge aquarium shop (? nomenclature failure) there too which is free to spend hours in...

Yes, I must check out the Horniman Museum, I've heard so many good things about it.

Thanks for all those recommendations, I'll check them out.