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Ripley's Believe It Or Not (London)
by kiss_me2070 About Ripley's Believe It Or Not = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Robert L. Ripley was a cartoonish, collector, explorer, reporter and adventurer who travelled to 201 countries in 35 years seeking the odd, the unusual and the unexplained. He was nicknamed 'The Modern Marco Polo' and in his endless search for unbelievable stories to ... draw his immensely popular newspaper cartoon feature, he acquired hundreds of exotic artifacts from around the world. In time, Ripley opened seven different 'Odditoriums', typically associated with World Fairs, to house his huge collection. Today the daily cartoon is seen in nearly 200 newspapers worldwide, in 42 countries and 17 languages. Ripley led an incredible life of adventure and excitement and forever will be remembered for coining one of the most recognized and used phrases in the English language 'Believe It or Not!' Today there are over 30 Ripley's Believe It or Not museums in 10 different countries, dozens of Ripley books, a huge internet web presence, and hundreds of television videos in the company's archive vaults. Ripley's Believe It or Not in London opened on August 20th 2008 and is the world's largest of Ripley's famed Odditoriums. Located in Piccadilly Circus, the attraction contains over 700 exhibits and artefacts from around the world including a life-size Ferrari made from over 12 miles of wool to a collection of authentic Ecuadorian shrunken heads. Ripley's Believe It or Not in London showcases the weird and wonderful in all its forms. Tickets = = = = You can purchase tickets on the door and you can buy them online and save 15%. When you purchase online you can also pay a little extra for queue jump as well which is handy if you think the venue is going to be busy. Prices for various tickets are shown below. Please note that these are the prices on the door not online. * Adult - £26.95 * Senior/Student - £24.95 * Child (4-15) - £21.95 * Family - £87.95 * Under 4 - Free All Prices include the Mirror maze and Laser Race. Inside Ripley's Believe It Or Not = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Ripley's Believe It Or Not is spread over 6 floors and includes a range of different things to look at read about including Animals Oddities, Gallery of the Greats, Ripley's Dungeon, Olympic Torches, Cosmic Mysteries, Microscopic Miracles, Black hole Tunnel, Mirror Maze, Shrunken Heads, Transformer, Gift Shop and more. I have gone into a bit more detail about the different floors which includes the huge range of Believe It Or Not items and information. The entrance to Ripley's is eye catching with the world's tallest man outside along with a policeman making a gurning face. There were lots of people having their photo taken with these figures. Just inside the entrance is a huge transformer in red which looks amazing. There was also an area where some of their performance artists stand and perform various different things. The performance artists include a contortionist, a former Cirque De Soleil acrobat, and the man of danger who lies on two beds of nails, and human blockheads who can hammer an 8 inch nail into their noses. When me and my boyfriend walked in there was a human blockhead who was just about to hammer a nail into his nose. This is bound to make a lot of people cringe, how-ever I didn't find it that bad as I actually have a friend who can do this and performs it regularly as he is a magician. After seeing the performer which lasted a few minutes we went to the till to pay for our tickets. There was surprisingly no queue to get into the venue and we paid for our tickets straight away. We came via Train so we have a 2 for 1 voucher which meant we only paid £30 to get into the venue. This included a guide book and also entry to the Mirror Maze and Laser Race. We were told to get the lift to level 5 which was the very top floor. Before we got into the lift we looked at some of the things that were near the lifts such as a real-life model of the Lizard Man and a statue made from toys. After this we got into the lift and went up to level 5. As the lift went up different coloured lights lit up in the lift and a recorded male voice told up to enjoy our visit here. This felt a little futuristic which I loved. 5th Floor - This floor includes Animal Oddities which is a range of different animals and bizarre pet. You will get to see a three-legged horse, multi legged sheep, and two headed cows and even a one eyed dog owned by Ripley himself. All of these animals were once real and were all born like it. The Upside down room is a little strange to look at with a table and chair mounted onto the ceiling and it makes you turn your head slightly in order to get a good look at it. On this floor was also various other things such as a Ferrari made from 12 miles of yarn. You can also see the world's smallest production car and sit in the biggest ever rocking chair. Next to each thing is some information about that item. There were also small televisions on this floor as well showing you videos of bizarre accidents that people have had. Hear you can clean more about Mr Ripley himself. 