Top 10 Places to Visit with kids in South East London
People often overlook South East London in favour of things to do in Central London, what with the main tourist spots all focused in the centre. But South East London is a great place to raise kids and has many brilliant green spaces, free things to do and museums that are perfect for Days Out with Kids. Here are our favourite places to visit with Kids in South East London. And for more days out – try our favourite parks for kids of all ages in South London.
Places to Visit with Kids in South East London
- Crystal Palace Park
- Cutty Sark
- Greenwich
- Kelsey Park and Beckenham Place Park
- Horniman Museum
- Maritime Museum
- Tate Modern
- London Docklands Museum
- Keston Ponds
- Southbank and Sea Life Centre
Things to do with Kids in South East London
Crystal Palace Park
A great park with a maze, lovely cafe and children’s play area which makes it one of our best places to visit with kids in South East London. There are pedalos on the lake in the Summer and the kids will love the walk around the dinosaurs! The giant dinosaur statues of the ‘Dinosaur Court’ have been there since opening in 1854. Although the sculptures are not considered accurate by modern understanding, they’re fascinating to study as a story of how science changes over time. Find our review here. On a hot Summer’s Day – you’ll need our list of Best Water Play Areas and Splash Pads for Kids in South East London.
Cutty Sark
Launched in 1869, Cutty Sark was a great sailing ships, a “clipper” that sailed at record speeds from London to China to transport goods. Now it’s a fabulous museum for kids and adults with hands on interactive displays. It’s a great day out in South East London with Kids and has something for kids of all ages so is a great day out for the whole family. Read our review of Visiting the Cutty Sark here.
Family Attractions in South London
Kelsey Park and Beckenham Place Park
Kelsey Park has playgrounds and duck feeding with special events in the Summer. Beckenham Place Park has a lovely wooden playground, walled gardens, a Mansion House with cute pop up cafes and open air wild swimming. It’s got spaces that are great for cycling and a BMX track for the kids. Both playgrounds have a good playground for younger children. There’s also plenty of woods to ramble through! For more info about the events they have going on – check in here. Here’s why we love Beckenham Place Park.
Horniman Museum
Horniman Museum is a family friendly small museum but with unique exhibitions that are perfect for young and old. We’ve seen dinosaur exhibitions and a robot zoo! The gardens are lovely for an explore and for picnics – there’s an animal walk which toddlers love. They have a weekly market on a Sunday and regular events – particularly during the school holidays. The aquarium is well worth a visit and they frequently have crafts and activities for young children which are bookable on their website. The butterfly house gives you a chance to get up close and personal with hundreds of different species of butterflies in their tropical indoor garden. If you have enough energy after visiting – there’s a playground with a sandpit across the road which is worth visiting.
Other museums worth visiting in London that free entry are Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the British Museum. They are all a good place for a day out with kids.
For more fun ideas for kids – try our list of Museums to visit with older children and teens.
Best Places to Visit with Kids in South East London
Maritime Museum in Greenwich
Greenwich makes the perfect day out for families. There’s a huge park with a children’s wooden play area and the royal observatory with great views over London, the Greenwich market is lovely to visit with kids to try out some new food or check out the crafts available and one of the main attractions Maritime Museum has plenty to keep the kids amused! The Maritime Museum has two kid’s interactive play areas – AHOY! gallery for under-7s or All Hands for 6-12 year olds. Kids can explore polar exploration and become pirates in their playful and immersive gallery and best of all – it’s all FREE!. See examples of the other interactive games they have in our review of the Maritime Musuem.
Tate Modern
If you’re looking for an easy Art Gallery to explore with kids – The Tate Modern is perfect. It’s free and they have a huge, wide range of art on display – with lots of great galleries for kids. It’s one of our favourite places to visit with kids in London! They have regular art workshops and special visitors packs for families Collect Cone, Sculpture Strip or our Time-traveller activity. For younger visitors, Collection Case invites a hands on exploration connected to the Materials and Objects display. Read our review of our visit to the Tate Modern!
Museum of London Docklands
Another wonderful FREE museum for kids to in South East London is the Museum of London Docklands. Strictly speaking it’s in East London, but it’s very easy to travel to via the DLR from Lewisham. For children under 8 – the Mudlarks Gallery is perfect for exploring with building and water play. There’s theatre and exhibitions for older kids too. Find out what’s on with our review of the Museum of London Docklands.
Keston Ponds
Keston Ponds is another gorgeous place to visit in Summer or Winter – it has a beautiful pond, woods to explore and it’s a perfect place to escape for a walk. Find out why Keston Ponds is a great outdoor place to explore with kids here.
Top Attractions in South East London
Southbank and Sea Life London Aquarium
The Southbank has so much to offer for a day out and is full of places to visit with kids- there are often free events along the river. Our favourite is The Imagine Children’s Festival which takes place in February. The Sea Life Aquarium is a wonderful place to explore – there’s also an adventure playground and the London eye nearby! Read our London Sea Life Aquarium review.
If you only have One Day to Visit London with Kids – check out our One Day Guide to Visiting the Best things in London here……
More Days Out in London with kids……..
If you’re visiting London during half term – here’s our favourite things to do in February half term with kids.
Outdoor Walks for Families in South East London
See here for Family Friendly woodland walks in South East London
If you’re travelling to the South of England and are itching to explore all of the South- check out these brilliant ideas for things to do all over the South of England. We also have all our favourite places to visit in Kent with kids here and the best places to for families to visit in Bromley here if you’re more local.
What are your favourite things to do with kids in London? Let me know in the comments if you have more ideas for places to visit with Kids in South East London!
