Take the kids to London's Transport Museum in Covent Garden and see their fantastic displays of buses, trains, trams and trolleybuses. I took my 4 year old and 2 year old - it must be said without much expectation of them behaving themselves - and was totally amazed when they behaved like perfect little angels all day and absolutely loved the place! My 4 year old especially liked a segment of hopper bus which protrudes from the wall upstairs, as he could sit in the driver's seat and pretend he was actually driving it! I must say that I'm glad he doesn't drive the buses around here though - he wanted to charge me £10 for a ticket!!! Both kids also loved the black taxi cab where they could sit in the back, buckle up and pretend they were going on an adventure on their own. We also sat in the carriage of an old-fashioned train while I explained to them that it was probably very similar to the Hogwarts Express that Harry Potter travels on - as the world's biggest Harry fan, this impressed my 4 year old no end!!
As a mother myself, I know how expensive it can be to take kids out anywhere. London's Transport Museum offers terrific value for money. The admission charge is £5.95 for an adult (£4.50 for an OAP or student) and children under the age of 16 are FREE (as long as they are accompanied by an adult). All you need to do is take a packed lunch - they even have an area with tables and chairs where you can eat your sarnies comfortably!
All that's left to say is that I thoroughly recommend everyone visits themselves to see what I am ranting eloquent about. I really believe it's a great place to go - and no, I'm not on commission! The details are as follows:
Web:
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
Address:
London's Transport Museum
Covent Garden Piazza
London
WC2E 7BB
Telephone:
+44 (0)20 7565 7299 [24-hour recorded information]
+44 (0)20 7379 6344 [main information]
Opening times:
Daily 10.00-18.00 [Fridays 11.00-18.00]
Last admission 17.15
Doors close at 6pm on 4 September 2005.
For events and activities after this date see Talks and Events http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/learning/talk_events.html
Transport:
Tube: Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Holborn, Charing Cross
Bus: The Strand, Aldwych
Rail: Charing Cross, Waterloo