“Look, there’s Henry VIII! What’s he doing in Chicago?”
For anyone thinking about taking a young child to Europe–and thinking about all the reasons not to–let those words, uttered by our 5-year-old while looking in a Chicago card shop window after we had returned from London, serve as an incentive.
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Like most parents, we had had little reason to delve into details of the House of Tudor before leaving on our vacation. But after visiting such places as the Tower of London, the National Portrait Gallery and Hampton Court Palace, we still talk about the fact that Elizabeth I, one of Henry’s daughters, was held prisoner in the Tower by her half-sister Mary, never married, and still went on to become a major queen.
And there are memories of less heady stuff too–like chasing pigeons in the park, finding our way out of a hedge maze, taking a lift and using the loo, and trying, unsuccessfully, to procure a PBJ sandwich for lunch.
Queens and princesses aside, you just don’t have that kind of experience at Disney World, now do you?
In fact, avoiding a pilgrimage to Orlando played no small part in our decision to pool our frequent-flier miles and fly Business Class to London for six days (we also spent four days touring the Cotswolds and Bath). Convincing Emma of the wisdom of such a trip was another matter, and involved a pledge to spend a day at Legoland, the amusement park outside of London.
Once in England, though, we discovered a place as adept at entertaining kids as any amusement park could be–and with better souvenirs, more interesting food and a history lesson or two.
But let’s go back to that plane ride for a minute. At least one seasoned traveler we know scoffed at our decision to “waste” 40,000 miles (the difference between a Coach seat and a Business-Class seat) on a 5-year-old. “Couldn’t you just stick her back in Coach?” he inquired. Well, no, we couldn’t, and besides, the amenity kit (stuffed with earplugs, a sleep mask, socks, toothbrush, etc.), the multi-adjustable seat holding hidden surprises (footrest, table, TV), the better-than-average food and the ability to actually sleep a bit were worth their weight in miles.
After landing, the entertainment value of seemingly mundane things became even more apparent. The big black taxi we took from the airport, the monarch-bedecked currency, the polished British accents (perfecting the recorded pronunciation of “Mind the Gap” while riding the Tube was a favorite activity)–all proved remarkable.
Still, we were there to visit London’s bona fide attractions and had a long list to get through.
Among the highest priorities were the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, for we adults had good memories from our long-ago visits to them.
But everything feels different when you have a kid in tow, and though we were determined not to skip attractions because of it, we also discovered that our daughter’s reaction to a place often colored our own.
So we’ll long remember feeling a bit imprisoned ourselves on the crowded Tower tour, led by a Yeoman Warder guide spewing out detail after historic detail that proved too difficult to digest. Luckily, the chance to break away and meander among the displays of armor, glide past the crown jewels on a moving walkway and watch a video of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation redeemed her visit, and ours.
On that up note, we made our way to Westminster via boat. What child wouldn’t enjoy plying the Thames on a lovely spring day? A hungry one, as we discovered. So finding a suitable place for lunch once we debarked became our next mission, and a recurring one at that.
During our stay, we came across plenty of convenience-type stores offering salads and sandwiches, but none selling anything as familiar as peanut butter and jelly. Tuna and corn, prawns with mayo and other English favorites didn’t cut it, but a roll, some cheese, a piece of fruit and a bag of potato “crisps” would do for our impromptu picnics during this unseasonably warm April visit.
The lawn outside the Abbey proved a perfect place to eat, chase and feed the pigeons, and rest before taking on the church and its pre-Easter crowds. But again, this grand place, the burial spot of monarchs and poets, and home to countless statues and shrines, felt a little overwhelming on this visit.
We have fonder memories of the much sparer St. Paul’s, the Christopher Wren-designed cathedral that was built in the late 17th Century after its predecessor perished in the great London fire. It’s probably most famous for its dome, which presides over the London skyline and provides an opportunity for exploration and exercise to those willing to climb the steps leading to its galleries. After lighting some candles (a church activity perfected earlier on this trip), we climbed 259 steps to the Whispering Gallery and 119 more to the Stone Gallery, from which we surveyed the city and took some pictures. Though Emma could have used the counting practice, we skipped the final ascent (and 152 more steps) to the Golden Gallery.
Instead, we descended to the Crypt, where we wandered among the tombs (including that of Wren himself) and came across a room offering a kids’ yarn activity in celebration of Easter. Emma started the craft there and continued working on it while on the Tube, in our hotel room and in a succession of restaurants. Thank you, St. Paul’s.
This yarn project was just one of many children’s activities we were happy to encounter at churches throughout England. Most were simply pamphlets, like the Junior Guide to Wells Cathedral, which encouraged kids to find certain objects in the church or answer multiple-choice questions (Why were the arches built?) about it.
Other places wound up being surprisingly child-friendly too. The National Portrait Gallery–whose vast collection of paintings, photos and sketches includes those of British monarchs (Henry VIII’s various wives, including Elizabeth I’s mother, Anne Boleyn), pop stars (Mick Jagger) and sports stars (David Beckham), among others–allows families to check out backpacks filled with puzzles, fabric swatches and props designed to enhance children’s understanding of the portraits of a certain period (Tudor, Victorian).
Similarly, the Victoria & Albert Museum, with its wonderful collection of decorative arts (ceramics, jewelry and other objects), lends out children’s activity packs of its own on Saturdays and has carts holding hands-on projects for kids that roam the galleries on Sundays. It also gives out a “family trail” guide to the museum. We found plenty to entertain ours, including the collection of musical instruments and glamorous gowns. Emma particularly enjoyed trying out a Victorian-era crinoline.
Next door to the V&A is the Science Museum, whose truly interactive exhibits (and very helpful staff) put those at some other science museums to shame. A large plasma ball–those things with the lightning inside–a motion detector game, a shadow projector and a touch screen with a drawing program that gets projected onto a big wall display were among the highlights.
