There’s a bumper crop of family-friendly activities and events along the National Express East Coast route that will impress even the most hard-to-please youngsters, writes Sarah Halliwell.
London
Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain, Science Museum
Until 25 October
Dan Dare’s Bloodhound missile and artwork from the classic comic book hero feature in this exhibition, which looks at how Britain reinvented itself as a high-tech nation post-World War II. Highlights include a section of Comet 1, which was the world’s first jet airliner, and Edmund Hillary’s breathing apparatus from his 1953 Everest conquest.
Science Museum , as previous page. Free.
Doctor Who, Earls Court
Until 18 September
Step inside a real Dalek, see the Tardis and meet K9, cybermen and other creatures and monsters from the latest episodes of the BBC show at the largest ever Doctor Who display in the UK.
Museum Hall, Earls Court, SW5. Open 10am-6pm daily. West Brompton/Earls Court tube station. For tickets visit seetickets.com/doctorwho or call the box office on 0871 230 1092 for allocated time-slots. £9, 4-16 year-olds £7, family tickets £7.
For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond, Imperial War Museum
Until 1 March 09
Spy a truck-load of material that’s never been on display before, including a selection of annotated Bond manuscripts and Ian Fleming’s Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver. There’s also Daniel Craig’s “blood-splattered” shirt from Casino Royale, prototypes of Rosa Klebb’s flick-knife shoes in From Russia With Love and Halle Berry’s bikini from Die Another Day.
Imperial War Museum London, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 (020 7416 5320/5321; iwm.org.uk). Open daily 10am-6pm. £8, concs £7, child £4; family £19. Pre-booking is recommended.
Kids Week 2008, West End
15-29 August
Every year, this event gives young theatregoers the chance to see top West End shows for free. One child aged five to 16 goes free (and up to two more at half-price) with every paying adult; see the website for the latest information on participating shows. Kids can go backstage, meet the stars of the shows, learn how to dance, stage-fight and put on the greasepaint. Booking opens mid-July. kidsweek.co.uk. Free.
The Science of Survival: Your Planet Needs You!, Science Museum
Until 2 November
Fun and thought-provoking, this interactive exhibition explores how we will survive in a changing planet. Four virtual guides from the year 2050 help solve challenges such as eating, moving and building. Young creative types can invent their own personal eco-vehicle, design a superfood and build a sustainable neighbourhood.
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 (0870 906 3890; survival.scienceof.com). Open 10am-6pm daily. Free; exhibition, £6, under-4s free, family from £16.50.
Near Leeds
Yorkshire Planetarium, Harewood House
Open all year round
Harewood House is only 20 minutes from Leeds station and this summer a new 3D theatre opens at its planetarium, where you can take a dramatic “journey” through space. Travel by bus (no 36 from the station) or cycle and get half-price entry.
(0113 218 1010; harewood.org). Grounds open 10am-6pm daily. £13.50, seniors £12.20, kids £8.50, family £46.50, under-4s free. Planetarium 0113 387 3189; yorkshireplanetarium.co.uk. Closed Mon-Tue; weekends only from 15 Sep. £3.50, under-5s £2.
York
The Railway Children, the National Railway Museum
18 July-23 August
Full steam ahead as The Railway Children play comes to York’s National Railway Museum—it’s staged on a real rail track and stars a genuine steam engine. The production is based on a new adaptation by children’s playwright Mike Kenny.
National Railway Museum , Leeman Road, York, (08448 153139; nrm.org.uk). To book for the play, call York Theatre Royal box office, 01904 623568 or visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. £15, concs £10, family £40. Museum open 10am-6pm daily. Free.
Sunderland
Sunderland International Airshow
26 & 27 July
Voted the Best Tourism Experience (North East England Tourism Awards), this airshow, held on the Roker and Seaburn seafront, is in its 20th year. The flying’s always breathtaking. (0191 553 2000; sunderland-airshow.com). Free.
Newcastle
From Toad Hall to Pooh Corner, Seven Stories
July 2008-June 2009
The latest exhibition at the Centre for Children’s Books opens on 12 July and focuses on the most enduring children’s classics: Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows—in its centenary year—and AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Ride in Toad’s car, relax on the riverbank with Mole and Ratty, search for Heffalumps and Woozles and explore Owl’s house—and see EH Shepherd’s timeless illustrations for these stories.
Seven Stories, The Centre for Children’s Books, 30 Lime Street, Newcastle (0845 271 0777; sevenstories.org.uk). £5, concs £4. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm,
Sun 11am-5pm.
Glasgow
Pollok Family Day, Pollok Country Park
2 August
Voted Europe’s Best Park 2008, Pollok Park is a slice of the country in the city, with more than 360 acres of parkland, woodland and gardens. The annual Family Day, in its 30th year, is good for all ages, with mountain biking, Highland cattle and activities including food and craft markets and a theatre.
Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow (0141 632 9299; glasgow.gov.uk/parks). Free.
River Festival
19 & 20 July
Make the most of Glasgow’s waterfront with two days of free family entertainment. The festival features water and land activities in and around the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and Glasgow Science Centre. Don’t miss The Tall Ship, Glenlee, in Glasgow Harbour, built on the Clyde in 1896: take to the helm and visit the galley to see what life at sea was like.
glasgowriverfestival.co.uk. The Tall Ship (glenlee.co.uk; 0141 222 2513). Open daily 10am-5pm. £4.95, £3.75 concs, under-5s free.