2012 was a particularly exciting year for the UK as we played host to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The unforgettable announcement came in July 2005 and preparations began years in advance. We all knew it would be a big deal, and in the final months leading up to the games it dominated news headlines as the nation's collective excitement grew and we all wondered how everything would turn out - both inside and outside the stadium.
Would everything be finished on time? Would people be able to get where they needed to be? How would Great Britain do on the medal table? Happily, everyone involved did an amazing job before, during and after the games. The athletes did themselves and their countries proud - from Mo Farah and Ellie Simmonds' double golds to the fantastic achievements of the Brownlee brothers.
Six years later, I think it's safe to say that the 2012 Olympics have had a lasting, positive impact on London. As part of the games, areas of the Capital were heavily invested in, developed and improved.
The centre of all this development activity, was, of course, Stratford, home to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park but despite having watched the Games enthusiastically on TV, none of us had visited in over ten years, so we had yet to experience the area in person.
With so many memories of the Games, we were thrilled to be invited to visit and spend a family day inside the park. But what would we do there? That's not a concern we need have had.
At 560 acres, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is huge, playing host to fantastic parklands, waterways and playgrounds and more besides! Inside the park, you can visit the London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena, Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and last but not least, the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
Spoilt for choice or what?! If you're after an active day out in London the park is the perfect mix of things to see and do.
Here's what we got up to.
Scaling the ArcelorMittal Orbit and braving the Slide
The ArcelorMittal Orbit by Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor is stunning; a twisting, dramatic structure, huge, and unlike anything else in London, or indeed Britain.
It's Britain's largest piece of public art - so tall, in fact, that from the observation platform inside, it's possible to view the whole park. But there's one big reason that we were most excited to visit: the world's tallest and longest tunnel slide!
I am not going to lie, I was extremely nervous in the lift ride up, and had to close my eyes as I set off down the slide, but once I got started I loved it, laughing and screaming all the way down. Mark took the whole thing in his stride but loved it too.
It's worth mentioning too that the queue was really short - we barely had to queue at all. I suspect this was because the weather was a little grey, so a good tip then is to go when the weather isn't so sunny - there's still plenty to do and you might find shorter queues!
Once you pop out the end of the slide, it's possible to go back up and enjoy the viewing platform for as long as you like, which is awesome. They also provide lockers so that you can store your belongings when you head for the slide.
You have to be 8 to take a ride on the slide, so Miss J has already made us promise that we head back on her 8th birthday so that she can try it out.
Exploring the park with the help of the Kids Activity trail
After our adventures inside the ArcelorMittal Orbit, we had plenty of time to explore the park.
I always recommend doing a little research ahead of any trip to help you decide exactly what you want to do so that you can make the most of your visit - certain activities such as the slide and stadium tour need to be booked in advance to avoid disappointment.
And when you arrive at the Olympic Park, I'd highly recommend that you pick up some kid's activity packs (£3.50 each) from the information office, which will help the kids take charge in finding the park's key landmarks and activities, from spotting sculptures to enjoying the climbing apparatus.
With the help of the pack, we laid on the loungers spotting planes - on brighter days, you can cloud spot too.
Ran amongst the trees.
Spotted lots of art.
Played in the fountains - I bet this is particularly lovely on a hot day!
And celebrated being Olympic champions...sort of.
Burning off steam in the play park
Situated in the middle of the park right near the entrance is a lovely play area with an excellent mix of things to climb on and swing from, as well as a good selection of free-to-use exercise equipment.
The kids never pass up the chance to run around and play, so they absolutely loved finding such fun in London, where they're normally used to busy streets, museums and tubes!
JD had brilliant fun trying to charge my phone using kinetic energy.
Lunch at The Last Drop
After a busy morning we decided it was time for some lunch. Handily, we spotted a rather lovely looking café situated right next to the ArcelorMittal Orbit and headed in.
The Last Drop is bright, welcoming, and most importantly serves really tasty hot food along with tea, coffee and an assortment of pastries and snacks.
I had a really great Superfood Salad with seasonal leaves, soya beans and quinoa in a light olive oil dressing - it happened to be vegan and gluten free too.
Mark had a home-made beef burger with extra cheese and bacon and was really impressed. The beef was good quality and the freshly toasted bun was a great touch.
JD opted for the pasta of the day, which was spirali in a creamy tomato basil and spinach sauce - he loved it, and we all stole a spoonful too as it was really very nice!
Jay went for her weekend favourite of fish cakes, chips and beans - everything went down a treat.
And finally, we ordered a a selection of beetroot, butternut squash and lemon houmous to share between us - that's always a favourite!
The whole meal was a great pick-me-up during a busy day. The Last Drop sells food that compares very favourably against the quality you might expect inside a park, and it's the kind of food people really want from a nice park café. Thumbs up!
With happy hearts and full tummies, we left Mark with a coffee to catch up on emails while we headed out for the next part of our adventure.
A unique look inside the stadium
I don't think a first trip to the Olympic Park would be complete without a look inside where it all happened back in 2012. And if you have any West Ham fans in your family, then the stadium tour is a must. It's a really interesting insight into the club, where you get to learn about its history and how it functions inside the stadium today.
Everyone on the tour was given little screens to carry, which allowed us to watch informative videos in the stadium and in the changing rooms - it's a great way of keeping everyone entertained and to glean extra info if you're a real fan of a particular topic, such as how the stadium was constructed.
A real highlight was being able to go out pitch-side - a really memorable experience as we walked out via the tunnel just like the players do!
