First you'll have to book tickets over the phone - you get a one-hour slot which ensures you're not turned away if the gallery gets too full. Then you'll have to negotiate the car parks in Aylesbury town centre as the museum is without it's own parking.
But, with those two hurdles out of the way, prepare for what can be an enchanting visit, from the moment you walk into the museum's grounds. The children's gallery is spread over two floors in a separate building to the museum. Colourful on the outside and crammed full of things for children to touch, press, crawl through and look at on the inside.
Roald Dahl is celebrated for his inventiveness and the gallery aims to transmit some of this spark to your kids. Children can crawl through Fantastic Mr Fox's tunnel; examine mini-beasts under a digital microscope inside James's gigantic peach; check out green-screen technology used in cgi films; conduct their own musical experiments; dress up as Victorians; or simply curl up in the story corner with a good Roald Dahl book.
An hour is probably long enough to take in the whole children's gallery. But the walled garden provides space for picnics and play; there's a cafe and shop, and of course the Bucks County Museum itself to take a quick look around. Having a nose around Aylesbury's old town can be a bit of a discovery, and it's worth noting there's a Pizza Express nearby.
SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE ROALD DAHL CHILDREN'S GALLERY.
The Buckinghamshire County Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP. Tel: 01296 331441. www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum. Opening times, until 1 November 2009: Monday to Saturday and Bank Holidays 10am-5pm. Sundays 2pm-5pm. Entrance to the children's gallery is £4 for kids, £4.50 for adults; entrance to the Bucks County Museum itself is free.
Read our review of The Roald Dahl Museum and Storytelling Centre in Great Missenden, Bucks.
