Advice Please

[iolanthe_rosa]

We are going to be in the UK from June 10 - June 24. Much of our time is going to be booked with family commitments, but we will be staying with Geoff's cousin in Wimbledon from about June 16 - 23. We plan to take a bunch of day trips from there: to the city, an overnighter to Bath, maybe down to Brighton

Comments

[msilverstar]

We took teenboy when he was nine, and reading Harry Potter. The Tower of London was good, Stonehenge, ruined castles with good tour guides were fun, not so much museums. We didn't get to Portsmouth on that trip, but I think it would have been lots more fun for him than Bath.

And for a final treat, Legoland! It's near Windsor I think, and even our blasé kid got really into it.

[iolanthe_rosa]

Tower of London: check
Stonehenge: check
I will try to find a good ruined castle.
Geoff has a family obligation in Bath, so that's not negotiable; I think he might find it interesting though. Maybe.

Oooh, Legoland. I had no idea there was one in England. That's a definite thought, though The Spawn's behavior record at amusement parks is not stellar.

Thanks!

[msilverstar]

One could go to Portsmouth and then Stonehenge to get to Bath, though not in one day.

Have fun!

[arabia764]

Diggerland! It's totally fab.

http://www.diggerworld.com/

Or the Launchpad at the Science Museum. Or, if you really want him to have fun, Throrpe Park.

[iolanthe_rosa]

I was hoping you'd reply, since I know you have extensive expertise in this area.

I think he might be a little old and/or too shy for Diggerland. We're going to be staying with a younger boy cousin who would probably enjoy it; if we told The Spawn we were going there for him (the cousin) he might let his guard down and enjoy it too. I will have to think.

The Launchpad sounds perfect. I think it must be your version of our Exploratorium.

Thorpe Park? I guess I don't really want him to have fun.

But we're going to do the Millenium Eye!

[arabia764]

Diggerland is great fun, for all boys/men!

It depends on what you want, something educational and instructive (the Millennium Eye would be great for that) or pure kids adrenaline fun. We have some super things for both.

[ms_alis]

I've never been a small boy, but a good ruined castle the Spawn can run around sounds good! I'm just looking for one. It's a bit too far away for a daytrip (3 hours on the train) but York has some great gruesome stuff - the Viking Museum is a great favorite with kids with authentic smells! Also York is stuffed with medeaval walls and ruins, and the Castle Museum has a Victorian street.

Slightly more helpful is the Time Out London kids pages http://www.timeout.com/london/kids/features/1730/1.html

Time Out seem to think kids all like museums and theatre, but there are some nice playgrounds there. The London Eye is a must (book ahead) and I love the Museum of the Moving Image (London South Bank) and The Natural History Museum (South Kensington). Mmm, more museums!

[ms_alis]

Oops sorry, Museum of the Moving Image is closed.

[msilverstar]

York is so wonderful, I love the whole Cathedral area and the walls! The Viking adventure thing however, was pretty lame even for a nine-year-old.

[iolanthe_rosa]

I don't think York is going to make it onto the itinerary, but I must say, as a family we all share a soft spot for lame/cheesy attractions, our favorite so far being the

[wosny]

Probably more the Girl's thing, Rosie and Poll used to enjoy The American Museum at Claverton Down, (just outside Bath.) Given as a present by (?)Washington, lots of American history in quite a small area, but really well presented.
Also the girls always loved a day out at Longleat, home of the Marquis of Bath, (once we were visiting the paintings(?not really advisable for a small boy, perhaps) and we met the marquis himself.) I nursed the parents at Bath RUH, true eccentrics, 'He' wouldn't buy a newspaper, but would borrow from another patient, what would you expect from the 15th richest person in the country!

[loreley_se]

Legoland, the Science Museum, the National History museum (dinosaurs!). HMS Belfast.

And I would really really love to meet you guys when you are over. Any chance???