I was killing time but I'm glad I went to this free museum that was geared towards the younger…read moreaudience. I saw a lot of toys and games I used to play with when I was a kid and it was quite nostalgic. I did have to put on my patience hat because there are kids running around, yelling everywhere but I came here expecting that. My favorite was the horse that was used in War Horse, the live performance.

One of the best museums I've seen in the world. It's tremendous we can spend probably a week here…read moreand get lost with all the beautiful pieces. Wonderful assortment of China and sculptures and artwork rugs and fashion and furniture from all over the world. Really a tremendous museum and it's free entrance! Open until 530 or six.

I went along here when my nieces and nephews were visiting once and we had a nice enough time but…read morethe Children's Museum at Bethnal Green is much more impressive.

We were in London during a heat wave and decided a museum day was in order, to entertain our…read morechildren away from the scorching sun. We settled on the Natural History Museum, and by the time we realized it would provide but faint relief, it was too late to go somewhere else. The Natural History Museum is one of London's spectacular free museums, a beautiful building on Exhibition Road in South Kensington. We were not, apparently, the only family who decided to visit on this hot Thursday afternoon in July, and we ended up waiting in a long, slow line, completely exposed to the sun. They might have put up some umbrellas, but I guess the weather was atypical. Once we were in, we learned that the museum is an old, historic building without much in the way of air conditioning. It was crowded and steamy in there, though still preferable to being outside. There were also a few newer exhibition halls that had proper AC. Thankfully, my three-year-old has a lifelong fascination with fans, and there were dozens of these on display, giant machines designed to ventilate large spaces. He was, in fact, more into these than he was into the dinosaurs, which scared the bejeezus out of him. The museum was definitely top tier, with tons of interesting exhibits to entertain both children and adults. We entered right into Hintze Hall, where a full blue whale skeleton hung suspended over our heads. We also admired a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, dating back to the beginning of our solar system. The dinosaur hall was excellent, even if the animatronic T-rex made my little boy cry. We fell prey to one of the photo op stops, and I definitely paid for the downloads like a sucker--what, was I not gonna own the silly green screen pictures of my family among dinosaurs, and more importantly, looking at a camera at the same time? The mammal hall was cool, though I have to say, I missed the grand diorama displays of the mammal halls I've seen back home. We went into a newer exhibit on how to fix our broken planet, mostly for the air conditioning. My kids were less into the conservation stuff than the dinosaurs and fans, but I thought it was quite well done. I actually stopped buying beef treats for my dog as a result of one of the placards, which talked about the impact on the planet of using beef for pet food. We went to two gift shops, the one by the dinosaur hall and the main one near the entrance, and both were quite nice, with lots to look at for our kids. We allowed them to buy stuffies, and our three-year-old bought a tiny dodo and a tiny ankylosaurus (on theme, good job), while our six-year-old bought a flamingo to add to his flamingo collection. If there was a flamingo display at the museum, we missed it, though I suppose I wouldn't be surprised. I can tell by looking at the map now that we missed plenty. We spent a little time in the cafe, for fans and beverages, and I realized as we were leaving that I'd left my sunglasses there over an hour earlier. I was pleasantly surprised to find it at the register waiting for me. We take the kids to natural history museums at home, and I have no doubt we'd make good use of this one if we were raising them nearby. It's a wonderful place, expansive and educational, a truly amazing free resource to anyone spending time in London.

Lots of bones! Plenty of old stuff! Great turn-of-the-century over-the-top ornate architecture!…read morePlan on an hour unless you're hardcore. Ride the escalator into the middle of the earth to find out what music is playing inside. See extraordinary taxidermy handiwork. Even see a fake dodo bird thought to be an adjacent species that didn't exist. And if you like dinosaurs this is your Mecca. Just don't dare sit anywhere like on some stairs in the corner or some overzealous guard will kick you right out. But otherwise you'll have a great time. Also enjoy the outside grounds for a stroll, and hit up the West entrance for zero lines while the hoards line up on the other side.

Outstanding world class science museum. Mostly technology oriented or applied science. It consist…read moreof five floors, with different themes: flight, energy, information age, mathematics, medicine, engineering, technicians, space, etc. Great place to bring the family and lots of hands-on exhibits for the kids as well as the adults. plan to spend a full day there.

