Janis P.
Kew Gardens has something for everyone, rain or shine. Children will love the treetop walkways, the Evolution House, the stag beetle loggery, badger sett and visiting the peacocks at the Waterlily pond.
On rainy days, your family can keep nice and dry in the glasshouses or have a look at some marine life in the aquatic displays.
There is also a unique indoor botanical-themed interactive play area where kids can climb into a plant to pollinate it, be eaten by a giant pitcher plant, or just run around and burn off some energy.
Have you ever been to Kew with the kids? What did you think?
I would agree with most of the previous review, particularly around the cost of visiting Kew. I joined as a member a year or so ago and it’s definitely worth it if you think you’ll be visiting Kew a few times during the year. Paying £5 in the car park is also a bit annoying (there are rarely any free spaces available outside the main gate, even if you arrive first thing) but then I guess it’s all in a good cause. Cost aside, Kew is a lovely spot to visit, particularly when your baby is very small and during the warmer months. Plenty of secluded spots to sit if you need to breastfeed,and you can easily trundle around for a good couple of hours if baby is sleeping by which time you’ll have earned your cup of tea and a scone at one of the cafes. The Orangerie restaurant is very buggy friendly (and has nice clean changing facilities) but, be warned, it does get very busy – Kew is ‘buggy central’ even during quieter times! We’re yet to venture into ‘Climbers and Creepers’ but friends have told me that the toddlers and older kids love it!
It is a great park, but it is a bit dear, so plan to spend the whole day there, specially in the summer holidays. The food is quite good, but after the expensive ticket you might want to take a picnic with you. There are lots of activities for the children during the holidays, catering for a wide range of ages, so do contact them to see what is on offer.
Kew Gardens is definitely a favourite place for me and the kids. We visited over the Easter holidays when there was a temporary children’s farm. My daughter loved being allowed into the small animal pens to stroke the sheep and goats and there were also donkeys, chickens, rabbits and pigs for the kids to enjoy. There are often other activities on at Kew; I really enjoyed the Henry Moore exhibition they had a while ago so it’s worth clicking on the link to their website to see what’s on. Their attitude to kids is great and although it is a little pricey, it is a lovely day out and the climbers and creepers indoor play area is always there if it rains.
This is somewhere to spend the WHOLE day as you want to make the most of the entrance fee. That said it’s so huge you can easily spend the whole day.
If you have small kids then make sure you have the buggy as there’s lots of gound to cover. Tree-top walk and badgers den are very special for small kids as is the creepers play area. It doesn’t need to be the sunniest day as the glass houses are amazing. You can picnic if it’s fine. Lunch is very good but can set you back a bit especially if you have older kids like mine who want a proper dinner.
Kids need to respect the plants so it’s no climbing on trees and no bikes or blades. One of our favourite places and fun to take granny to.