Edinburgh has some great days out for kids - from ghosts to puffins. Take a tour of some of the best attractions.
For many adults, the attractions of Edinburgh are its pubs and bars and good Scotch whisky. But if you have kids in tow, you’ll need to find something else for them to enjoy. Fortunately, there’s a lot available.
On the Royal Mile, not far from Edinburgh Castle, is the Camera Obscura. It was built in the 1850s, and uses an array of optical devices to project a view of Edinburgh inside a darkened room. The views are superb, showing the whole city, the Firth of Forth, and the Cheviot Hills and Borders to the south. Once you’ve seen the Camera Obscura, zoom in on the city with a telescope or enjoy the optical illusions and holograms that bring this attraction bang up to date. It’s not cheap (GBP 7.50 - USD 15 - for adults and GBP 6.00 for children) but it’s a highly enjoyable visit.
If you’re a cheapskate – or you’ve already taken the children to the Camera Obscura – you can still have fun on the Royal Mile with the distorting mirrors fitted outside the house.
Dynamic Earth - Quakes, Rainstorms and the North Pole
Another children’s attraction with a scientific bent is Dynamic Earth, which explores geology and natural history. It’s housed in a striking modern wave-formed building, just off Holyrood Park and near the new Scottish Parliament. Children can experience earthquakes, volcanoes, or tropical rainstorms; the new ‘Polar Extremes’ exhibit gives them a chance to test themselves against one of the most hostile environments on earth. Only problem for parents on a tight schedule; it’s closed on Monday and Tuesday during the winter, so you might have to plan other visits around it.
Edinburgh Zoo, a short bus ride out of the centre of the city along the Corstorphine Road, will interest most children. It may not have the interactive gizmos or the drama of Dynamic Earth, but the daily Penguin Parade at two in the afternoon will amuse most children. Even more unlikely, you may see Nils Olav, the colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard, taking part. He’s a penguin, too!
The best free day out in town
Some of the best things in life are free. The Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland, two museums sharing a building on Chambers Street, don't charge for admission, or for their audio or guided tours. High points include the famous medieval Lewis Chessmen, a selection of steam engines, and Dolly the Sheep – the first animal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell. (She’s stuffed, obviously.) Don't forget to be in the main hall on the hour (at 11, 12, 2, and 4) when the Millennium Clock chimes, and its imaginative figures spring to life.
Two trips outside the city are worth taking. The Scottish Seabird Centre, at North Berwick, can be reached by train in about 30 minutes. Buy the Seabird Centre special ticket, which includes the train fare and admission. In summer, bird life features gannets, puffins, and shags, many of them on the dramatic Bass Rock out in the Firth of Forth. High powered telescopes and remote control cameras let you zoom in on the birds without disturbing their nesting. You can take a boat trip, perhaps seeing dolphins and porpoises as well as the birds.
Beasties and ghosties - time to be scared
Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World is one for kids who like bugs and beasties. And just to increase the ‘gross out’ factor, it has a reptile house too. Some of the creatures can be handled. Apparently only the friendly ones turn up at the ‘meet the beasties’ sessions, but that still may include a couple of large snakes and some tarantulas.
And finally, of course, Edinburgh is the world capital of ghost tours and bodysnatching – subjects guaranteed to appeal to many older children. While some of the late night ghost tours can be a bit too scary for kids, just take a trip to Old Calton cemetery for an authentic, but not too terrifying, touch of chill; or try counting the skulls on the monuments in Greyfriars Cemetery!
