LONDON WITH CHILDREN - London 2015 - page 681

clothes for teens. Stores include Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Zara, two H&M shops, and mu-
sic stores like HMV. Sandwich-to-go shops and coffeehouses (including a half-dozen Star-
bucks) offer easy rest stops for families. Also see Part 2 of my West End Walk (“Shop-
ping Streets and Piccadilly Circus” on here ) , which goes down Regent Street. Harrods in
Knightsbridge, with its over-the-top toy and food departments, can be fun for kids of all
ages (see here ) . Markets, particularly the Camden Lock Market, will hit the spot for finicky
teenagers in need of loud music, cool clothes, and plenty of food choices (see here ) .
Theater
Long-running shows are kid- and parent-pleasers (see Entertainment in London chapter).
WEST LONDON
Hyde Park
London's backyard is the perfect place for museumed-out kids to play and run free. For
older kids, the park has a tennis court, a putting green, and trails for running or biking.
Young children will enjoy the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in adja-
cent Kensington Gardens, with its Peter Pan-themed climbing equipment, including a huge
wooden pirate ship (Tube: Queensway). Events such as music, plays, and clown acts are
scheduled throughout the summer. The Serpentine Lake offers paddleboat rentals and a
swimming area with a playground and a shallow kiddie pool (Easter-Oct daily 10:00-dusk,
closed off-season; Tube: Knightsbridge, South Kensington, and more). The park is open
daily from 5:00 in the morning until midnight ( www.royalparks.org.uk ) .
Natural History Museum
This wonderful world of dinosaurs, volcanoes, meteors, and creepy-crawlies offers creat-
ive interactive displays (see here ) .
Science Museum
Next door to the Natural History Museum, this museum offers lots of hands-on fun and
IMAX movies (see here ) . The Garden play area on Floor B entertains younger children
with water, textures, sounds, and climbing areas.
Both the Natural History and Science museums are kid-friendly and can be clogged
with school groups during the school year. Check for special events and exhibits (noted at
each museum's entry and on their websites).