4th Floor - This floor includes the dungeon (not suitable for children) and you can actually skip this part. This shows various devices of torture for humans including the Fiendish Iron Maiden and Brank Masks. This area is a little dark and slightly creepy as you see full size models in the torture devices including someone in an electric chair. My boyfriend actually pulled a lever which made the person in the electric chair shake as if he was being electrocuted . . . I didn't like this at all and left the area very quickly. This floor also shows beauty items such as tight corsets that used to be worn in the olden days to make your waist a lot smaller. There is also the theatre where you can sit down and watch a movie about Ripley and the items that are on show. This seemed really interesting but I unfortunately didn't have my glasses on me so we skipped this part. This area has a small water filled area with some lovely statues and figures in. You can throw a penny into the water to make a wish. There is also a large area on this floor dedicated to all the Olympic torches. Some people especially tourists may find this area very interesting seeing as the Olympics was held in London last year. 3rd Floor - This includes Ripley's Remarkables which is all about different people whom had strange features or could do things with their bodies. All the figures are made from wax and show a man who can pop his eyeballs out, The Unicorn Man of China, The Gurner, Mule Faced Woman and more. This area was a little bizarre but at the same time very interesting. There is a walk through section called underwater mysteries which includes Albino and Leucistic Animals. These animals are rare and are very different to look at. This area also tells the story of a man who survived a shark attack after it attacked him. The Microscopic Miracles area was really interesting and to see the sculptures which have been carved inside the eyes of needles you need to use their magnifying glass. These are truly amazing and I spent a good 5 minutes looking into the big magnifying glass to see the different carvings which included the Royal Family. This floor also includes Shrunken Heads which is something that the Shuar Indians used to do. I won't go into detail as you can probably find out this information on Google of if you visit Ripley yourself. It's very interesting but at the same time not very pleasant to read. There is also a Black hole tunnel here which you must walk through. This gives the feel that the platform you walk across is moving but in fact the black tube around you which is decorated with lights to make it look like stars is moving around you. Your picture will automatically be taken in this bit as you walk through and you can have the chance to purchase it if you wish. 2nd Floor - This floor has the mirror maze on it, you don't have to do this and can skip this part if you wish. Our entrance fee included the Mirror Maze which me and my boyfriend couldn't wait to try (big kids). The maze was down at least 4 sets of stairs and it felt like we were down at least 3 floors in order to get to the maze. There are white footprints on the floor to guide you this area. When approaching the room you could see that it was quite dark and it had a few circus type mirrors in the room which made you appear short and fat or thinner that what you actually are. There was a man at a stand who let you into the mirror maze. He told us that we had to keep our hands in front of us at all times and to also wear the gloves that he was going to give us. One by one a few of us went through the black curtain into the maze. There were at least 6 of us in the maze during our time here. I think they ask you to wear gloves to avoid the mirrors getting fingerprints all over them as this would then make it obvious where the mirrors actually are. The maze is slightly dark but does have some dim lights so it's not completely dark in there. I have to admit that it took a while for any of us to find the exit as we all kept walking around in circles. In the end my boyfriend came up with an idea to get out the maze which was to just use your hands to follow the walls around the maze. This led us to the exit and everyone followed us. A few of us were beginning to think that it was a trick and that there was no exit. 1st Floor - On the floor plan it says that this floor has Beatlemania, Hubcap Gorilla, Transformer and more Animal Oddities. Although I didn't see any Beatle mania objects there were other various pictures of famous people that had been made out of different things. Think included Michael Jackson made out of sweets and other celebrities made out of cassette tape ribbon. There was no transformer here that we could see. There was the world's tallest man which my and my boyfriend stood by to have our picture taken and there was also the world's fattest man as well. There was a small café on this floor where you could purchase drinks and light snacks. You had the chance to step on a large scale to see how you measured up compared to the world's fattest man. You can also have a go at making your own gurning face in the large mirror (Little do people know that the people on the other side of the mirror can see you making faces). These are just a few of the things to see in Ripley's but more is included and some of it is truly fascinating and it's definitely well worth taking your time to look at the different exhibits and read the information that goes along with them. Ripley's is suitable for wheelchair users as there is plenty of space around the venue and lifts also go to every floor as well. Although you can take children and pushchairs with you I'm not sure younger children would find it very interesting. There is a gift shop when exiting Ripley's which sells a range of souvenirs and lots of different sweets. Laser Race = = = = = = The Laser Race is located in the basement of Ripley's. The aim of this is to get out of the room as quick as you can avoiding the lasers that are all around the room. This does mean crawling on the floor and climbing over lasers. The queue for this was only short and you could watch other people in front of you in the room sliding under and climbing over various different lasers. I had to admit that it looked rather hard but me and my boyfriend wanted to do it for a laugh. They only allow 2 people in here at a time and your time is displayed on the TV as you come out of the