Fun Activities in London to release your inner child

Sometimes you just want to act like a kid again! With life’s stresses and mounting responsibility, you need to find avenues to blow off some steam.

From mini golf to indoor skydiving, we’ve listed ten ways you can unleash your inner child.

1. Swingers

The perfect activity for those who don’t take life too seriously – mini golf combines light hearted competition with nostalgia, creating a fun-filled activity to do with friends.

Swingers helps you relive childhood memories of mini golf, but now you’re an adult (hopefully!) you’ve got more coordination and can get more involved in amping up the competition. With its elevated, 1920s themed decor, it’s a far-flung experience from the seaside mini golf venues from days of yore. You can really enjoy the buzzing atmosphere of the venue and take some scenic photos to immortalise the experience.

Put a grown-up spin on your night out by treating yourself to one of the many cocktails or mocktails available. All the fun of a Slush Puppy, with an alcoholic kick, our frozen cocktails (Pina Colada, Miami Vice, and Strawberry Daiquiri) 

Locations in London:

• The City
• The West End

2. Axe throwing

Throw off the stressors of adult life (literally) and enjoy the chaos of axe throwing. While you’re obviously expected to take care, the idea of “being allowed” to throw an axe seems exciting – you’d never be allowed to do anything similar as a child! 

With an element of “running with scissors” under the supervision of professionals, you can get competitive and challenge your friends on who can get closest to the bullseye. It’s an activity that’s unlikely to have crossed any of your paths before, putting you on an even ground in terms of ability.

Locations in London:

• Boom Battle Bar
• Whistle Punks
• Axe Experience

3. Indoor Skydiving

Remember the feeling as a child of tying a towel around your shoulders and running around, improvised cape flapping behind you, convinced you were flying? Recreate that feeling in real life with some indoor skydiving.

Less of a commitment (and less scary) than “real” skydiving involving jumping out of a plane, indoor skydiving has you throwing shapes in the air over what is essentially a giant fan. Take it to the next level by strapping a VR headset on, so you can experience the sight of the Earth below without even having to step on to a plane.

The indoor setting alongside the professional instructors removes any potential fear of heights, allowing you to focus on honing your aerial acrobatic skills. You’ll learn how to hold yourself still in the air and perform flips and tricks, as well as have the whole event recorded by both cameras at the venue and your friends, who are planted safely on the ground outside the wind tunnel.

Locations in London:

• iFly

4. Go to a roller rink

Whether you’re a roller skating regular or you haven’t roller skated since you were seven, we’d highly recommend bringing a group of friends to a roller rink. Differing from ice skating, a lot of venues will have you don your skates on entry, making a trip to the bar or toilet a new, fun challenge!

You’ll be surprised at the variety of skill levels, age range, and sheer commitment of other roller rink-goers. You’ll see people dressed to the nines in sparkly flares whipping around the rink, friends, hands clamped to each other in desperation, getting to grips with their new unsteady state, and older men with impressive skills who’ve clearly been at this for decades. 

If you’re new to roller skating, don’t worry you’ll get to grips with the basics pretty quickly. With DJs pumping club music, cheesy pop, and throw back tunes, it’s easy to get into the party spirit, distracted by whether you’re actually good or not! Even if you’re struggling, you can have fun just sitting by the side of the rink watching the experts gather together in the centre carrying out set roller dance routines, or laughing at your friends as they struggle to avoid someone who’s fallen over.

Locations in London:

• Roller Nation
• Flippers
• Isle of Skating

5. Brush and Bubbles

This ain’t no paint by numbers – Brush and Bubbles provides a prosecco fuelled painting master class. Whether you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since your school days, or simply enjoy the chance to get creative, their painting workshops will provide you with step-by-step instructions to create a masterpiece good enough to hang on your wall (or stick on your parents’ fridge!).

6. Twist Museum, Oxford Street

Take the experience of a funhouse mirror to the next level with this mind bending optical illusion fuelled immersive experience. Twist Museum in Oxford Street has been designed by artists and scientists to alter your perception. Twist is an acronym for The Way I See It, and each element of the experience is designed to have you questioning the way you see reality.

Described as a “playground for your mind”, the interactive exhibits capture your imagination and play on your senses. Here, you are part of the illusion, and your experience may differ from those standing right next to you.

With photographs encouraged, you can share your experience of the interactive exhibits with your friends – will you be able to capture the illusions through your phone?

7. Sandbox VR

Embark on a futuristic adventure with your friends. Sandbox VR provides a full body VR experience, meaning you’ll be suited up with a VR headset, alongside any additional accessories needed (for example a handheld controller resembling a gun to help fend off any baddies), 3D precision body trackers, and haptic suits. You’ll feel like you’re actually in a fantastical environment, and you’ll be able to see and interact with each other within the experience, as you would in real life. 

Partnered with brands such as Star Trek and Squid Game, you can choose from a variety of experiences so you can choose between fending off zombies, battling pirates on the high seas, and defending the Earth from an alien invasion.

Saving the world is thirsty work – once you’ve finished the experience, visit the world’s first robotic bartender that shakes and stirs a range of cocktails and mocktails.

8. Sleepover at the Natural History Museum

Miss the excitement of a childhood sleepover? The Natural History Museum’s Dino Snores events demonstrate that sleepovers aren’t just for kids.

Set up your sleeping bag beneath the iconic blue whale that hangs from the venue’s iconic Hintze Hall, and let your inner child go wild.

Included with the booking is a three course dinner, access to selected galleries,  live animal workshop, a pub quiz, stand-up comedy, and an all night movie marathon. Being in the museum after hours gives you a unique view to displays that may otherwise be difficult to view in the busier periods during the day. The experience will give you the same feeling as you’d get being in school after everyone’s gone home – a sort of “the teacher’s left the room” feeling.The morning will be a bit more refreshing than your childhood sleepovers – waking up to a cooked breakfast and rejuvenating yoga sessions.

9. Biscuiteers

Recreate the experience of biscuit decorating from your childhood with an icing workshop at Biscuiteers. 

During the “School of Icing” classes, you’ll learn techniques like line and flood icing, piping, and feathering helping you hone your icing abilities. The two venues located in Notting Hill and Belgravia offer seasonal decorating classes, so you can get into the spirit of the season – whether it’s spring florals, Easter eggs, or afternoon tea themed biscuits. Tailor your colours and designs and get creative.

10. F1 Arcade

Elevate racing video games by taking your friends to the F1 Arcade. The full racing simulators will have you feel like a real racing driver – putting you in the driver’s seat and experiencing what racing would be like around real racecourses from around the world. 

Challenging your friends one race at a time to try to work your way up the leaderboard, you can choose your skill level to level the playing field – if you’re a rookie, you can still challenge more experienced players. Your experience will adapt based on the skill level you choose, and won’t affect the players you’re racing.