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Natural History Museum at Tring (Hertsfordshire)
by thecompaqguy
... said my two year old daughter when we took her to this museum. Having been to the Kensington branch of the Natural History museum, I was expecting something similar but on a smaller scale. At the one in London, there are more interactive displays, dinosaur skeletons, better layouts etc., but this museum seemed to be more of a macabre ... collection of stuffed animals all grouped together by species in large glass boxes. It was a little dingy in there, which can add to a two year old girl's imagination.
They have a nice little courtyard in the middle (it was a nice warm sunny day) so we sat outside for a bit, where our little one (with what vocabulary she knew) said 'the bear is dead, I'm scared, I want the park' which, sadly was our cue to leave.
It's in a nice, picturesque, location, tucked away deep in the North Herts countryside, in Tring. The free parking lured us initially (typical Londoners :) ) it was a pig to find as it's not properly signposted 'Natural History Museum' but as 'Zoology Museum'. The staff are kind, and helpful, though there's limited accessibility for disabled visitors (one lift recently installed last year, but it's not completely step-free). Our daughter is able-bodied, but the 12 large steps were a job, even for us and a buggy.
Had I known it was Zoological History instead of Natural History, I might have used my day differently. this is probably more suitable for older children, but some interactive exhibits would not go amiss (along with a trip to Wickes or Ikea to buy some extra lights for indoors).
To our toddler's delight, we got back in the car and took her to the park (Ivinghoe Beacon) then onto Whipsnade down the road :)
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Natural History Museum at Tring (Hertsfordshire)
by mickr
Tring National History Museum
The Walter Rothschild building
Akeman Street
Tring
Hertfordshire
HP23 6AP
Tring is a small village in Hertfordshire which to be honest I have never found that interesting as there is not much here though on one of the small streets you can find Tring ... National History Museum which is a much smaller version of the one found in London.
There are six galleries within the museum, each with different exhibits for both old and young alike. Each gallery is quite small and nothing like the one found in London though there are some very interesting things to see. The first time we went here, though, we did miss a couple of galleries on first walk around as I found they were not signposted well. Even though it is a small museum, it is a little like a tight maze inside.
The first gallery contains a mix of different stuffed animals from birds to the large polar bear in the entrance. There are a mass of Lions and Tigers which were the favourite of our little ones.
The second gallery changes throughout the year as new exhibits come into the museum.
The third gallery holds the most exhibits and is possibly my favourite one with a load of sea life such as crocodiles and a huge tiger shark which hangs from the ceiling and is quite scary in some lights! There are also drawers of insects which are a lot more interesting than they sound! This area can get quite crowded, though, so best time to come to this area is lunch time when the museum becomes a little quieter!
Gallery four hosts many animals such as Zebras and deer and is usually the emptiest (at least when we have gone) of people and so you can have a good look around. This gallery leads on to the next gallery which is more of the same sort of animals which are mostly usual animals though there are some animals in which I hadn't heard of before and all with little plaques filled with interesting information.
The final gallery holds another well mixed lot of animals from the usual domestic dog (though I wouldn't call some of these breeds usual!) to reptiles. I tend to walk around with my eyes closed at certain points near the reptiles as I have a phobia of them - even though I know they are no longer alive!
Children have the option to go on the 'Gallery Trail' in which they are given an activity sheet to fill in as they explore the exhibits. This is great for older children though we have not yet completed this.
There is also a small café which offers a small range of items from snacks to small dishes though this is rather expensive and it would probably be better to look at the local area where you will find a few small pub restaurants or even the café in Tesco!
There is a small car park next to the museum though it can get quite crowded if there is a rush on. Luckily there never has been too many people when we have gone otherwise there is a lack of parking elsewhere.
The best thing about the museum is that it is completely FREE!
It takes about an hour or so to go around the museum and is well worth the visit.
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Aquasplash (Hemel Hempstead)
by BobbyMillsy
As a local of Hemel Hempstead, Aquasplash is only a five minute drive for me, but for those who are not so close, it is in the town of Hemel Hempstead, very close to the M1 exit and is in the county of Hertfordshire. We are only about a 10 - 15 minute drive from Watford (which is a little bit more well known).
The place ... itself.
Aquasplash is not a particularly massive place and it doesn't have particularly big pools, but it does have some pretty good flumes and apparatus.
Don't be fooled by the description you may read of the place though because it only actually has about 4 proper flumes, the other descriptions you read about drag races, tyre ride etc, they are not anything special, literally a small push of water for you to follow around a small circuit leading into the main pool. Also, the tyres are very few and hard to get hold of.
Although like many others, I felt that the place was too cold at the best of times, and you do have a tendancy to shiver whilst waiting for each flume, I don't think it is horrendous, and can easily be shrugged off once back in the water. I actually feel that sometimes when you go to other places, they actually make the conditions too hot and humid.
One good thing this water park actually has over others is that it is a part of a larger complex called Leisure World. Which mean once you have finished with shivering at various entrances to water slides, you have the option to venture into the complex and try out things such as bowling, pool, cinema, bar. There are also a couple of places to eat too, including a burger king and pizza hut (theres a Mc Donalds across the road too.
This is not a bad place to go to but it is more for going to with the kids as opposed to going to as a pair or group of adults. If I had to say how long you could have fun in there before getting too cold and bored it would be about 1 hour and 30 mins, at a push. I usually go with my wife and two children and we are always back in the changing rooms after that time.
I have only ever been on a Saturday and Sunday but I can tell you now it gets busy and sometimes you have to wait ages to get on a flume, but if you get there for when it opens, literally on the dot, you will have atleast 30 mins to an hour of only having about 2 or 3 people ahead of you at a time, after that it ends up being about 30 -40 people ahead.
For a family of four the price is between £16 and £21 depending of the childrens ages.
Parking is very good too, catering for hundreds of cars.
I would recommend giving this park a go. It can be fun and my children certainly love it.
Enjoy!
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