A stroll around Kew Gardens to enjoy the Autumnal colours (there’s facepainting during Artful Autumn until the end of October) should be on your half term list.
Once the kids have had a chance to enjoy watching the ducks and large koi in the pond, the warmth of the glass houses (note that the marine display has closed and that the Temperate House is shut for restoration at the moment), walking over the bridge at the Sackler Crossing you can take them on a sky high adventure on the Treetop Walkway. The views from there are breath-taking.
The kids also seemed to enjoy exploring the relatively quieter areas around the Minka House. And there were lots of kids admiring the aquatic displays and the giant lily pads on the Princess of Wales Conservatory. I enjoyed a stroll around the nearby rock gardens and alpine displays – there were some wonderful waterfalls and ponds there. I’ve visited The Hive on several occasions but the kids seem to like this relatively new attraction.
There were literally hundreds of kids at the White Peaks café and shop and the nearby inside and outside plant-themed adventure playgrounds at Climbers and Creepers. There are some giant tee pees there too which I didn’t have time to explore. I didn’t make it to the Giant Badger Sett on this occasion but that was a firm favourite for my kids when they were little – there’s a log trail nearby too now.
There was some impressive sculptures and the kids enjoyed the animal shapes – lots of horses and a lone bear were particularly appealing. Although the Sculpt at Kew event ended on 15 October.
And it’s probably time to get your tickets for the annual Christmas at Kew lights (22 November until 1 January) – that’s become a firm fixture in the annual calendar although this year I have also managed to secure tickets for the nearby Syon Park Enchanted Forest which is a smaller and more intimate night time adventure in the outdoors.
There’s a kids section on the Kew Gardens site https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/kids-kew
