From go-kart thrills to immersive ball pits, London has fun activities for all ages
JABBING the DRS button, I whoop as my F1 electric go-kart flies down the straight and a voice announces I’ve hit a personal best.
I’m close to overtaking my husband Andy when he hits his booster and zooms out of sight.
For the uninitiated (AKA me, before today), DRS stands for drag reduction system.
But you don’t need to be a racing fan to find thrills at F1 Drive, set beneath Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
It opened last month and it boasts high-tech simulators and a timed pit-stop challenge, too.
Although karting super-fans may have some gripes, my teen nephews would adore it.
Sessions cost from £55 for adults and £35 for kids over eight (Tottenhamhotspurstadium.com/f1-drive-london).
Feeling ballsy
London currently has two ball pits the size of swimming pools, all in the name of immersive art.
First, we visit Bubble Planet in Wembley. My kids Poppy, five, and Raffy, two, love creating a real bubble around themselves and racing through the giant balloons.
Adult tickets cost from £19.90 and kids over four from £14.90 (Bubble-planet.com). Then we grab beef brisket croquettes, £6, and juicy burgers, £9, at Nanny Bill’s in buzzy BoxPark Wembley (Boxpark.co.uk).
At the Balloon Museum near Monument in the City, there’s an even bigger ball pit and the exhibition is more arty and grown-up.
Adult entry costs from £29, and kids over four from £18 (Balloonmuseum.world).
Similarly, Frameless feels like art therapy, as it projects 42 masterpieces from the likes of Monet and Dali across four rooms to captivating soundtracks – but the loops last up to 24 minutes and our kids’ attention spans don’t!
We vow to return for the kid-free Lates instead. Entry costs from £27 for adults, £17 for kids over three (Frameless.com).
Riverside R&R
Our home for the night is the London Marriott Hotel County Hall at Waterloo, where the children get balloons, mini robes and cute teddy slippers.
Plus, they never tire of climbing into the hotel’s classic red phonebox.
And I don’t tire of spying golden Big Ben from the wood-panelled eatery Gillray’s, as we tuck into lobster, £23, and truffled cauliflower cheese, £7, for dinner.
The little ones adore watching the boats on the Thames and splashing around in the large indoor pool.
We’re also right next to the London Eye, Sea Life London Aquarium and the Southbank Centre, while the Houses of Parliament are a short stroll across Westminster Bridge.
Be a doll
Got a babysitter in tow? Book immersive standing tickets for the incredible Guys & Dolls show at the Bridge Theatre. First, we dine at In Horto in nearby London Bridge, sharing wood-fired dishes like roasted chicken, garlic and burnt leeks, £23, and the legendary tarte tatin (Inhorto.co.uk).
But soon, we’re transported to NYC and Havana with the Guys & Dolls’ moving set and choreography by Arlene Phillips, scoffing insanely good madeleines, £5.50 for six, in the interval. Tickets cost from £19.50 (Bridgetheatre.co.uk).
To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, when someone is tired of London, they are tired of life…