Days Out: Natural History Museum
A day out with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum? Yes, please!
One of my favourite things about living in London is all the wonderful world-class museums. Most museums if not all are free of charge, which is great for families. And one of my favourite museums with young kids is the beautiful Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Located in “Albertopolis,” an area around Exhibition Road named after Prince Albert, is the home of several well-known London institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Royal Albert Hall, the Science Museum, and the Albert Memorial.
“Whalecome Back”
Kids adore the Natural History Museum. Upon arriving at the gorgeous Hintze Hall, we were greeted by a warm “Whalecome Back” from “Hope the Whale.” Lady Yeya squealed with excitement to see her favourite dinosaurs back in action after a long hiatus during the lockdown.
The Natural History Museum is divided into four distinct “zones” with all things wildlife-related in the blue or green zones. With an excitable toddler in tow, we immediately made a beeline to the blue zone where all dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles, and marine life are located. This visit to the Natural History Museum was very different from her first visit when Lady Yeya was just shy of her second birthday. On that visit, she was afraid all the dinosaurs, especially the animatronic T Rex. But this time around, she was so happy. She knowledgeably named off her favourite dinosaurs – triceratop, brachiosaurus, and pterodactyls, thanks to reading her favourite dinosaur books a gazillion times over and over. It’s amazing how much kids learn at this age!
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
Moving on, large land mammals such as elephants, lions, tigers and bears are located in the blue zone across the way from the dinosaur room. We followed the one-way signs through the entire blue zone which were neatly sign-posted for a relaxed and socially-distanced visit. We enjoyed “visiting” with African hunting dogs, big cats, deers, moose, and hippopotamus. If you have toddlers who adore animals, it doesn’t get better than a visit to the Natural History Museum for a fun rainy day indoor activity.
Making our way to the across the museum, Lady Yeya was less interested in the green zone, which is home to birds, inspects, minerals and rocks, and more fossils. However, she was delighted to visit the red zone, which is all about the formation of the earth and human evolution. The highlight in the red zone is the Earth Hall with an impressive Stegosaurus fossil skeleton. The escalator takes you through Earth to the second-floor galleries about volcanoes and earthquakes. Lady Yeya loved the escalator so much that we went up twice so she can marvel at the incredible planet we call Earth.
After a few hours wandering through the Natural History Museum, it was time to go home. The day’s adventure with the dinosaurs left Lady Yeya exhausted that she instantly fell asleep in her Bugaboo Bee for an afternoon nap. As naps are few and far between these days so Mum and Dad took advantage and took a long stroll through Hyde Park.
Until we meet again Mr. Dinosaurs, take good care!
