Best & Cool Science and Space Museums in Hayes Town

"There are fabulous hands-on galleries for all age groups at the Science Museum: Launchpad - the museum's most popular gallery - enables adults and older children to explore science and technology with 50 hands-on activities and shows, Pattern Pod has scientific fun and games for younger children, and the basement 'Garden' has great water play and building activities for toddlers. See rockets, satellites, a piece of moon rock and a full-size replica of the 'Eagle' moon lander in the Exploring Space Gallery, or learn about electronic music, the future of fuel and the history of aviation in fabulous galleries over six floors. Older children will want to get their hands on the controls in the Fly Zone Simulators, while the whole family can experience a Saturn V rocket launch in the 4-D cinema, watch a science film on the enormous IMAX screen or take part in workshops, storytelling sessions and science shows."

"And why wouldn’t you when there are planes and trains and spaceships and rockets, interactive exhibits, computers and cameras through the ages, and a history of mathematics?. While you’re there, be sure to catch up with Eric, the UK’s first working robot, from 1928, who has been brought back to life by a 2016 Kickstarter campaign. Address: Exhibition Road, SW7 2DDsciencemuseum.org.uk"

"See a real piece of the moon 🌚 or lightning strike ⚡️ before your eyes at Science Museum. From space travel to IMAX, the interactive galleries bring science to life."

"Kings College London only recently opened this permanent site for the Science Gallery, a dedicated space for showing contemporary artwork that explores scientific questions. Its inaugural exhibition is all about addiction, called Hooked, and previous shows in its travelling days have investigated blood, food and orifices. Think of it as looking at science through the eyes of an artist."

"Science Gallery London is an art-science-and-health inspired gallery in London. The free museum has been open since 2018 in London Bridge after a series of pop-up exhibits across London. The gallery aims to bring together scientists, artists, and communities with three themed seasons every year."

": Row upon row of glass jars, with everything from tiny organisms, to strange two-headed beasts, to examples of gross diseases, this museum can be very creepy at times, especially when it’s quiet. However, it’s so much more than the freakshow that it is sometimes made out to be, offering a unique insight into the history of surgery and advances in modern medicine. The next few months are your last chance to see the museum before it closes in 2017 for refurbishment, so get going!"

"Shaws Booksellers might not be the first place that springs to mind when it comes to lunch, but it's time to reassess. While you won't find many hardback books here, this charming St Paul's Pub still has plenty of eccentricities, from Star Wars figurines through to a sturdy British menu."

"Former adman Charles Saatchi initially opened a gallery in a disused paint factory in St John’s Wood in 1985 to show off his impressive personal art collection. However, by the early ’90s, Saatchi was championing Young British Artists (YBAs) such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin and knew he needed extra room. His gallery can now be found in the enormous Neoclassical Duke of York’s HQ just off the Kings Road."

"In the last five years, Saatchi Gallery has presented 15 of the 20 most visited museum exhibitions in London. Oh and they’re also hosting the last ever tour of Tutankhamun’s treasures."

"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."

"The National Gallery is the first place to go if you want to see work by some of the most famous artists from history. Nearly seven hundred years of work from the world’s greatest artists can be found here, including Leonardo, Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Vermeer, Rubens – seriously we could go on for a while. A wander from the The Wilton Diptych in the 14th century galleries to Pablo Picasso’s early works is both an intensely pleasant afternoon and a pretty consummate art history lesson."

"The crowning glory of Trafalgar Square, London's National Gallery is a vast space filled with western European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Find works by masters such as Van Gogh, da Vinci, Botticelli, Constable, Renoir, Titian and Stubbs. Some exhibitions require tickets."

"With an eclectic collection amassed throughout the centuries, the British Museum demands comfortable shoes and a lot of time. It’s undoubtedly one of the best free entry museums in London, and an incredible tour through the history of humanity. An entire afternoon or morning will barely skim the surface, while even a full day will leave many treasures undiscovered."

"With its huge collection you could spend years exploring the various rooms and displays but there are some highlights you can’t miss to see:. Inside the museum, the the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court transformed the Museum’s inner courtyard into the largest covered public square in Europe. The museum is open daily from 10.00–17.30 and until 20.30 on Fridays."

"Otto’s may only have been open for seven years, but it feels like it’s been an integral part of London’s restaurant scene forever. And at a time when restaurants were all about sharing plates and open kitchens, this Grays Inn Road restaurant was properly old school from day one - reintroducing Londoners to the joy of Gueridon service with dishes like the steak tartare prepared tableside. But really there’s only one dish to order at Otto’s - the Canard Presse which is one duck for two guests over three courses of sheer theatricality."

"Dinner and a show is a classic way to impress a date – but at Otto’s, dinner is the show. The Holborn restaurant is something of a hidden gem favoured by food critics, and its famous dish of canard à la presse – or pressed duck – is a theatrical performance like few others in the capital’s restaurants. The bird is prepared tableside, often by the charmingly eccentric Otto himself, using a silver press to extract the blood (possibly not one for the squeamish)."

"Properly old-school French, Otto's has carved out a niche for itself because of a serious bit of kit called the duck press. This dish sees the breast sliced, then the rest of the duck (bar the legs) pressed in the special screw press giving a juice to which Cognac and duck liver are added before it's poured over the rare slices which finish cooking in the sauce. Both very rich and very pricey but, by all accounts, like nothing else in town."

"What: There is something captivating about dining in a market, and Chamberlain’s position in the atmospheric labyrinth of Leadenhall is no different. The longstanding restaurant, which has been open since 1947, serves a menu of impeccable fish dishes, all of which come beautifully presented. Opt for classic combinations such as Orkney scallops with lardo or treat yourself to the most indulgent of dinners and order the turbot with truffle.Where: 23-25 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1LR"

"Located right in Diagon Alley – better known to muggles as Leadenhall Market – is this behemoth of a restaurant. It spans three floors, has its very own outdoor terrace within the historic market, and boasts a total of four private dining rooms. Moreover, as it’s owned by the prestigious Billingsgate wholesaler Chamberlain & Thelwell, it has access to the very best seafood in town."