Hold on, buckle up, here we go! One of my very most beloved sections of London up next.
In no particular order (because I just can't choose favorites):
1.
The British Museum--free!
I get hopelessly lost every time I go in this museum but I can't complain. I turn a corner and discover a new treasure room or slowly pick my way through to something that seems familiar and then hello, Elgin Marbles! The atrium is such a great place to begin a museum trip with kids. Wide open, sunlight saturated, elegant and enticing stairways, and--if you're lucky when it's not too crowded--room to twirl. Eliza loves the lion statue "with the pink nose" and I marvel at her observational acuity.
Yes, you must crane your neck over the mob to see the Rosetta Stone, and yes, fight your way through the mobs to peek at the mummies (though very very very first thing in the morning at opening if you head directly there you'll beat the school crowds and "open late" Friday evenings you may have better luck to linger), and yes, pick a side on the Elgin Marble controversy. But please, stay a while in some quieter corners.
For beyond the casual wandering, check out the hands-on desks where you can actually hold items from the collection. I can't tell you what a nerdy thrill I get touching something made thousands of years ago, or by unnamed craftsmen, in countries and cultures seemingly so far removed from our own. It's a link that connects all creators and lovers of beauty, transcending time and difference. (free, daily, from 11-4--see website for more details, or ask at information desk at visit)
At the Families Desk (across from the Information desk) you can choose a family trail guide book/pamphlet (one per family, though one time the person staffing was generous enough to allow one per child) to help link a topic of interest together highlighting items from the collection in a manageable way. My boys have loved the dragon one--hunting for the right cases and displays through China. (Meanwhile Eliza entertained herself out of boredom under a handy bench. I'd like to do one again now her attention span is a teensy bit longer!)
A block away from the museum is Bloomsbury Square Gardens. Just a small little green bit but it has a playground! I always make sure to include time in our outing for a brief visit to the play area. It is a great reward for good behavior in the museum. Most of the equipment is geared toward younger children but even my 7 and 5 year old boys enjoy getting their wiggles out on the merry-go-round and balancing beams.
2. Covent Garden--free! (except: you'll want to spend money on food and pretty things)
Street performers, temporary art installations, live music from opera and classical musicians, market stalls, cobbled walk, pigeons to chase, gorgeous red phone booths. Yup, Covent Garden is great. A hop, step and a jump from the Royal Opera House and many theaters this place is happening. Pop in for some pastel pretty macaroons at Laduree, admire the tea services at the Whittard of Chelsea, smile bemusedly at the quirky Punch and Judy paraphernalia. Shake Shack is a perennial favorite for thick milkshakes but personally (now don't get mad, enthusiasts!) if I'm going to spend money on cold sweet things it'll be at Venchi's Ciccolato Gelato. I will allow that each have their proper place. Beware of the Disney Store.
The
Royal Opera House has affordable family days. (5 quid adults, 3 children--tickets available on the day, first come first serve basis) Unfortunately we haven't been but they look fantastic. We went to something similar in Boston and have only fond memories of the experience. If you can make it happen do it!
3.
London Transport Museum--Cost is 17 quid for an adult entry, children free.
Though you pay for it, the ticket does grant admittance for one whole year and believe me, you'll find yourself back. If only for the punch cards. My kids could not wait for their next punch card next visit. At the start of the museum you get a card with a map and trail on it, continuing through the history of transport in London and finding cutout stamps along the way. The vintage omnibus and double deckers are just cool. The play area has been recently redone and is fab. The kids just disappear into their play mode in no time. I repeat myself, but get to any museum at opening for at least 20 minutes of minimized crowd time!
4.
Somerset House
I'm going to embarrass my museum-fanatic self here and say that I haven't been in Somerset House. Any museum that you have to pay for in this city of free museums goes low on my priority, unfortunately (the notable exception above). I've seen images of the architecture and collection inside and it looks lovely. Maybe for a sans child excursion. With kids let's concentrate on the courtyard. In the winter you ice skate. In the summer you play in the fountains. It's as simple as that.
5. Do you know the Muffin Man on Drury Lane? And the best pizza slice.
Okay, it's no secret I'm a nerd. One nerdy thing I enjoy is recreating nursery rhymes. So get some muffins (or actually any old pastry will do!) from
Balthazar's Boulangerie and eat them on Drury Lane.
Home Slice Pizza in Neal's Yard in Seven Dials is awesome. I've only gotten take away slices a couple times and savored every bite. Some of the pizzas on the menu make my mouth water, but you have to eat in to order those. Next date night! It's a bit tricky to find, and you get to wander down tempting alleys to get there. The neighborhood is colorful in the best way.
