Best Museums in North Watford

"London’s best contemporary art gallery has plenty of interactive activities for kids. It’s inside the former Bankside Power Station and younger kids can run around the vast Turbine Hall. Kids aged 3 and older can sketch their own masterpieces at the Bloomberg digital drawing bar and then have their art projected onto the gallery’s walls."

"The Tate Modern displays modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present. It’s an absolute must-see in London, even if you're not an art lover. The newly opened Tanks and Switch House tower opens up the gallery for further exhibits and is well worth a visit on its architectural merit alone."

"PRACTICAL INFORMATION: The museum is open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Time slots must be booked in advance on the museum’s website here. Admission to the general exhibit is free."

"With more than 2300 European masterpieces in its collection, this is one of the world's great galleries, with seminal works from the 13th to the mid-20th century, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Vincent van Gogh and Auguste Renoir. Many visitors flock to the eastern rooms on the main floor (1700–1930), where works by British artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable and JMW Turner, and Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by Van Gogh, Renoir and Claude Monet await."

"Trafalgar Square is home to the National Gallery, an art museum that opened in 1824 and currently has over 2,000 paintings hanging on the walls. The National Gallery was visited by 5.2 million people in 2017, taking in paintings from well-known artists including Cezanne, Michelangelo and Van Gogh. Housing priceless works such as these, it is one of the busiest museums in the world, alongside the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"Housing masterpieces by painters including van Gogh, Renoir, da Vinci and Michelangelo, the National Gallery is home to one of the world’s most impressive art collections, and sees over six million visitors every year. Avoid the hordes by visiting on weekday mornings or Friday evenings. Whatever time you go, the permanent collections are always free."

"The Tate Modern’s older sister focuses on British art and holds pieces from heavyweights including Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and William Hogarth within its imposing Pimlico building. The museum hosts regular Lates, which fall on the last Friday of the month and have a different theme each time: LGBTQ art, perhaps, or creative learning, with licensed bars in the galleries and a live DJ. Address: Tate Britain, Millbank, Westminster, London SW1P 4RGTelephone: +44 20 7887 8888Website:tate.org.ukEntry fee: admission is free, exhibitions cost extra"

"Tate Britain is part of the Tate organization that includes three other museums: Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St. Ives. Tate Britain, once known as the National Gallery of British Art and the Tate Gallery, contains a huge collection of British art dating back to Tudor times. Tate Britain is one of the biggest museums in the United Kingdom, attracting more than one million guests through its doors annually."

"Another member of the Tate group, Tate Britain is actually older than the larger and better-known Tate Modern, dating all the way back to 1897. While the Tate Modern holds international modern artwork, Tate Britain is now dedicated to historical and contemporary British art. Nearest tube station: Pimlico."

"Around the square you’ll also find two of London’s top art museums, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Both are highly recommended for art lovers and include works by some of the world’s most famous artists from Turner to Monet. Also nearby (hidden underground in St. Martin-in-the-Fields!) you can visit the London Brass Rubbing Centre (fee*) to learn about and create a brass rubbing to take home. A great activity for families (we had fun too!)."

"Before Google or Wikipedia, the British came here to put a face to the names of famous historical figures from the country's history. As such, the paintings are prized more for their subjects rather than their artists. Highlights include portraits of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth II, the latter courtesy of pop art sensation Andy Warhol."

"Located in an adjoining building to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of historic portraits of important and famous British people. Nearest tube station: Charing Cross."

"This excellent branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum displays one of the best collections of childhood-related objects in the world. Kids are fascinated by the immense number of dolls, dolls’ houses through the ages, vintage board games, construction toys (Lego, Meccano), battery-powered robots and favourite toys from the 20th century, decade by decade. Action figures, teddy bears, puppets, magic lanterns and MicroMachines are among the highlights here."

"Out in Bethnal Green, you’ll discover the free Museum of Childhood. Operated and curated by the V&A, it’s home to toys, dolls houses, and thousands of other interesting items, but a major refurbishment is aiming to turn it into a “world-leading museum of design and creativity for children and young people”."

"Spanning the 1600s to the present day—toys, clothes and interactive displays are set within a 1872 hangar with marble floor and visible cast iron frame."

"This historic warship, operated today by Imperial War Museums, will definitely be of interest to military buffs, or anyone with even a slight interest in boats. Launched just before the outbreak of World War 2, this Royal Navy Light Cruiser saw action in both World War 2 and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1963."

"This historic warship, operated today by Imperial War Museums, will definitely be of interest to military buffs, or anyone with an interest in boats. Launched just before the outbreak of World War 2, this Royal Navy Light Cruiser saw action in both World War 2 and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1963."

"Despite its name, the cultural venue formerly known as the Imperial War Museum (one of five IWM branches around the country) does not…"

"The new Globe was designed to resemble the original as closely as possible, which means having the arena open to the fickle London skies, leaving the 700 ‘groundlings’ (standing spectators) to weather London’s spectacular downpours. Visits to the Globe include tours of the theatre (half-hourly) as well as access to the exhibition space, which has fascinating exhibits on Shakespeare, life in Bankside and theatre in the 17th century."

"The Leicester Square Theatre has an illustrious past, as it was the venue of the Cavern Club in the swinging Sixties. The group The Small Faces had a residency there, the Rolling Stones played there with the Who, and the Sex Pistols held several gigs there, including their preview of 'London Calling'. Over the last few years, it's been a venue to some of the world's top comedy acts."

"For most British diners, lobster has a very definite reputation – fancy AF. But while the meat is always at a high price point, our American cousins aren’t quite as burdened with the same white-tablecloth associations. Enter Bob’s Lobster, London’s (relatively) new lobster roll king, which has recently turned its roving seafood van into a permanent restaurant and wine bar."

"BOB's Lobster Wine Bar & Kitchen serves delicious seafood dishes in London Bridge, with a quirky street-food twist in the form of a VW campervan. Signature dishes include ahi tuna tacos, lobster mac 'n' cheese, lobster roll and a £1 oyster happy hour every weekday."