Having lived in South Kensington, where this museum is located, I thought I should write something for this place, particularly as it is the most extensive and impressive history of the natural world in the UK.

Firstly, getting there is relatively straight forward. The closest underground stations are South Kensington & Gloucester Road. Gloucester Road can be easier if you want to avoid crowds as South Kensington gets very busy, particularly during the weekends and school holidays. Bear in mind Easter holidays can be particularly hectic! Both these stations do have steps to navigate (about 30 steps each), so bear this in mind if you have buggies or wheelchairs. There is a subway tunnel from South Kensington tube to near the front of the museum to help you find it. There are a number of bus routes that run close by, including the 14, 49, 70, 74, 345 and 360. For those travelling by car, there is very limited parking spaces. Street parking on Exhibition Road, and Queen's Gate is available, but this is metered and expensive. Also South Kensington has recently become part of the congestion zone, so during weekdays that's another £8 fee on top of parking. Imperial College does has a car park 4-minutes walk away, but this does fill up quickly, and again is pricey.

This particular zone contains the vast collection of animals the museum has gathered from around the world. Both real life stuffed animals, and carefully crafted, realistic models show the immense diversity of mammals, birds, sea-life, and much more beyond. There is even an impressive real size model of a blue whale, surrounded by all manner of mammals, such as giraffes, a hippopotamus, elephants and springboks. You can even come face to face with several cats you may not want to keep as pets: lions and tigers. The charm of this particular gallery is not only does it have the animals all children and adults love, and even expect to see in such a place, but there's also a good range of more unusual and obscure creatures - the duck-billed platypus, pygmy shrew, dik-dik, and the oryx are just a handful of the ones there.

This museum is well known for its dinosaurs and one even greets you at the main entrance. The traditional skeletons still remain, as do the many examples of fossils, but the museum recently introduced its new feature - animated dinosaurs. This frighteningly more 'alive' display includes sound, movement and smell effects! It goes a long way to explain just how powerful, and dominant these creatures were in their time, and there is a lot of factual information at hand, including what they ate, how they lived, and how they may have met their end. For those with very small children, please be aware that they could become easily frightened. Also, this particular attraction is very popular, and can become annoyingly crowded and noisy.

This zone deals with the planet, ecology, evolution, rocks and minerals, birds and insects. This zone does seem to be rather oddly mixed in its non-related content (birds surely should be found in the life galleries?!), but still has an impressive collection of just about everything. The bird collection is one not to be missed, as it includes many species which have sadly become extinct. The well known dodo is here, including a rather interesting collection of varying sized eggs. There is also a rather overwhelming Victorian display of some 100 or so small, beautifully coloured birds. One aspect about these displays that has always been disappointing is the low light levels.

This zone has been designed for those with an interest in the earth and how it works, and what treasures it has. This is the most modern part to the museum, and can be entered from the side entrance on Exhibition Road, or from the bird section in the green zone.

Orange zone:

There is a restaurant, but it is not cheap. A variety of tasty food is available, including vegetarian options, hot food, sandwiches and soft drinks. A cafe bar selling drinks is also located near the main hall. Alternatively you can head downstairs into the basement where there are tables to eat your own food. And should the British weather hold up, Hyde Park is only a 10 minute walk away, and is a peaceful retreat for a picnic. In addition, for a varied trip, the Science & V&A (art and design) museums are adjacent, although the size of all these museums makes them each a day trip in their own right. Finally, the museum has a revamped shop, selling a wide variety of books, toys, & novelties, including some good gift ideas. Something for everyone and every occasion in here. And yes, it has all the requisite pencils and rubbers every child has to buy when they visit!