Thank you very much to one of the NHM Secret Reviewers for this review of the Science Museum!
About
I loved the science museum as a child and was very excited to take Small J and his Cousin (both 2) there for the day along with Nanny J.
The museum is free to attend although they welcome donations and some attractions occur an additional cost but you can have a full day without the extras. You can visit 7 day a week between 10:00-18:00.
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
We had a fantastic day, my hightlight was seeing the piece of the moon! The boys loved the garden, a sensory area in the basement for little ones including puppets, interactive lights and sounds, a construction site complete with pully system and their favourite a cascade of water with all kinds of obstacles they could put in its way.
They floated boats down it, created dams and worked locks, squirted the boats (and us) and enjoyed every moment. (The museum even provide waterproof aprons for them). Other favourites inclused the top foor which was full of helicopters and airplanes and the agricultural area with lots of tractors and machinery.
Food
We had a picnic with us and in the basement there is a large area with low steps for you to sit and eat, there was a few school groups but plenty of room for everyone. The museum also has plenty of cafes and a restaurant and 2 more picnic areas.
Facilities and baby changing
The museum has plenty of baby changing facilities (including wheelchair friendly ones) and we found the free buggy park in the basement useful. I fed Small J in the picnic area and there’s plenty of seating around the museum for a rest and a feed. There’s also a cloakroom where Items can be left (including buggys) for a charge.
Tips
I would recommend a carrier for a baby (or a tired toddler) as due to maintenance and new exhibitions being created not all the lifts stop at all the floors meaning we found ourselves having to walk the length of the museum with the buggy to find a lift stopping at the right floor. Next time I’d leave it in the buggy park and use the stairs.
The cafe in the basement provide a jug of water so bring bottles for everyone.
Parking
Due to its central London location there is only disabled parking (which is still very limited), so if you drive to the museum be prepared to park quite far away. The area is served very well by public transport, the nearest underground station is South Kensington only a 5 minute walk away and there are plenty of bus stops near by.
Rating
Overall we had a great day out and would give the Science museum a 5/5
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe.