Kew Gardens in Richmond - your opinions please

[lisalisa]

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Not sure I'd take 5 children to Kew, to be honest. It's lovely, but a bit sedate.

I would be tempted to take a picnic, a football and a kite or two and go to Richmond Psrk instead. It's free and there's much more running riot without upsetting ladies in hats space.

One of the car parks is near a little but nice playground. The had to get rid of some of the equipment (including a clattery bridge) because the neighbours complained about the noise but it's still nice in a low key sort of way.

The Isabella Plantaion is a nice walk that leads to a really good duckpond.

There are ice cream and cup of tea vans strategically parked as well.

I would think not that good for the older age group - there is a nice but sedate play area based around bugs/slugs type concept, that wouldn't really excite the 11 year olds.

It's lovely - but i think you'd need at least a dry day if not a sunny one. lovely long walks. lovely picnic places and the big victorian greenhouses are lovely too.

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my DDs at 8 and 10 really liked Kew. maybe they're a bit odd?

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I loved Kew as a child. The hot houses are completely magical. I'm sure an 8 and 11 year old would enjoy.

Threadie are/were you West London? I was Chiswick. Now I languish in 'gentrifying' East London..

No, we lived in Addlestone, 20 miles from London. Had lots of Days Out in Town. Natural History Museum (the big blue whale), Science Museum (the tatty 'interactive-avant-du-mot bit), and Kew Garden (tuppence, exciting iron turnstile).

Best short story in world is Woolf's Kew Garden story.

remember tuppence and turnstiles, but Woolf story totally passed me by.. will google.

How odd, though, I was just thinking of re-reading Katherine Mansfield.

My brain is just big enough for a v short story at the mo.

Wonder where you ended up, Lisa?

the whole point of Kew (and Richmond Park) is it's outdoorsiness without things like 'attractions'. If walking round in the more wild spaces of Richmond, spotting deer and getting lost in the bracken doesn't suit, then kew offers #Creepers and Climbers' house fr small children to play in, the Evolution House which is a sort of walk through museum of evolution of plants, starting with bubbling mud, good catus house, which hs some aquarium based displays underneath, the badger sett - a human-scle mock of badger sett to crawl through- but basically, it's about walking about and exploring all the outdoor spaces. Oh, the new henry moore sculptures all over the place to look at.

At this time of the year, I'd send DH to H'row on the tube (or drop him by the nearest picadilly Line station) rather than drag the kids about in cold weather!

bit late as you've probably gone out but Kew is totally fantastic - can't praise it highly enough except for price of food inside the gardens, but apart from that,love it unreservedly

I want to go to Kew NOW. But I am 100s of miles away.

btw, ds is ten and is endlessly entertained by Kew - as are my friends dcs who are 7 and 11 and go very frequently

Mostly I find Woolf incredibly hard. But this story is extremely short and just beautiful

I'd take them to Richmond Park if I were you. It's not a swings and slides kind if park - it's 2,500 acres of deer park with wild bit and more cultivated bits.
Kew Gardens has Climber and Creepers but it's aimed more at the little ones.

there's so much more to Kew than Climbers and Creepers which is full of other peoples squalling kids and just a play area...just to run around the huge expanse of grass and plants and trees, go to the lake and cross the curvy bridge, see the pagoda, go in the badger's sett, see the aquarium in the Palm House and the one in the Princess of Wales glasshouse, run up and down the grassy banks, look for yellow pheasants, see the giant waterlilies, bamboo gardens,look at the bluebells soon or the crocus carpet now, play in the follies...it's a dull child who would be bored [ kew fan emoticon]

Ah yes, I forgot about the aquarium.

Kew completely fab!!
insectivorous plants!
biggest water lilies in the world!
Jungles!
deserts!
also, is there not currently a wonderful Henry Moore by one of the glasshouses that you could have fun looking through?

lots of lovely Henry Moores all through gardens,but finishing this month

sighs with envy....Kew such a long way away...

The indoor play zone for kids at Kew is cool and my 10 year old niece loves it still. Went there a few weekends ago with a 10 year old, 8 year old, and 2 year old, and they spent a good few hours in that play zone and didn't want to leave it. There was also an outdoor intersting play zone. And it's right next to the cafe. We didn't even get further along than that as they were happy there so me and my brother could just sit and talk. They go there all the time (the 10 and 7 year olds) and still absolutely love it and aren't bored with it. I think there's lots more to do as well but we never got further than the play zone!

I know it's too late but wanted to add my vote for Kew. I used to go as a child and loved it but had forgotten how fab it is. I recently went again with dc's ages 2, 3 & 5 and we liked it so much we've become 'friends' of Kew (annual membership) We've been members for a month and have been 5 times already.....

I grew up in Kew and lived just across the river from the gardens as an adult..it is the place of many childhood memories and of taking ds there many times. We have now moved away and I miss it,though near enough to come back to visit a few times a year.

I love Kew. I have vivid memories of many childhood days spent there. Richmond Park also nice, but not nearly as nice as Kew :-)