Things to do with kids in Chiswick
Chiswick sits at the western end of London's most impressive corridor of green spaces and attractions. Chiswick House and Gardens is the local gem: a Palladian villa surrounded by beautiful grounds, a good playground, and a cafe terrace that is excellent for sitting down while the children run. Kew Gardens and the WWT Wetland Centre are both 15-20 minutes away by car or bus and represent two very different kinds of nature day out.
What makes this area work particularly well for families is the relative quiet compared to central London: Gunnersbury Park is spacious and gets surprisingly little traffic given its quality, and Chiswick House has free parking on weekdays which removes one of the usual friction points of a day out. For a full day, Kew is hard to beat; for a simpler morning, Chiswick House and the playground alongside it is all you need.
Beautiful Palladian estate with lovely grounds, a kitchen garden perfect for a slow wander with little ones, and a playground right next to Cafe Colicci which does wood-fired pizzas. Order food then let kids play while you wait and eat, which is a near-perfect family formula.
The treetop walkway is the thing kids talk about afterwards, that vertiginous wobble through the canopy feels properly adventurous. The Princess of Wales Conservatory has a genuine jungle atmosphere, and the seasonal trails are well designed for under-7s.
A genuine nature reserve in Zone 2, just across the river from Chiswick. Kids who are into animals get a lot from the otter enclosure and the pond-dipping sessions; kids who just want to run get the trails and the playground.
Large Victorian park with a recently restored mansion, free museum, and an adventure playground that gets surprisingly little traffic given its quality. The toddler area is separate from the big-kids playground so small ones can play safely, and the museum has a brilliant hands-on room upstairs.