A couple of weeks ago Mr Z and I, along with a group of other blogger families, had a great day out with Ripleys Believe it or Not. Since we live in London, we don’t always make time to visit the places that tourists would go to if they came for a trip, so it was really fun to have a full day out in Central London and try out these attractions for the first time!
We started off with a VIP tour of Hamleys in the morning before it opened to the public. We have been to Hamleys a few times and love it. I remember visiting as a child myself and it’s just as awesome as it was then – with so many toys kids can’t fail to be entertained. Mr Z had lots of fun watching a Gruffalo puppet show and running around the shop! His favourite toy was the magnetic darts set which I might have to buy for him in future!
After that we all went to Planet Hollywood for lunch. We’d never been so I was happy to have the chance to try it out since it’s such an iconic place and a perfect choice for our touristy day out. Mr Z and I both got vegetarian pasta (his from the children’s menu) and had ice cream afterwards. They have a decent selection of food and lots of seating space, which is the main thing I look for in a restaurant. I hate to be over crowded and there must be something suitable for the kids to eat. Planet Hollywood fulfilled both of those needs nicely and has a fun atmosphere with lots of Hollywood memorabilia around the place. There are also video screens that will show your messages up on the wall, or show videos of the kids while they are eating in the restaurant.
I’m sure my other half and the younger boys would enjoy Planet Hollywood so we will have to visit again as a family next time we’re in Central London for the day.
After lunch we all set off for Ripleys Believe it or Not. Mr Z had heard about the new Swarovski crystal Mini Cooper which has been added as a new exhibit, as he really likes Mini Coopers! There were so many more things to see too!
There are 6 floors of unusual exhibits at Ripleys, with a wide variety of all sorts of different things from Sports, to art, to history and more. Mr Z loved seeing the art made of sweets and all the Olympic torches of the past. He has really got into Sports lately and enjoyed seeing the variety of torches and picking his favourite.
There are lots of interactive features too and these were definitely some of our favourites. The highlight for Mr Z was the Impossible Laserace. This is something really unique and definitely worth trying out, it’s just like something from an action movie. You have to crawl underneath or jump over the maze of lasers and scan your hands at the hand scanning places on the wall to get through the room. I’m sure we will be back again as Mr Z would love to have another go at this, and his dad would probably love a try too!
The mirror maze is also lots of fun and something really different and interactive, and all the kids enjoyed the digital graffiti wall.
Take a look at the video to see what everyone thought of the day out, and for your chance to win a family ticket (4 people) to visit Ripley’s Believe it or Not enter via the Rafflecopter at the end of the post
Enter here, good luck!
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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.
Everything – it looks amazing 🙂 would love to take my litte family. The Marvellous Mirror Maze looks fab. Thank you for the fantastic giveaway x
the graffiti wall looks great fun
the laser thing mission impossible looks amazing!
The Impossible Laserace would be top of our family’s list!
Would love to see the sparkly Mini Cooper
See the sparkly mini cooper!
The digital grafitti wall
I’m loving the mini cooper, would love to see it for real!
The digital grafitti wall
The mini looks cool; I’d really enjoy all of the exhibits
THR MIRROR MAZE LOOKS FUN
Digital graffiti wall
I like the look of the Mirror maze
Try the mirror maze
The Mirror Maze
We love interactive features, and the Digital Graffiti Wall looks great!
Would love to try The Black Hole. It looks amazing.
Would love to see the sweets art. I find it mind boggling how it’s done, especially as it’s only clear from a distance.
I would love to play on the grafitti wall with my kids
The mirror maze looks amazing
The mirror maze!!
The lasers sounds like fun 🙂
i would like to explore it all
The impossible laserace sounds like brilliant fun!
The very bling Swarovski crystal Mini Cooper as it sounds fascinating, not really into bling for myself, but this sounds very cool
Mirror Maze
I’m not entering as I think Monkey is too young to really appreciate it – we saw lots of billboards on our last trip to London for Ripleys – good to see more info. A trip for the future for us I think.
I think 5 or 6 and upwards is the best age for it, although younger ones did come on the day out too and enjoyed but I would say my little ones are too young too. Perfect for Mr Z though, and for Monkey in a year or so 🙂
I’d like to see that mini cooper, though I expect the children will be more interested in the olympic torches.
The mini cooper!
the mini cooper
We have visited the smaller ripleys in Blackpool and it was fab! Would love to visit a larger on #TriedTested
I love Hamleys it was were the other half and I went on our first proper date lol. ( we then went out for dinner afterwards) Looks like you had a lovely day #TriedTested
Pretty much everything I guess!
Thanks for the giveaway!
@Dorothee77
the Mini Cooper
the mirror maze for us thanks
All of it!, I have wanted to take my kids for ages but not yet been and would love to take them.
The mirror maze would be fantastic!
The mirror maze loooks amazing!
I’d love to see the art made of sweets 🙂
My Son would love to do it as it all looks Amazing he loves unusual and peculiar things so this would be one big Adventure for him
The mirror maze as it looks fun 🙂
oh now that Mini Cooper sounds amazing!
I always wanted to visit this place!Looks like you all had a fab day out! #tried&tested
the laser part
The Mirror Maze
Would like to see the COSMIC MYSTERIES
The Black Hole
Would love to do the Marvellous Mirror Maze
the mini
The cosmic mysteries, I LOVE that kind of thing!
I would love to try the Impossible Laserace or The Black Hole looks fun 🙂 I have read Ripleys Believe it or Not! books since the kids were little. My 16 and 10 year old would totally love this awesome day out giveaway. Fantastic prize, thank you 🙂
Loved it, Liked it, Shared it! 🙂 xXx
The Mirror Maze
The kids would love to see the sparkly car. x
The Digital Graffiti wall
the digital graffiti wall
Straight to the Mini Cooper for me
the sparkly pretty mini cooper and maybe the mirror maze 🙂
digital grafitti wall
the mirror maze!
The digital grafitti wall xx love to take my grandaughter x
I would love to participate in the interactive features, especially the maze!
The Black Hole – looks like fun!
The mirror maze sounds like loads of fun
The digital graffiti wall sounds brilliant and the mirror maze looks really good fun.
The digital grafitti wall sounds amazing
The black hole looks amazing!
the digital graffiti wall
the mirror maze
the black hole
The digital graffiti wall
the mini cooper
The digital grafitti wall
I always love a good mirror maze!
Would love to try The Black Hole
The mirror maze
The Impossible Laserace looks amazing.
The mirror maze looks great fun!
The Impossible Laserace looks great.
The Mirror maze
I would love to give the impossible laserace a go!
Compare myself the model of the tallest man in the world, and see the height difference. I’m only 5″3!
I think it would have to be the mini cooper for me and the children want to see EVERYTHING!!
The digital grafitti wall
Impossible Laserace
Go into the cafe!
All looks so awesome!!
The digital graffiti wall
All of it sounds great but think we would all have fun in the mirror maze
The laser activity sounds fab!