Innovative use of a small historic house in the old town that has been converted into a museum…read more Exhibits are well-presented and volunteer staff are very knowledgeable.

Joining the RGS in Hong Kong is one of the best things I've ever done. And to visit the mother ship…read more& have lunch in the tea room. How cool is that?

There is always something interesting going on at the Royal Geographic Society. Most of their…read moreexhibitions also tend to be absolutely free. The current "Travel Photographer of the Year" will be on until early September. The other advantage is that their exhibitions are normally open until 7pm at least on Fridays and Saturdays, so you can nip in for a bit after being thrown out of the Science/Natural History/ V&A museums around 6. There's a tiny cafe on the premises which serves up some basic stuff. They often host some interesting travel related lectures - sign up to their newsletter to stay informed.

This museum opened back in October 2016, so my visit today was my first, and what a sweet place it…read moreis. Located on the lovely Pinner Memorial Park, the setting couldn't be nicer. It's an easy walk from Pinner station. It's currently only open Friday-Sunday, but I booked in a group tour and took along 15 people. You enter through the ubiquitous gift shop, which isn't large but has a changing range of items by local artists, as well as books and other little things that I totally wanted. There are 3 rooms - an activity studio, a temporary exhibition, and a permanent exhibition. We couldn't go into the activity studio as it was being used for a half-term activity - glass painting. But there was a sign saying that on a Friday, they have an artist who uses the room to sketch and you are welcome to go in and watch and ask questions. The permanent exhibition is chronological and it was really interesting to see the variety of work that Heath Robinson did - but as ever, having a tour makes a big difference as you get a lot of context and little stories that bring it all to life. The temporary exhibition is currently on the brothers Robinson, and had a great breadth of work from the three Robinsons, including items on loan from the family, things that haven't ever been seen before. The group I brought (all over 60s) were fascinated by the whole thing. Even though I went along knowing very little about Heath Robinson, I enjoyed my visit, too. Our group tour was £5 per person, and another £30 for the steward to do the tour. Normal tickets are £6-ish.

More free entertainment, Coin Street Festival is held on the South Bank between the National…read moreTheatre and Tate Modern over a series of weekends in the summer. Advertisement follows that I found and copied. Obviously I can't say what is on this year better than them but I went to The Mayor's Festival last year and loved it. Lots of stalls and music plus the Globe was open for free and impromptu performances took place. We got the throw tennis balls at the actors. There was an illuminated Mardi Gras Parade at night along the Embankment and spectacular fireworks. Galleries open for free too including the OXO. Anyway the Mayors Festival is around Sept. and others are from now I think. Worth checking out. I am sure that there is a web site with details of each event. Through a superb line-up of world music, street theatre, children's workshops and information stalls from the Co-operative Group of businesses, these festival events add a further dimension to an already lively area. Fun family events include art and craft workshops for children with mask making and instrument making, while roving street theatre performances provide impromptu entertainment. The food and drink stalls place an emphasis on fair trade. This year's culturally-themed events include the Holland House event with a Dutch market and clog painting, Turkish Fest featuring the best in Turkish food and drink with a Grand Bazaar, Pulse; an Eastern European music festival and The Mayor's Thames Festival. I figure that it is good free entertainment and a good day or half day (or even evening) out.

This is a small museum but it's free, so if you are in town, anything where you can gain a little…read morebit of knowledge or a little bit of looking at something cool, it's worth looking at. There are a collection of artifacts and signs to read about the history of Windsor and some is pretty interesting. I wouldn't expect anyone to spend more than 20 minutes here, but again if you are around, it's cool to look at and learn a little something.

The management treats their staff like children, and their volunteers aren't given the respect they…read moredeserve. Many volunteers have left as management has gotten worse. The museum will only become worse as the management drives out all loyal staff and volunteers, who have only ever tried to help the museum be better, but were unfairly ignored and trodden on. While the museum can entertain you for a mere 10 minutes, it is a dull attraction. Just the same old crap you'll have already heard about Windsor. Not recommended if you're looking for actual culture and information.

What a beautiful park…read more I went for the enchanted woodland walk, and it was just lovely. The 2 mile walk takes in some of the highlights of the ground, all decorated with beautiful lights. It was just gorgeous. I did think they should have limited the number of people walking around, perhaps to hourly slots, as it was so busy it kind of changed the atmosphere a little bit. All of the lights and scenes created were so creative and well thought out. Magical for both adults and children. The cutest things were seeing little fairies and pixies dotted around, and little doors at the bottom of trees where little elves must live. I loved it and would highly recommend you visit next winter. I'd really like to go back to the park in the day time for a nice sunny walk!

A lovely park, one of those where you forget you're in London. It's a bit built up and a bit out of…read morethe way, but once you get there, it's really nice. There's a garden centre and a Hilton hotel, as well as lots of park land, grazing cattle, and a fly fishing pond, just to name a few things. Oh, and Syon House, of course! It is, unfortunately, in the flight path - which might be good if you like to look at big planes! It's also near to Kew so while it might not be a place to go for your final destination, it's worth passing through.

Great place. When I went it was set aside…read more for a week's art workshop for the homeless. A lovely place to work : light & airy, food provided & lots of help & support to the guests who arrived. Nearby is Church Street Market, a bit tatty & a marvellous Neighbourhood Centre & in the same street, doors away,the Migrants Resource Centre

My favorite part of visiting the UK are the free museums. Much to my surprise and delight...when I…read morewas looking for things to do in Richmond...this museum pops up. I was super excited to try it. I could tell it was not going to be a London museum experience when I was lead to this nondescript biding and had to climb the stairs up a few floor to get to it. This is a tiny museum and basically across just a couple of rooms and has info regarding the local history during the war and BC times as well. The elderly volunteer was super nice.

I am so pleased to have discovered this museum. Living so near London, I am slightly spoilt by the…read moreendless choices of museums that we have on our doorstep. Practically every moment of history is well documented somewhere across London. Having been used to the vast spaces of say, the Tate Modern, I forgot that museums can be small venues, and yet be just as informative. I found the Museum of Richmond on the top floor of the Old Town Hall, which is the large Victorian building that slopes down to the riverside. I had only popped in because there was a sign outside which read 'Charity Christmas cards for sale'. I had no idea that inside this building sat Richmond Library, and on the top floor Richmond Museum. I was the only visitor in the museum, bar the staff, who could not have been more helpful and informative. In fact, they guided me through the various sections, explaining the history as they went. The most fascinating thing that I learnt was that Richmond used to have a Palace, it sat on what is now Richmond Green and was occupied by Henry VIII until he moved down the road to Hampton Court Palace. They have a model of how the Palace was laid out which I spent about half an hour gazing at. Other sections included Wartime Richmond, the slave trade connection, the railway age, information about the Royal Parks, and a section about the Carthusian Monks and their connections with neighbouring Sheen. It was one of the most informative afternoons that I have had in a long while, and it won't be long before I go back. Admission is free, by the way.