Glasgow with Children- Tots2Travel’s Top Places
I love Glasgow. I studied there and had a total ball, but I’ve never set foot in the city with children. As we approached with the kids in the back of the car I sensed this trip would be very different to my student days. So where do you take kids in this buzzing city?
1 BUBBLES, BARRAS & BOTANICS – In Glasgow Green there are epic play parks – I completed one with Mr Toddler that I’m pretty certain was designed for marines (it’s so full on). There’s also picturesque water fountains and it’s all in close proximity to the old street market known as the Barras. We picked up a tube of bubbles and enjoyed the Green in the sun.
Then we ducked into the free Winter Gardens, a beautiful glass house, and surrounded our kids with exotic plants and palms. The People’s Palace, also set in the Glasgow Green, tells the story of Glasgow’s people from 1750 to the end of the 20th century.
2 ART & MONSTERS – The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – As well as beautiful pieces by the Glasgow Boys and Scotland’s favourite painting (Dali’s Christ of Saint John on the Cross) the free Kelvingrove Museum is also home to floating heads, an aeroplane, gigantic stuffed animals and DINOSAURS. Tot heaven.
The museum is in Kelvingrove Park which is an attraction for any age or demographic. With a great play park for little ones, it’s scenic and central – great to push a buggy around or chase a toddler.
3 SOMETHING OUT OF THIS WORLD – The Science Centre – A great rainy day option the Science Centre covers four floors of exploration and allows every competitive parent to nurture their own child genius. We messed with DNA, experimented with the numerous hands-on interactive displays, steered our own ship and hit the soft play zone in the Big Explorer Zone. For an additional £3 we attended the planetarium’s Space Explorers, a show designed for ages seven and under. The movement of the 360° film, screened across a 15-metre hemispherical dome, was mesmerising and confusing for our tots who tilted and leaned in accordance with the spaceship. The shows are led by astronomer-presenters, who I’m sure appreciated Mr Toddler shrieking ‘MOON’ at every planet we approached, regardless of which one it actually was.
4 GO BACK TO NATURE & OUT OF TOWN – Scotland has four national museums* and its National Museum of Rural Life is situated roughly thirty minutes outside Glasgow in East Kilbride. The museum tells the story of the people, the machines, the land and the crops that are the backbone of Scottish food production. Then it’s time to jump on the ‘Farm Explorer’, a tractor and trailer, to visit the actual farm where tots can get up close with gorgeous piglets, horses, cows and hens. The farm’s guides takes you from stable to sty to yard and talks you through the lives of the animals before letting guests tour the original old farmhouse. You can either walk back to the museum from the farm, through signposted fields and lanes, or jump back on the tractor and trailer. Amazing day out for kids.
5 GRUB – If you want informal dining with an area for tots to explore then the Merchant Square in the Merchant City offers a range of quite casual restaurants with a central area for kids to ‘discover’. Mr Toddler met another toddler and remarkably they both liked running in circles – who knew?! We chose a casual Italian called Fratelli’s and the staff were great with our kids. A similar lay out is on the ground floor of the Buchanan Galleries.
We also enjoyed the children’s menu at Bill’s. We dined early, about 6pm, and were eating alongside girls’ nights out sampling the colourful cocktail list, romantic couples and pals having a catch up but it’s the kind of place where everyone fits in.
Glasgow also runs a load of kids events so check out what’s happening when you’re visiting. We were tempted by a 5km Bubble Run, yip that’s jogging through bubbles with your buggy, bringing back my Ibiza days, so there’s lots of quirky festivals and activities to choose from. Glasgow’s still smiles better.
THE LOWDOWN – We stayed at the new Travelodge on Queen Street in the very centre of the city. We drove from Aberdeen to Glasgow. The city has a good public transport system, from the buses to ample taxis to the famous Clockwork Orange (metro) which is loved by locals and visitors alike. There’s very easy parking at all the attractions I highlighted. We were guests at the Science Centre and the National Museum of Rural Life courtesy of Visit Scotland and ASVA.
*The four national museums are the National Museum of Scotland, The National Museum of Flight, The National War Museum and the National Museum of Rural Life.
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Love those floating heads!
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Hugely distinctive and eye catching.
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The National museum of rural life seems so interesting!
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Great destination, with everything you need for an easy and educational day out.
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And all of these are great for adults too! I love Glasgow (as you might have guessed).
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Shock! Fantastic city. Lovely to introduce it to my little ones.
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Ok, I find the floating heads a little strange and creepy. What is the meaning behind it? #CityTripping
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It’s art dahling, art 🙂 They are truly iconic. But apparently, ‘The concept for the heads was to create an installation that encapsulates the word expression, the theme chosen by Glasgow Museum’s for one half of the museum.
Like a release of balloons, the heads bring lightness and humour to a grand building, lifting visitors heads and acting as a draw to the upstairs galleries’.
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Love Glasgow! The park looks amazing. I’m always one for perusing a market. Looks like a great city break.
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The parks in Glasgow are fantastic, and we just swung past the market for the bubbles. The Barras is an institution but it does sell some random stuff!
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I met my husband in Glasgow, so I like the city a lot 😀
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Aw.
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interesting suggestions! I visited Glasgow but didn’t have time for Kelvingrove #city tripping
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Lots of great ideas for kids in Glasgow. I love the idea of the Science Centre and my kids would love the Kelvingrove. #citytripping
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I truly love the Glasgow Boys work in the Kelvingrove. It’s great that there’s a mix of ‘art’ alongside lots of exhibits that, whilst they aren’t ‘for kids’, engage children and attract their attention.
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Reblogged this on Wander Mum.
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It’s great rediscovering a place close to your heart with your children and there’s certainly lots of options in Glasgow. The winter gardens and Science Centre sounds particularly good. Oh, and the bubble run…definitely a more interesting way to run 5km. Thanks for linking to #citytripping
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We seriously considered the bubble run, but we would have checked out by then and didn’t know where we’d dry off etc.! Poor bubbly babies to consider too.
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I love Glasgow – I went with my daughter when she was a toddler a few years ago and there’s so much to do with kids. We spent an entire day at the Science Centre and had a good wander around Kelvingrove and the Botanic Gardens too (and I snuck off for some grown-up food afterwards). Shame the heads weren’t there when we were – good reason to go back! #citytripping
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I always think Glasgow isn’t what people expect. If you return give me a shout and I can send more ‘grown-up food’ recommendations your way.
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I think my favourite would be the musuem of rural life, since I have lived in an urban city all my life. Interesting to read about how kids friendly Glasgow is! #CityTripping
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I saw a whole new side to the city. I can genuinely recommend the National Museum of Rural Life – so much going on.
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