The Jarvii Our last day in London we decided to go to the British Museum followed by Tower Bridge. We actually wanted to go to the Tower of London, but the kids voted on the British Museum since they are learning about ancient civilizations in school. Go figure.
The British Museum is actually a really great museum in that they have a lot of ancient artifacts in one place. S is learning about ancient Egypt, so she got to see the Rosetta Stone, mummies, and many statues that were pillaged from Egypt. It was nice for her to see these things in real life versus a text book or web page at school. She absolutely did not like that idea of how mummies were made and seeing them. But she’s the squeamish person in our family.
My son just liked roaming around learning about the resources and tools these ancient civilizations had.
My toddler just liked to roam around like a crazy toddler.
Overall, it was really nice to see the kids indulge their curiosity. We also found a nice pizza in one of the cafes near the ancient Greece section on the ground floor. It’s perfect for kids, but still nice for adults.
From there we hightailed it in an Uber to get to Tower Bridge.
If you’re looking for a book series for your kiddos, my kids have been really into the Spy School series. One of the books is called Spy School British Invasion, and they go to the British Museum and Tower Bridge (as well as other things). One of the scenes in the book takes place in the glass walkway inside Tower Bridge. I have been to London so many times now and have done almost all of the touristy things, but I HAD NO CLUE THERE WAS A GLASS WALKWAY. Poo poo on me. So we took the kids to check it out.
The entrance is located in the north tower (the tower closest to the Tower of London). You can either book tickets ahead of time online or you can walk in. We decided to chance the walk in just cause we have yet to be on schedule for anything what with jet lag and three children. Tickets for two adults and two kids were £33ish pounds (the toddler was free as she is under 5). We were lucky they weren’t busy. The line was short, mostly held up because security was checking bags. But as soon as we paid for tickets, we took the lift straight up the north tower.
They gave the kids an activity book to learn a few facts while we did our self-guided tour. You then have to find the stamp to stamp your book with the corresponding page. The kids actually really enjoyed finding the stamps, and it did a great job breaking up something that may seem dull and boring to children.
The highlight for everyone though was the glass walkway. Apparently it’s a pivotal moment in Spy School, but as a non-Spy School reader (i.e., me) it was really cool. When you look down, you are not quite over the Thames and you see all the traffic. It was definitely a unique view.
Another great view was just looking out into the Thames. It’s always nice to see all the landmarks along the Thames, especially at night when it was all lit up.
Aside from the views, you do learn a lot of history about the bridge and life of those who were tasked with building the bridge and its upkeep. It was kind of wild to watch video of horse drawn carriages being pulled over the bridge and the juxtaposition of the cars below. You also learn a little bit about Victorian life, and I teased my kids that there were children working here at age 11. They weren’t all that pleased with that fact.
You end the self-guided tour in the engine room, which is the south side of the Thames. And they funnel you out through their gift shop. So plan accordingly.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this tour. It was a different perspective of a city I thought I knew well. We also learned a lot. The kids and I give this one a resounding two thumbs up. Definitely a nice way to end our trip to London.
