There are theme parks…and then there's London. This brilliant, electric city with hundreds of years of history offers a dizzying array of family-friendly attractions, that might not turn you upside down but are certain to wow and delight the kids.
There's the Natural History Museum housing the world's most awesome dinosaur exhibit, and the Tower of London where Beefeaters lead tours and tell stories of the Medieval Palace's famous prisoners such as Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes and Ann Boleyn.
My family recently spent two weeks exploring the city, and here's a rundown of our 10 favorite things to do in London.
1) Get eye to eye with a T. Rex at the Natural History Museum. Find the world's best dinosaur exhibit at this museum in South Kensington. Kids will be wowed by the giant animatronic model of a T. Rex with teeth 15 centimeters long. Free admission.
2) Read Peter Rabbit from original pages of the Beatrix Potter classic at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's easy to get lost among the maze of rooms spread over seven levels in this South Kensington museum known for its decorative arts collection. Find Coco Chanel's original "little black dress," the "Great Bed of Ware" mentioned in Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night, original drawings by famed children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter.
Free admission.
3) Tour the Tower of London. This tower that has served as a royal palace, prison, fortress, mint, and jewel house is a must-visit. It offers the best paid tour in London and is great for kids, who will enjoy hearing tales of intrigue, imprisonment, execution, torture from the Yeoman Warders (popularly known as ‘Beefeaters’). Don't miss the Crown Jewels and the spectacular royal armor exhibit, offering a fascinating insight into the personalities, power and physical size of England’s kings.
4) Slurp up a bowl of noodles at Wagamama. Asian inspired noodles are the specialty at this hip chain of restaurants known for its family-style dining experience with people gathering around long farm tables. Kids get their own set of special chopsticks for chowing down on a pile of noodles tossed with grilled chicken breast, sweet corn, and shredded carrots, and a citrus yakitori sauce.
5) Climb all over a pirate ship at the Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground. While the kids aren't competing for control of the steering wheel on board the giant pirate ship, they'll be hiding out in tepees, building castles in the sand, and chasing each other through a bamboo forest.
6) Catch a Broadway show. You can't go to London and not see a Broadway show. To determine which ones are appropriate for kids, check out
Time Out London's online guide to theater where you can search for family-friendly plays. Once you've figured out what you want to see, head for the theater to get the cheapest prices on tickets. You can also check out the
half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square, which sells the best seats at half the price. Beware of other ticket booths advertising bargain prices.
7) Chow down on a bowl of pasta at Carluccio's. Step inside one of these noisy Italian cafes with fashionable decor and you'd never guess it's a chain with over 30 locations throughout London. The menu offers classic dishes (roasted sardines, homemade ravioli, tiramisu) prepared simply with fresh ingredients. Kids get their own mini cardboard puzzle to color and assemble, an activity book, and a menu featuring dishes such as penne with tomato sauce and breadcrumb-crusted chicken breast.
8) Go out for afternoon high tea. Get dressed up, point your pinkie finger up in the air, and bring the kids out to one of the many famous spots serving high tea: Claridges, Harrods, The Wolseley, The Goring. Little mouths will love the dainty sandwiches and cakes.
9) Step inside St. Paul's Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren's cathedral has hosted the funerals of Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill, and the Duke of Wellington, yet children will know it best as the place where the beggar woman was asking for tuppens in the movie Mary Poppins. Inside, you can climb up the
dome to the Whispering Gallery and try out its unique acoustics; a whisper on one side can be heard clearly 100 feet away.
10) Shake hands with your favorite Hollywood stars at Madame Tussauds. You can now find branches of this famous wax museum all over the world, yet this one is the first and it's over 200 years old. Pose with Brad & Angelina, shake hands with Barack Obama, and don't miss the Chamber of Horrors, where you'll find a maximum security prison that has been taken over by its unhinged inmates.
After lunch at Brick Lane, we explore East London. This area was once known as London's poorest and dreariest, but now tech start-ups and media companies and artists and chefs are taking advantage of the low rents and moving into warehouse and factory spaces that have been abandoned for decades. Art galleries, restaurants and boutiques are popping up, and there's a thriving night life scene.