Okay, I didn't spend too much time here, but like a lot of London's museums it is free, which I…read morehave to admit is pretty awesome. This, as the name implies, is basically a science museum, and it is where you can find a couple of models of the difference engine created by Charles Babbage (though I'm not sure if they can be used, but apparently even though he never got to build it, it does work). It's pretty cool, and it's a great museum for those, like me, who are science heads.

The best part about visiting Pollack's Toy Museum is the "I had that one!" feeling. This is how I…read morelearned that I was raised on a lot of Victorian-era toys, all of which appear to present a major choking hazard. Wishful thinking on my parents' part, I suppose. This small museum packs a lot of vintage toy punch for the £5 admission fee. Be prepared for a lot of creepy old dolls, wistful memories and racially charged debates on golliwogs. The gift shop is great--I came home with a metal springy toy and a fortune-telling fish today. (It says I'm fickle.) Worth a visit to the shop even if you don't go to the museum.

Besides a small case near the end of the exhibit space, the toys in this museum's collection are…read morenot the toys of your childhood. They're the toys of your grandmother's childhood more likely. And as much as I give this museum credit for not trying to cash in on the wave of nostalgia that is currently rampant for 1970s and 1980s toys, I can not honestly say that the collection felt complete without a few more of these. What they do have in abundance, squeezed into every nook and cranny of this pretty small space (including placing some classic games on each of the staircases) is some of the most historic toys in the world. The highlight of the collection is one of the oldest known teddy bears in existence. It's not exactly cute though since the Victorians were seemingly more bout accuracy than sales appeal. And there are other toys dating back even further into history from all over the world. It is very cool to see the toys that distant cultures have had in the past. However, it's really the organization and maintenance of the place that, unfortunately, drag it down in my mind. It's the kind of museum that seems like an afterthought to the main business it's attached to (in this case a working Pollock's Toy Store). The amount of dust in the place drove my allergies crazy and there is little to no labeling of the toys with the exception of a few that are in the welcome brochure. Someone could at least visit the museum and dust it once in a while since they do charge not a small admission. In the end, it's wonderful toys and there are some classics if you know what you're looking for. But one shouldn't have to be a toy expert on high doses of Benadryl to be able to appreciate a toy museum.

This place is nothing short of brilliant. Yet again the Brits show their superb talent at putting…read moretogether a fine museum. Even though the building is old the exhibits don't look like they have been there too long. Congratulations to whoever designed the layout which is quite modern. It is an easy 1/4 mile walk from Canary Wharf tube and you should allow 2 - 3 hours.

It's free! (but…read moremake a donation, mmmkay?) Keep cool things in London free. Or at least buy a little something from the cafe or gift shop. My husband thought it would be hilarious to buy a little rubber toy rat for our son. It's consequently freaked out every person that has come to visit us. It's now mysteriously absent -- makes me think the babysitter threw it out. Regardless! Support given. We were meeting some friends nearby at *Tom's Kitchen for brunch (recommended!) and decided to use the Canary Wharf excursion to check out Museum of London Docklands, where a soft play area was rumored to be housed. And indeed -- a very nice little area for the little ones can be found here. There's a pretty large, enclosed area containing: water/sand play (probably best for 2+), HUGE building blocks section, fun little toys about shipping and transport (they manage to make them fun and durable), and of course, a soft play centre with requisite slide, nets, climbing and big soft squishy shapes. Bookings for these sessions can be made in advance -- though I couldn't figure out how, so we just turned up on a Sunday and lucked out that there was space. IF it is a busy time of year (half term, etc) I do suggest calling ahead to book. It runs in sessions so once the end of the session comes, everyone is out and a new batch is let in. This worked well for us as we spent about 40 minutes inside...but our timing was purely luck. Next time we'll book and know when it starts/ends. We took the opportunity to view the museum -- also very child and pram friendly. It's very nicely curated, interesting and most importantly with a child -- relatively fast. You can go through the entire Museum in about 20 minutes, should you need to. Situated right on the Docklands (obviously) this is a great kid-friendly stop if you are out seeing the sights or visiting the area.