6. Trafalgar Square
I love, love, love the lions of Trafalgar Square more each time I'm in the plaza. So majestic. I hope my little girl has some memory of our weekly visits to these lions. I have some textile memories of a few things from when I was that age, so just maybe she'll have a lingering sense of the coolness and smooth feel of the giant lions paws when she's grown. The lions used to be climbed on but Health and Safety now patrols the monument and climbing on the lions is forbidden. You can still hop up on the plinth and revel in the view from the large steps.
The fountains are worth a penny wish. Also, a little friend of Eliza's pointed out the baby mermaid in the fountain and ever since we have simply had to go say hello each time we're in the area.
Trafalgar Square often has something extra going on--an art installation, a market, a concert, a convention, street artists, pigeons, and at Christmas the biggest tree as a gift from Norway.
7.
National Gallery--free admittance
This museum grows on me more each time I visit. It's big and imposing and has so many stairs to add to the big and imposing. I admit I was properly intimidated the first time we attempted a visit. (
For helps on visiting the museum as a family.)
Then I learned that the museum education department offers such fabulous programs, especially for the under 5 crowd. Eliza and I asked if we could have a standing date at the Welcome Wednesday mornings for preschoolers and ever since we have fallen in love with the program and the museum at large. If you live locally with a toddler do yourself a favor and see if you can snag a space in the Wednesday morning play dates. They are perfectly delightful. From the first time we visited we were enchanted. Eliza made angel wings and the leader accompanied the children dancing on a violin. Sometimes we go to the main galleries, sometimes we are in a special "secret" gallery (open only Wednesday and Sunday). Sometimes the focus is on music in the galleries, dancing under the paintings; sometimes you get messy with finger paints or molding clay in relation to a particular work; sometimes a storyteller leads you through the journey of the painting while you sit on a magic carpet with some puppets. (You can't have our space--it's reserved until we move or Eliza ages out, which ever comes first!) It is our favorite time of the week.
Small strollers are allowed in the gallery space, though with all the stairs and difficult to find (for me) lifts it becomes rather a pain. I personally recommend carrying baby. Older kid scooters must be left in the cloakroom.
8.
National Portrait Gallery--free entry
This museum is directly adjacent to the National Gallery but has a separate entrance on St Martin's Place, off to the side of the main National Gallery entrance. The Portrait Gallery is just that--paintings of notable British persons. The labels give tantalizing tidbits about the stories behind the faces and you'll want to check out all sorts of biographies after walking a bit in the galleries. The small portrait of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra is a don't miss, as well as the oldest portrait of Shakespeare. The Stuart and Tudor kings and queens are overwhelming in their dim and mysterious halls. The contemporary portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in a moment of vulnerability, resting in between smiles, takes my breath away. I feel this museum is more worth the attending than often known or considered.
9.
St Martin-in-the-Fields
I hope someday to
attend a concert here, I've heard they are so wonderful. Toddlers are not readily welcome, however, so with an older child or as a date. There are free lunchtime concerts as well as evening and holiday special occasions. In conjunction with a concert or on its own, do yourself a favor and go down in
the crypt cafe. What a fun surprise it was for me and a friend, as we treated our little girls and ourselves after a visit to the museums. The food was tasty and relatively affordable. The ambience was perfectly spooky and special. And there was ICE. Ice for your water, right there for the scooping. If you haven't lived in Europe after growing up in the States I guess this is a silly conversation but honestly it blew. our. minds. ICE!!!
Tip: Extra seating available in the room beyond the main cafeteria. Quiet and cosy with lots of room for little people. Plus a tiny little hall full of treasures hidden just behind.
Also: I was initially drawn to the crypt by the promise of
brass rubbings. You know, the kind you do on a headstone with a crayon used sideways rubbed across a paper to pull up the relief underneath. I thought it'd be a really fun activity to do with Davy or Eddy on a mommy date. I'm sure it would be, sometime somewhere. But the ones at St Martin-in-the-Field are not in situ but rather separate relief boards that you pay upwards of 5 quid per rubbing. I'm sure it would still be a great activity, however it wasn't quite what I had envisioned.
10.
St James Picadilly Market--free! (except you'll want to have cash on hand if you find some little treasure)
A little market in a church yard. Always fun for browsing. Check the day for the sort of stalls you're wanting, or surprise yourself with looking just because. I bought one special thing for myself at the craftsman market and not regretted it for a moment (a mini handcrafted kaleidoscope). There is another wishing fountain here. I find that the best use for pennies is on wishes.