Another area showed the workings of various household items, including toilets, vacuums and washing machines, and there was a thorough historical collection of home appliances.
Yet another exhibit let kids put on costumes that made it feel like they were crawling like a baby, waddling like a duck or walking like a dog or a robot.
But a child does not live by museums and churches alone, and there were times when it became evident we were going at too fast a pace. What to parents might seem like a reasonable schedule of Tube riding, museum visiting and walking from place to place can take its toll on a child, as it did on ours. So every once in a while we curbed our appetite for attractions and slowed down a bit.
A couple of times, too, one of us split off to do something solo (really explore the National Gallery, shop unencumbered in Knightsbridge) while the other did something Emma wanted to do (like go back to our hotel, which had a pool).
After such decompression, we felt ready to take on more–like a trip to Hamleys, the celebrated toy store that boasts six floors of goods and attracts 5 million visitors a year. Imagine FAO Schwarz with twice the number of toys, many more toy “demonstrators” and even higher prices. Still, though crowded and noisy (as was Oxford Circus, the neighborhood in which it resides), at least we didn’t have to hear “Welcome to Our World” played over and over.
Interestingly, Mom and Daughter’s visit to Harrods, the famous department store, proved more productive. There, Emma got to look through more toys and books, had her face painted with an image of Peter Rabbit and posed for a picture with the Harrods bunny in its “Easter Grotto.”
The store also provided the closest we came to American food on this trip: a hot dog and fries (about $12) at Mo’s Diner, one of Harrods’ 20-some eateries.
That’s not to say that we had a hard time finding suitable kid food in London. Emma likes mac and cheese as much as the next 5-year-old, but she has also been exposed to a variety of ethnic foods in our city neighborhood. In London, home to every ethnic cuisine imaginable, she was happy to eat Middle Eastern (lentil soup and hummus), Singaporean (noodles and dumplings), French (steak frites and haricots verts) and Italian (pizza). Only at a small Indian spot did we resort to the child’s plate, which, strangely enough, consisted of fried chicken and french fries.
Still, the high point of our trip was a place irrefutably British. Not Buckingham Palace, home to Queen Elizabeth II–which we never visited–but Hampton Court Palace, southwest of London, a favorite dwelling of Henry VIII, and later William and Mary.
“I don’t want to go to a palace!” Emma had protested, at the end of one of our busier days. But the next morning, after taking the half-hour train ride there from Waterloo Station on a picture-perfect day, she was as delighted as we were with our visit.
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Hampton Court is what every parent would wish for in a tourist attraction: a place steeped in history yet perfect for kids, with its Tudor kitchens (set up to feed Henry’s court of 1,200), riveting palace tours led by costumed guides, lavish gardens with sculpted trees and the famous shrubbery maze (planted in 1702), the Royal Tennis Court (still in use today) and Renaissance Picture Gallery (this 5-year-old, for some reason, has a great capacity for images of Jesus and Mary).
There also were games, puzzles and labyrinths for children set up around the grounds, several nice gift shops (we purchased an Elizabethan-style necklace and a set of kids’ books on Henry, Elizabeth and Tudor/Stuart life) and an array of restaurants (we enjoyed our takeaway sandwiches on the lawn).
Back at our hotel the next evening, after another whirlwind day capped by a doubledecker bus ride, someone realized while we were packing to go home that we had “forgotten” to go to Legoland.
Interestingly, it was more an observation than a complaint. Guess Emma had discovered there are all kinds of amusement parks, and London, in its own way, is among them.
IF YOU GO
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Among the scores of travel books on London, more than a few focus on traveling with children.
Though we mostly stuck to general travel guides in planning our trip, we also referred to “Take the Kids, England” from Cadogan Guides (it also publishes a “Take the Kids, London”), which has kid-specific information (amusement parks, animal attractions) that families might find useful. There’s also Fodor’s “Around London With Kids: 68 Great Things to Do Together.” This compact guide is packed with lots of useful information on the city’s main attractions, plus nearby restaurants suited to kids.
In general, however, rather than making our planning too kid-focused, we decided to do the things we adults wanted to do and thought our 5-year-old also would enjoy, or at least tolerate.
So, no, we didn’t visit the London Zoo, Buckingham Palace or Madame Tussaud’s, because they didn’t much interest us. But we did spend time at some more adult venues–the British Museum, the Tate Modern–and found they had at least a few exhibits of interest to our daughter.
We also like old churches, and when we discovered our daughter’s similar interest, we added more to the agenda. Conversely, when we realized Emma had reached museum overload, we detoured to Hamleys toy store, an ice cream place or back to our hotel for a swim.
Our advice: Consider your kids’ age (we wouldn’t have attempted such a trip before age 5) and attention spans. And take cues from them once you get there–their interests might surprise you.
DISCOUNTS
Most museums and other attractions charge less for children’s admission (and it’s usually free under age 5); note, too, that many London museums are free for everyone. There’s also the London Pass (www.londonpass.com), good for free entrance to more than 60 attractions (Hampton Court Palace, London Aquarium, Tower of London, among others) that can be purchased for one day, two days, three days or six days. The three-day pass costs 40 pounds (about $70) plus tax for adults and 26 pounds (about $45) plus tax for children 5-15. The pass also comes with a bus and Underground transit option for an additional charge.
ADULTS ONLY
Though we didn’t venture out sans child, that doesn’t mean you can’t. Most hotel concierges can connect you with baby-sitting services in London. One of the more established ones is Childminders (www.babysitters.co.uk).
MORE INFORMATION
General tourist information for Britain is available at www.visitbritain.com (also 800-462-2748); this site also has information specifically about attractions for children.
— Janet Franz and Bill Swislow