room. There is a girl on the desk near the entrance and she tells you how to choose the level of difficulty and what to do. We chose medium level and once we were inside we have to hi five the yellow handprint that was in the room. At the exit was another button which we needed to hit on the way out which I presume re-sets the lasers for the next people. As soon as we got into the room all you can see is green lasers criss crossing across the room. There were also some moving lasers as well. We slid on our front to the first corner of the room and then had to climb over 2 lasers as they were too low to slide over. My boyfriend got caught on one of the moving lasers which sound a small alarm but you can continue as normal. The room is only small so we got around the room quite quickly after watching how various other people went round the room to avoid the lasers. This only took a few minutes to do but as it was free we though we may as well give it a go. Overall Opinion = = = = = = = Me and my boyfriend visited here on a Friday afternoon and we were surprised at how quiet it was. As it was quiet we could read about every item in the venue and we could spend time having a good look at the different things there and taking pictures. I believe they do change the items around in here every few years or so, so it may be worth going back here again another time. I really enjoyed looking at the various different things and the bizarre things from around the world and what people can do with their bodies. Some of the things in here is truly fascinating and some of it you aren't sure whether to believe it or not. In terms of value I think its average price as I would expect this kind of price as the venue is in London and it's also quite big. I would visit here again for another look round as it was interesting and I would like to spend a little bit more time reading about everything and the things in the venue. I would definitely recommend others going here as it is truly fascinating and interesting. Other Information = = = = = = = = Ripley's Believe It Or Not, London, The London Pavilion, 1 Piccadilly Circus, London, W1J 0DA Tel: 020 3238 0022 Email: info@ripleyslondon.com Website: www.ripleyslondon.com Opening Hours: Mon - Sun 10:00am - 12:00am (review may also appear on ciao) Read the complete review |
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V&A Museum of Childhood (London)
by Evie-x- V&A Museum of Childhood is an exciting museum that will entertain and hold the interest of young and old. The museum is found a 5minute walk from the Bethnal Green underground (there is no lift at this station). Many buses stop close by to the museum. We decided to drive there is not a car park for the public at the museum so you ... need to find a space down a side street which we did easily but you do need to pay to park. If you are disabled phone the museum as thy can organise a space to park at the museum. Please be aware that this is not near the main V&A museum. We put the museum into the SAT NAV & it took us to the main museum so we have a stressful drive through London. The childhood museum is free which is a lovely find in London. When entering the museum there is a huge lobby where you can find the stairs and lifts. In the museum it is a hub of noise the feeling of fun and excitement oozes in here. By the entrance there is a gift shop area and then a large cafe area. Upstairs is where you will find the exhibitions. There is a lift to this floor at the front of the building. In the lobby there is a buggy park. Do you remember The Master of the Universe? Care bears? Action Man? Then you will love it! There are so many glass cabinets full of toys from the past to present. The toys are presented at different levels in the cases so little ones have always got something to look at. The toys are clustered in groups so in one area there are puppets from Muffin the Mule to Sooty. There are teddy bears ranging from Steiff to care bears. Dools houses, action figures such as Action man, Power Rangers from 1994, He-man, star wars I could go on and on. The part I loved was the dolls houses. I remember mine as. Child that my dad made& my mum made all the furniture for. There are lots of hands on activities for little ones to do. In the rocking horse& ride on toy section there is a rocking horse that they can try. Reminded me of the ride on donkey I had for years. There was a wooden train set that my son sat playing with for a long time. There were bricks which lots of children were building towers with. This is a lovely way to introduce your child to the world of museums. As you would expect this museum is very child friendly. Downstairs there is a quiet room which can be used for prayer but there are seats in there if a mum wants to breastfeed in privacy although they welcome breastfeeding in the museum. The toilets were very clean which I thought was a miracle considering the amount of children! The museum cafe offers a range of food from soup to cake. It is quite pricey but they have different offers depending upon the day. It is very busy in the cafe so can be hard to find a seat. They have facilities for bottle warming. We sat in the lovely gardens to have our flask of soup. If it is raining ask at the desk and staff can sometimes offer you a space to sit in a room. They are very friendly and helpful so worth asking if you have any enquiries. The gift shop had some lovely toys and books that I had not seen elsewhere. There were some small pieces up to quite pricey toys. Some things did seem quite over priced but then the museum is free to get in. Before visiting the museum check there website as they have some exhibitions that change. There are also a lot of events throughout the year. They also offer regular hands on activities for little ones. They open at 10am and close at 5.45pm. We spent two hours in there. If there was an activity/event going on it would have been a longer visit. Great for a wet morning if you live close by. A great trip down memory lane for hubby and I. A kids paradise! Read the complete review |
