Things to do with kids in Dulwich
The Dulwich and Forest Hill triangle is home to one of London's most impressive concentrations of free family activities. The Horniman Museum is genuinely excellent and perpetually underrated outside SE London: a free museum with real animals, instruments you can play, and gardens with views across the city. Dulwich Park itself is flat, buggy-friendly, and has recumbent bike hire that children find completely hilarious.
The Crystal Palace orbit gives you two more excellent options in the dinosaurs trail and the park farm, which work well combined in a single afternoon. Do the farm first as it closes at 3:30pm, then walk down to the lake and the dinosaurs. Hilly Fields in Brockley rounds out the area for a simple, free morning that still gives kids room to properly run. Oxleas Wood is a slightly longer trip but worth it for families who want proper woodland rather than a manicured park.
South London's most underrated family day out: the free animal walk, the famous walrus in the natural history gallery, and a music room where kids can actually play the instruments. The gardens are lovely and the views over the city from the top terrace are a genuine bonus.
Lovely south London park with a boating lake, recumbent bike hire, and good playground. The cafe is family-friendly and the park is flat and buggy-friendly throughout. Hiring the recumbent bikes is one of those simple activities kids genuinely love.
Grade I listed Victorian dinosaur sculptures set by the lake in Crystal Palace Park, free to visit and endlessly fascinating for dinosaur-loving kids. They are scientifically wrong by modern standards, which makes them even more interesting once kids are old enough to know the difference.
Small city farm inside Crystal Palace Park with goats, pigs, chickens, and a reptile room that tends to be the surprise hit with most kids. Free to enter, and the combination with the dinosaurs nearby makes for a natural pairing on the same visit.
Open hilltop park in Brockley with a well-maintained playground and long views across south London. Popular with local families at weekends. Bring a kite: the hilltop is one of the best spots in south London for it.
Ancient woodland at the edge of south-east London with excellent wooded paths and a triangular 18th-century castle at the summit offering views across three counties. A proper woodland adventure for families who want something off the usual circuit.