On the weekend, we went along to Kew Gardens for the first time. There are Christmas activities going on there throughout the festive season, both in the daytime and the evening. We opted for the day time as we felt it would be easier for the children. You can see details of all the festive activities here.
When we arrived, it took us a while before we found the the Christmas fairground so we took the chance to explore the gardens and have some lunch as we made our way across the park. It was a great place for the children to explore, particularly Mr Z, and loads of different looking plants and trees for them to talk about.
Despite being December now, there are still so many leaves on the ground and the colours look quite autumnal instead of just wintry. There are lots of low flying planes coming over head which Mr T and Mr R loved pointing out!
The giant mushrooms were a favourite!
We also explored inside the Princess of Wales conservatory where there are lots of tropical plants and also ponds and a small aquarium:
In the Aquarium there is a Santa’s Grotto every day from 12-3pm which is free to visit. We were just so slightly too late to see Santa, the boys’ dad had made a mistake and thought Santa was going to be there ‘at 3’ not ‘until 3’!! – But we did all still enjoy all the tropical plants inside the green house.
We then made our way to the Christmas fairground. It has a vintage feel with a traditional carousel and helter skelter, along with a traditional car ride which was a hit with Mr T and Mr R (age 3 and 2). Mr Z’s (5) favourite was the helter skelter.
The rides are £2 per ride so while having a few children having a couple of gos on the rides, this will add up quite a bit so do be aware of that and allow for it when planning your Christmas visit to the park. There is also another Santa’s grotto at this end of the park which is a Woodland Grotto is costs £3.50 to visit here. There are Christmas stalls available nearby too for a Christmas market atmosphere.
After they finished the rides, the boys were very keen to go and play in the playground at the Climbers and Creepers area. This was great for them to use up all their energy and there is plenty of play equipment there for them to enjoy.
By this time, it was starting to get towards 4pm and a beautiful sunset could be seen over the park as the children were playing
In the evenings, there is a Christmas After Dark event available at Kew. I have to say this looks really amazing and I am tempted to go again but at night, so that we could experience this. It is the first year that it is on, and it looks really atmospheric from the pictures on the website. I know my sister is extremely keen to go to this too, so we may go and if we do, I will share my pics with you all!
Linking up to..
We were given our tickets so that we could try out the Christmas activities at Kew Gardens and see if it would become a new family tradition. Take a look at this infographic from Millennium Hotels all about Christmas Traditions all around the world – I am there at the moment with some childhood memories of Christmas so do have a look!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
I used to love Kew Gardens when we lived locally. Looks like even more on offer now, a great place to take the family for some festive fun. Thanks for sharing with me on Country Kids.
Your photos are so lovely. I love the big mushroom photo it’s so sharp!!! I was considering a trip here but now im sold. Brilliant post xxx
That looks like a fantastic fun christmas day out.
Love the look of those mushrooms.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids
What a great day out! Love those giant mushrooms 🙂 #LetKidsBeKids
Oh wow what a fun day! I’m ashamed to admit that although I’m (a) a Londoner, and (b) have a bestie who lives in Twickenham I’ve never been to Kew Gardens! Must check it out with the girls #letkidsbekids
wow looks like fun! I would love to visit
Awww, what a shame you missed Santa! It still looks like you had an amazing time though – I think the mushrooms look great! 🙂
We were at Kew Gardens for Halloween and we loved it! I can only imagine how lovely it must be at Christmas. It really is a great place to explore and it gets different for them as they get older I notice.
Oh that looks lovely! x
Your time at Kew Gardens looks just delightful. It is many years since I last visited it. Though I can recall going there with a friend, not long after she had moved to London. We had a wonderful time at Kew Gardens, we also took some photos :- as it was a lovely day with bright summer sunshine. I would like to visit Kew Gardens again sometime.
it looks lovely. i like the conservatory
Gorgeous place to visit! I’ve never been there but it is on my wish list to do. One day hopefully. Lovely photos!
I’ve never been to Kew Gardens. Those mushrooms look fab
Those giant mushrooms are amazing, I can see why they were your favourites! #LetKidsBeKids
That looks like great fun – I love the giant mushrooms
I’ve not been to Kew in years, would love to go back and explore with Monkey
Looks like a fab day, love the mushrooms!
looks lovely
This looks like an amazing place to spend the afternoon. Thanks so much for joining in the Outdoor Play Party too.
I’ve never visited Kew but it’s on my list ‘to visit’, it looks like a really good place to spend a family afternoon and enjoy being outdoors together.
I’d love to take my kids to Kew Gardens. They’d be amazed by all the different plants. It seems a good family day out.
I really want to go to Kew gardens! It looks lovely and I’ve heard it is!