There are practical things to do to keep energetic youngsters busy too. J and JD got to have a run on a real piece of Olympic training track, pushing off from real starting blocks from the games.
I'm not much of a football fan but I was really pleasantly surprised by the experience - a fun, easy-going tour that gives you a look behind the scenes of sport from the past and present in a really unique way.
A relaxed boat tour
After our stadium tour, we met back up with Mark and headed off to find the final part of our visit - a guided boat tour along the river that runs through the park.
It was a really lovely way to see the park from a different perspective, and turned out to be one of the best places for spotting art installations.
We had such a lovely day and all agree we would very happily go back again. Have you been to the Olympic Park or perhaps you are thinking about going? Let me know in the comments below!
This is a commissioned post for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Leslie Hernandez says
OMG that slide looks insane! I would totally do the slide though looks fun lol... Looks like you guys had an awesome time, family time is always amazing and memorable :-).
Emily Leary says
We had a wonderful day at the Olympic Park. There were so many things to see and do so we're all looking forward to a return visit and I can't wait to have another go on the slide!
bryanna skye says
I didn't even realize there was a slide. what a memorable experience that must have been!
Emily Leary says
The slide was amazing, I loved it! We had a really great day at the Olympia Park and we'll definitely be going again :)
Jenni says
Wow this looks incredible, what a great use of the space!
Emily Leary says
Yes, it was amazing! I was nervous about the thought of having a go on the slide but I loved it! There's so much to see and do at the Olympic Park and we're definitely looking forward to another visit!
Helen Costello says
We have such good memories of the Orbit and the Olympic Park. We were actually at the top of Orbit when the 100m was on at the 2012 Olympics and watched it from above. Early last year we revisited Orbit and met Tom Daley at the top - He was so lovely.
Emily Leary says
Wow, that must have been some view of the 100m in 2012 and what an experience to meet Tom Daley at the top last year! We love the Olympic Park; there are so many exciting things to see and do! Definitely a winner!
Nisha says
oh, my goodness. there are so many things to do. looks like you guys had an awesome time there. Certainly a fantastic and worthwhile trip
Emily Leary says
Yes, we had a wonderful time and can't wait to go again. The kids enjoyed every minute of it because as well as that incredible slide there are so many exciting activities and things to see! We really liked being able to go out pitch-side when we joined the stadium tour and walked out via the tunnel just like the players do!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
The park play park seems more my level _ i'd play there. The slide looks terrifying I don't think could manage that.
Emily Leary says
I was full of trepidation about having a go on the slide but I'm so glad that I did - it was amazing! I'll be sure to have another go when we next visit the fantastic Olympic Park!
Anosa says
Wow, it looks like so much fun! I'm definitely going to have to visit the Olympic Park one day!
Emily Leary says
Yes, it really was so much fun. There's so much to see and do and the slide was amazing. We'll definitely planning to go back again soon!
Alex Gladwin says
Wow! I had no idea that all this even existed! What a fun day out. That slide is huge, I am afraid of heights but my Husband would love it! x
Emily Leary says
We all loved our visit to the Olympic Park. There are 560 acres to explore (if you have time!) and so many things to see and do! The slide is indeed huge but even though I was nervous and kept my eyes closed going up in the lift, I really enjoyed it! The kids had a great day and we can't wait to go again!
Rhian Westbury says
I did this slide last year and it was so much and seemed to last a lot longer than you think it will x
Emily Leary says
Yay! Did you enjoy it as much as I did? My husband loved it to and we've promised Miss J that we'll definitely be going back when she's old enough to have a go on it too! We had a fantastic day out with so many different activities and things to see!
Yeah Lifestyle says
Sounds like you all have had a fabulous trip to the Olympic Park,the amount of activity and the food looks so amazing as well. Great review and photos x
Emily Leary says
Thank you! We all loved our day at the Olympic Park and will definitely be returning to take in some of the things that we didn't get time to see and do on this trip and I can't wait to have another go on the slide!
Danielle says
Oh wow, that slide looks crazy. My husband would love to do something like that. The play park looks like a lot of fun too.
Emily Leary says
The slide was amazing - I loved it and so did my husband! We've promised our daughter that we'll definitely return when she's old enough to have a go too! But I'm sure we'll be going back before then as we all had such a fantastic day!
Sarah Bailey says
Oh my goodness how much fund does this park look! I have to admit I'would love to go down that slide it looks absolutely fantastic.
Emily Leary says
We absolutely loved the Olympic Park and can't wait to go again! I was nervous about going on the ArcelorMittal slide but it was an amazing experience :)
Emma says
Ooooh, it looks fantastic. I think my three big kids would love the slide, and I quote fancy lunch in the restaurant :)
Emily Leary says
We had a fantastic day at the Olympic Park and Miss J can't wait until she is old enough to have a go on the amazing ArcelorMittal slide. I'm sure your would all love it! The Last Drop Café serves delicious food and is also well worth a visit!
Rebecca Beesley says
Sounds like such an amazing day. We visited the arcelor mittal slide back in January as I knew it was my last chance to ride the slide before my hip replacement and despite my massive fear of heights I absolutely loved it. We never thought to look around the rest of the park so we will definitely have to go back again one day. And that food looks great too!
Emily Leary says
We really did have a fantastic day! Like you, I was full of trepidation about trying the ArcelorMittal Orbit slide but it was amazing :) I'm sure that you'll all have a great time when you next visit the Olympic Park and yes, the food was lovely!