Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is a magnificent World Heritage Site covering 300 acres with over 30,000 species of plants. The Evolution House contains a permanent exhibition telling the story of the development of plant life. A few of the specimens are represented by models but Kew is able to represent many examples of primitive plants from its own living collections. Families with younger children will get a kick out of the human-scale badger sett, the fish in the Marine Display aquarium downstairs in the Palm House and the Climbers and Creepers indoor play area for accompanied three to nine year olds (sessions, bookable on arrival, last 20 mins). The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is a new, permanent gallery. Kew Gardens' newest attraction is the Xstrata Treetop Walkway: 18m up in the air and 200m long, it provides a fresh perspective on the sweet chestnuts, limes, deciduous oaks and other trees of Capability Brown's woodland. The Treehouse Towers outdoor play area for three to 11 year olds offers rope bridges, giant swings, zip wires and slides geared towards teaching children about trees.