Six great places to visit for a free family day out in London

A day out in London with your children can be so much fun and does not have to cost the earth. Before our move south last summer our family had always lived in Hertfordshire and this meant just a 20 minute train ride into London. We therefore took a lot of trips into the capital for family days out and I thought I’d share with you some of our favourite places to visit for free.  Yes, that’s right, all the ones I am sharing 

here do not have any entrance cost associated with them.

There are lots of super places in London that are completely free and you will have a great time, especially if the weather is good. Now we live a couple of hours away from London it is even more important that we have thrifty days out in London as it means we can spend our money on staying the night in a hotel and making the most of our time in London.

Coram Fields –

This hidden park close to Kings Cross is loads of fun for primary school aged children, there is loads of play equipment including an aerial slide, a grass area, a paddling pool and sandpit and for the adults a super café. Toilets are on site too for your convenience. This seven acre haven can get busy in the very hot months but it is a fabulous few hours fun.

The Science Museum –

This museum appeals to children of all ages from toddlers to teens as there are so many areas to explore and the hands on exhibits are particularly good. In the basement you have garden for the younger kids and upstairs is the Launchpad where you can educate and laugh all in one go. Don't forget that if you get bored the National History museum is just next door and entry is free there too.

St James Park & Buckingham Palace –

If you want fun on a bigger scale then head to St James Park and let the kids play ball and run around all the green grassland. or why not scoot through the park and follow the Princess Diana memorial walk. We also like to see the Pelicans and go in the children’s play area, it is a lot of fun with play equipment and sand. We then like to take a walk past Buckingham Palace from here too and the kids wave to the queen. If you have a smart phone just use the maps app to plan out your walking routes, no need to spend money on the tube or buses unnecessarily.

New Year’s Day Parade –

Now obviously you can only visit this one on New Year’s Day but I cannot recommend it more highly.  This parade is a wonderful sight and a full day’s entertainment. The American marching bands and super large balloons are a spectacular sight.

Walk along the South Bank –

There are lots of attractions that you can spend money on along here but our family rarely feel the need. The kids like to take their cameras and cross the bridges and see what they can capture. You can view the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, St Pauls Catherdral and so much more. There are always street performers which are fun to watch the many market stalls and street food traders selling fab trinkets and delicious treats. Check out the Royal Festival Hall too as there are often free small concerts and exhibitions.

Somerset House -

This is great in the summer when there are 55 dancing fountains in the front courtyard.  The kids love this on a warm day and it is good to explore the free exhibitions/ family workshops and of course you can take the 45 minute free guided tour if your children are older.

I hope you enjoy.....

-----------------------------------------------------------------

If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!

London: New Years Day Parade

What will you be doing on New Year’s Day then? Lunch with the family, a good movie, relaxing? They all sound rather good but we, as a family will be doing none of those. No, we will be up in London in the freezing cold, outside!
But don’t worry, it will be fab and it is through choice. So if you are lost for something to do on New Year’s day, then why don’t you join us and thousands of others in central London for the London Parade where you can watch 10,000 performers from across the world and join half a million other spectators.  The fabulous thing is that because it covers such a wide area of London, it is not too busy and even out little toddlers could see fine last year and the other big plus point, it is free!

2012 will be the 25th year of the parade and they expect it to be bigger and better than any other year.  It really is a spectacle and the highlight for us was watching all the American marching bands with their fantastic costumes, routines and inflatables.  Of course there are also the superb floats from all the boroughs of London, the horse and carts, trains, motorbikes and every other type of transport imaginable too! The parade starts at 11.45am and runs until about 3pm, so it will keep you entertained for hours, lets just pray it does not rain like last year or worse still snow!

Anyway enough from me, check out some of the pictures we took last year and click on the link and see for yourself if you fancy a trip to London on New Years Day.  We will be staying over on NYE, so we are ready nice and early after a Maccy D's breakfast - we know how to live!

Look at the size of that inflatable!

Image Credit

 

 
This is not a sponsored post, we just had a great day last year and I figure that I had never heard of this before so many local people probably have not either.

Just me and my Boy on the Space Trail at the Science Museum...

... well I say me and my boy, there was actually a few more people than that but no one else from our family.  I adore having one on one time with each of my children, that is when they get to shine and you can really delight in their growing personalities and experience all their quirks.  JJ and I have pretty much the same sense of humour, so we always have a good laugh together.

On Wednesday evening, a school night (yes, yes naughty mummy) JJ and I travelled into London, we offloaded the girls with Daddy and travelled on alone to the Science Museum.  We have been there quite a number of times before as JJ always enjoys it but this evening was for a very special treat.  After the Museum had closed about 20 of us were taken on a preview tour of the new Space Trail, that opens today, Saturday 23rd July 2011 ready for the summer holidays.

Each child received a flip camera to play with for the evening, to record their own journey around the museum.  To be honest I am not sure how much footage JJ filmed as he is such a hands on kid he wanted to be in there with the exhibits and touching everything.  I did manage to get a bit of footage though, so take a look and you can check out the Science Museums blog here. Which I believe will feature some of the kids footage soon.