Top Family-Friendly Activities for Your Next Trip to England
Are you headed our way and plan to visit England with your family? There’s so much to do in England with kids that you’ll want a few days to explore our rich cultural heritage while ensuring the kids get their energy out. Here are eight ideas for places to visit and things to do to get you started.
Natural History Museum
Nature is spectacular, and the Natural History Museum does an excellent job of presenting science and animals in a memorable way. The museum has a new centrepiece hanging from the ceiling of an architectural marvel of a building in the skeleton of a blue whale named “Hope” as a symbol of efforts toward a sustainable future. Kids will also love the palaeontologist’s skilled recreation of several dinosaur fossils, including a tyrannosaurus and a triceratops.
The Natural History Museum doesn’t stop with historical Victorian buildings that your kids will want to see and ask plenty of questions about. Many of the exhibits are interactive so that your children can learn something and be hands-on, too. In other words, you won’t hear, “Can we leave yet?” for at least a couple of hours.
Windsor Castle
It is hard to recommend just one castle, or even two, given their history and beauty. Nevertheless, we suggest the world’s oldest and longest-inhabited castle, Windsor Castle, as Queen Elizabeth chose this palace as her favourite for a reason. Kids will enjoy a mix of history, British-themed arts and crafts, and a tour of the structures and methods with which the British of past centuries defended the castle against potential invasion.
Do your kids love dollhouses? If so, the doll house of Mary, Queen of Scots, is displayed at Windsor Castle. The mini marvel took three years to build, measures over three feet tall, and has running water and working electricity through the many rooms that hundreds of skilled artists furnished with individual, realistic pieces.
Sherwood Forest
While the legend of Robin Hood may actually be a collection of do-gooders, Sherwood Forest is a very real place with much going on. You can participate in forest walks guided by characters from the mediaeval era when the tales of Robin Hood grew. You can train for battles and archery with Nottingham’s Master at Arms. The site also provides natural observation with native birds and beetles that will catch the kid’s natural imagination.
Cadbury World
Those chocolate candies your kids always ask about are made in Birmingham, England, and have been delighting people worldwide since 1905. Cadbury World introduces kids and adults to chocolate-making through movies and hands-on activities to make a sweet treat just right. The factory and entertainment centre help kids learn more about the history of chocolate, including from the ancient Aztec civilization, which placed a high value on cocoa beans.
So, you can bring the kids to a place where they can make chocolate and play with it, and you don’t have to clean up the kitchen afterwards? Sounds like a winner!
The Tower of London
Over the centuries, the Tower of London has served as a royal residence, prison, fortress, mint, zoo, place of execution, and storage for the Crown Jewels. With all of those wildly varied histories come many tales from the Yeoman Warders, who provide tours and historical information about the Tower. If stories of justice aren’t of interest to you, you can further explore local history and, of course, see the Crown Jewels as worn by the British Royal Family. They are a sight to see!
The British Museum
The British Museum is best known for preserving historical artefacts from all over the world, including ancient Egypt and the far reaches of the world. You’ll find real mummies on display at the museum, along with a 7.5-tonne bust of Pharaoh Ramesses the Great and a set of samurai armour dating back to the 18th century. Other truly one-of-a-kind objects within the British Museum are the Rosetta Stone, which helped translate ancient languages to modern words, and marble sculptures from the Greek Parthenon.
Peppa Pig World
England has truly one-of-a-kind places, with one particular place dedicated to a modern cartoon family that is especially well-known for snorting mid-sentence. If you have younger kids and want a place for them to connect to their favourite characters, this is an excellent place to stop. Peppa Pig World features simple rides for little ones with plenty of references from the show itself, such as a dinosaur ride with Peppa’s little brother George and a train ride from Grandpa. The place is simply cute and light-hearted!
Beaches
England has plenty of coastlines and a number of beaches. Many of the beaches are also located near lighthouses, which provide both a beautiful view and historical discovery for you and the kids. You can also venture into the water with sports rentals, including kayaks, small boats, and paddleboards for those who want to do a little exploring.
Conclusions
England has plenty of places to visit for your family, whether you have toddlers or teenagers. The British Isles are steeped in centuries of history, making their museums perfect places for young minds to learn something new about the world around them. Just remember to take a break for an occasional pint of English beer or a game of luck on casinos.com. With all the running around you’ll be doing, you deserve it!