Touch a 4.5 billion year-old meteorite, watch how the universe was formed, unravel the mysteries of…read morethe cosmos with help from on-screen experts and researchers, and guide a space mission. Quite fascinating! Entrance is Free; a great place for kids to explore our ever changing world that we live in. Visitors: http://www.rmg.co.uk/visit/get-here

Although the gallery information presentation is high level, the galleries are fun to wander…read morethrough and explore. I left with a renewed sense of wonder at the vastness of space. The kids (tweens) enjoyed the exhibits, the architecture, and the city view from the top of the hill.

I was here for one of the Christmas fairs in late November, and I have to say, considering they…read morecharge you 5 pounds just for going in, it was quite disppointing. The vendors seemed to specialize only in vintage-looking accessories and baby items, and the food was too scarce to mention. The only potent memory I have is the mulled wine; and that's only because it was quite potent. The house itself is nice, though. It has a very old-fashioned look and feel, and considering all the different events it holds throughout the year, it does hold promise for a memorable experience. If you do go to one of the Christmas fairs, wait until mid-December as there are usually more vendors the later in the month it gets. Do be forewarned: While the gifts you can find here are all handmade and unique, they're also quite limited in their style and only appeal to certain tastes.

Sutton House is a small piece of English heritage in the heart of Homerton. Walking into a building…read moreso antiquated and ornate meant that it would be rude not to ask how long the building had been around for. It's the oldest building in East London was the response I got from one of the staff working in the souvenir shop. No one was able to tell me exactly when it was built, but the tudor beams and furniture was a dead giveaway; having a peek on their site later on in the day also confirmed the period in which this beautiful artwork of a location was made. For anyone who's been to Homerton and noticed that it's awash in ramshackle converted warehouses, convenience stores, scaffolding and old factories, you'll notice how much Sutton House stands out, with its moss covered walls, and creeping vines and serene, distinctly 'stately home' appearance. One thing I couldn't quite get over is how small people must have been in Tudor times. The tables are low, as are the ceilings and the passageways were in some places unforgivingly narrow. If you've eaten a lot post-Christmas, you might want to consider a few sessions at the gym before investigating the place. I'm not sure what you'd do if you were a 7ft basketball player. They have a brilliant programme of events here: I went to a series of talks about Black history writer S.I. Martin (they have a great Black History Month programme here in October), but even for non-history buffs they have plenty to offer, including monthly family days, Halloween ghost tours, Christmas carol concerts and guided tours. It's used by local community groups, which means you can hire it too. Standard Admission: £2.80, child 70p, family £6.30. Groups £2.40

Better than Cadbury's or any BS french chocolate, the most tasty and filling chocolate in the…read moreworld. The staff there are very nice if you want to book a chocolate-making workshop!

From the owner: The only place in London where you can make, taste and learn about chocolate.read more

Viktor Wynd is a freak…read more And I say that in the kindest most honest way possible. The erotic novel, "An Enema for Emilia" is displayed in one of the many display cases found deep below the bar via a golden winding staircase. This sounds like both a dream and a nightmare, and it is. The Last Tuesday Society is a dark taxidermy lab in which you pay to learn how to stuff your favorite animal/pet. I'm coming back to stuff a crow. Seriously. The drinks are yummy and unique and the service is well above par. I enjoyed perusing the museum while trying to find the oddest most offensive thing. Sebastian Horsley in the throws of passion with a limbless lady was up there. Definitely worth visiting if you're a freak. And I am most definitely a freak, so it was right up my alley.

This is an interesting cocktail bar/oddities museum. It is…read morefree to enter the bar, but if you want to go downstairs to the museum, I think it was £12. There was a discount if you bought a drink, but somehow this seemed too complicated for me to bother with so we just decided to not get drinks. Just as well, since you enter the museum via a tight spiral staircase which would not have been easy for me to navigate if holding or drinking a cocktail. There are lots of extremely interesting curiosities to look at. It is VERY cramped and you will probably not want to be carrying anything bulky. We did not stay too long there, because it was very, very warm in the museum area. It was a very hot day outside but it seemed that maybe they were running a heater in there?!? Though maybe it was an air conditioner that was...putting out hot air. But anyway, if you like 2-headed things and skeletons and whatnot, you might find it interesting enough; we did. Mostly the reason we went there was because we had come to this part of town to go to The Vagina Museum; I did prefer that one.