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Aeroventure Museum (Doncaster)
by cha97mw Doncaster Air Museum is located on the home of the former RAF Doncaster at Dakota Way, Doncaster. This is located behind the Vue cinema. We had driven past the sign for this attraction many times since having our children, but it is only recently that we actually thought the kids would be big enough to enjoy visiting the site. ... We drove to the site from our home in Rotherham using the M18 motorway, getting off at Junction 3, and driving past the Yorkshire Outlet and Keepmoat stadium. For anyone needing Sat nav to get there, the postcode is DN4 7NW. We went to the site for a Mother's Day outing last month. The particular day was a pretty cold one with occasional bouts of snow, so it did affect our visit a little, but we still had an enjoyable outing for the four hours or so we were on site. We visited while it is still winter opening hours (10am-4pm). The site is open on Tuesdays to Sundays, although this increases to 7 days a week in school holidays and the site is also open on bank holidays. Entering the site, there was a small but adequate car park. There was a crashed plane outside the site which looked pretty interesting. Entry is via the gift shop/café. Cost for a days entry was £13.50 for a family of four. We added on 10% gift aid to support the work of the charity in renovating air craft at the site. There are 3 buildings on the site to explore. 2 of these buildings are aircraft hangers. The first one is the largest, with lots of planes of various ages and conditions. Some are literally just cockpit sections, while there is also a full size wooden plane like the one that Louis Bleriot crossed the English Channel from France to Kent in. We enjoyed seeing this as we have visited the site where he landed, but there is no model of the plane at that site. You are free to wander round the hangars as you like. There are plenty of information boards around about the models, alongside a history to the Falklands war. Areas where the air craft are more fragile are roped off, but there were at least 3 cockpits that the children could climb inside in the main hangar, and another couple in the smaller second hangar, and my children were awed at being able to climb in and fiddle about with switches and seatbelts pretending that they were flying. There is a strong influence from military aircraft, and I have to admit not having a great interest in aeroplane construction or history, but I was happy to take part in the visit because my children were happy. The third hangar we went to was much more interesting to me. There was a display about world war two, including displays of households with products available in that era. There was also a shop display, an air raid shelter showing how children would sleep through an air raid, and a street which had been bombed. In a large gallery, there were displays containing newspaper cuttings and handwritten accounts from people in nearby Sheffield who had been through the bombing and been affected by it. My children were more impressed by two flight simulator computers which allowed them to take off from RAF Finningley, which is now Robin Hood Airport. We are really familiar with the Geography of this area as my parents live virtually at the bottom of the runway of this airport. It was interesting to see this, and a lot more tricky than you would think to use the machines. Around the outside of the site there are various other old army vehicles and emergency vehicles that you can look at the outside of and compare in your head to modern day versions. It was interesting for the kids to see that they were so much smaller than modern day versions. Facilities on the site such as the toilet block were clean but basic. In the ladies there was just one cubicle. Baby changing was inside the disabled toilet. I had a little concern about a bottle of spray cleaning product which was on the window sill. It was high up but I still think that sort of product should be put well away in a locked cupboard when children use these facilities. There was disabled access with ramps, but I think it would be hard for someone in a wheelchair to get the most from this location as they wouldn't be at the right height to read the information boards and certainly could not see inside the accessible cockpits. I felt there was plenty on the site to keep you occupied for a good few hours. On the day of our visit, the site was fairly quiet and we were able to spend a decent amount of time in the open cockpits. I noticed that the site also has special days where the entrance price is higher, but there are more cockpits open on the more fragile planes. There are details about these special days on the website for the museum. http://www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk/#!events/cpon The cost of a visit is similar to what we have spent visiting other attractions in the area. A swimming session at nearby Doncaster Dome is about £15.50. A visit to the Vue cinema next to the site is about £16 too. Here you could take up to 6 hours exploring the site if you wish. There are places outside to sit and have a picnic if you wish, and you can buy snacks within the shop. We spent a few pounds buying some canned drinks and cakes to supplement our lunch. We did eat in the car however as it was snowing and we couldn't sit out. This is a place I would definitely return to with my children, but I would wait till it was a warmer day I think. Read the complete review |
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