Something nice to do in London with 15mo on Easter Sunday

[lowrib]

Has anyone got any suggestions for a toddler-friendly nice day out this Easter Sunday?

I'm meeting my sister for a day out in London, with DS too. Normally we'd go to a relatively child-friendly gallery or museum - somewhere DS can enjoy toddling about - or alternatively a park with a nice play-park.

But it's Easter Sunday. I suspect the galleries might be really packed this weekend?!

Also the weather looks like it could be pretty pants so I don't want to bank on going to the park.

Any ideas gratefully received!

TIA

Shameless bump!

Anyone?

For a park look at Coram's Fields

South Bank is a great place just for a walk, lots of street entertainment, Eye, restaurants and galleries/museums to pick and choose. Cafe in the National Film Institue is nice. Aquarium, though it will be busy.

Always lots to see around Covent Garden

Where are you meeting?

The Southbank is nice, there's often free things for children on at the Festival Hall? Or get a boat down to Greenwich?

I had my nieces to stay for a weekend when they were 4 & 6, took them all over, Camden Market, Rainforest Cafe, the zoo - the highlight for them was the DLR and pretending to drive the train.

Great minds Lionstar!

Oh, and the Horniman museum always gets a mention on these threads. I haven't been, but do intend to.

British museum has some good indoor space, as does the Tate Modern. Oh and the Princess Di fountain in hyde Park is good - but maybe nicer in better weather.

No advice really - when we go to London we generally take DD to a museum or something too so she can wander around a bit. I am usually running after her so don't get to see much of the exhibits anyway, so we try to go to more off the beaten track museums, as they're generally a lot more empty.
Places that I have found rather good, but emptier than places like the British Museum or Tate or whatever have been the Geffrye museum , the museum in docklands, Fulham Palace, Horniman Museum, Kenwood House - most of those have gardens too if the weather is nice.

The Horniman is good, not sure I'd trek out to Forest Hill from the centre of town though - it's a 20 minute walk from my place, we took PFB the other weekend and disturbed him with the stuffed animal displays .

Always space in Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood.

Oooh answers! I got distracted on a pet rant another thread and didn't realise there were answers

Some great ideas here.

Good tip about going to the smaller galleries / museums. I've got Coram's fields up my sleeve for a sunny day.

Sorry but I can't help but say the Rainforest Cafe is one of my least favourite places! I hate it with a passion! (It's selling you the feeling of green issues / environment without having anything to do with the environment at all! it has more in common with McDonalds than Friends of the Earth.) I can see that pre-teens would love it though.

Sorry CornishKK I will stop ranting - your ideas are much appreciated, honest! I can't help it, you touched on a pet hate!

Southbank / DLR are great ideas. I haven't been on the DLR in ages, and DP - who is coming too - hasn't never been on it at all. A-ha! Maybe we can get the DLR to wherever it is you go across the foot tunnel to Greenwich (can you still do that?) and have a day in Greenwich.

Or perhaps a walk down South Bank. There's lots to see and places to hide if it rains. Think this might one the one actually. We cold get off the bus at St Pauls, walk across the un-wobbly bridge and down the river.

Off to speak to DP and my sister about it. I told them the collective wisdom of mumsnet would know!

I used to hang out in Forest Hill when I was a teen {grin]. It is pretty far from where we are though (Hackney).

Good for my sister who's gone to the dark side moved to South London .

So it might be good actually.

We took DS to the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood a few weeks ago. We had a great time reminiscing about toys from our childhood and DS absolutely loved the interactive light-display things they have there.

Myths and Monsters at the Horniman looks brilliant! Not sure what my 15mo would make of it though. Hey ho.

Lowrib - the Rainforest Cafe was a recommendation from ex-SIL, I was in my Bridget Jones years and had no idea what children should do. Like I said the highlight for them seemed to be the DLR. They bloody loved Camden Market though, it was nearly ten years ago but DN1 still mentions the man they saw being led round on a dog lead....

Save the Horniman for the summer, then you can picnic in the gardens - I'll see you there.

We went to the Museum of Childhood last Sunday and it was excellent. Highly recommend.

The weather was lovely and we walked from Bethnal Green to Southwark, taking in the sites of the (DP and I work in the City, but it was really nice walking through).

"Briget Jones years" hee hee - mine aren't too far in the past, glad they're over now!

CornishKK I'm glad you came back. I feel bad now for ranting about the Rainforest Cafe. I really is one of my pet hates (I mean - it has a talking tree which lectures you "reduce re-use recycle" yet they don't actually recycle or reuse anything! Or at least not as far as their staff know - I asked. The hypocrisy is astounding! Sorry, I'm doing it again.).

But that's not the point! You bothered to come give me some good suggestions and I whine about the bloody rainforest cafe.
How ungracious of me! I'm sorry, I hope you didn't mind too much.

Looks like it will either be the South Bank or possibly one of the city farms, if they're open.

The London Transport Museum is good for lots of hands on exhibits - especially if he likes buses and trains
Its in Covent Garden so if the sun comes out there is the street performers who amaze my ds

15m is pretty little.

At that age, my dcs were fascinated with steps. Terrified of animals. Just go somewhere with slopes and steps.

How about a picnic in Greenwich park, if weather permits, otherwise there is the Pavilion cafe at the top of the park near the Observatory? Lots of hills and steps.

blueshoes, he is obsessed with steps, yes!

We decided to keep it local (for my sister) and went to the Vauxhall city zoo. It was really nice, DS especially liked looking at the baby chicks, following the ducks around, but there were no lambs, there were llamas!

DS definitely enjoyed it, when we left he kept trying to go back in.

We then went to a child-friendly pub and sat next to a couple of small steps to a (locked) door. The steps kept DS amused for ages, and I thought of you blueshoes!

We're going to do the South Bank another day.

lowrib, . Hope the weather holds for you and ds today