Kew Gardens

The botanical gardens have much more to offer families than a pleasant setting for a walk. There's the aquarium downstairs in the Palm House, a human-scale badger sett to explore and plants that eat insects or produce the raw material for chocolate to lure kids into the glasshouses. Best of all for children too young to be impressed by the 30,000 species of plants to be found at Kew is Climbers and Creepers, a great plant-themed indoor play area for accompanied three-to-nine year-olds (sessions, bookable on arrival, last 20 mins).