Activities Near London's O2 Arena
Ecology Park, Pilot Inn, Greenwich Center are all Nearby Attractions
Jul 15, 2009 Solange Berchemin
Of course going to the O2 arena, mostly means going to a concert or an exhibition. The Dome, as London's O2 arena is know locally, has plenty of attractions within. However it is worth planning ahead in order not to miss out on some of the places of interest nearby.
Greenwich Peninsular Ecology Park
A few minutes away from the O2 arena, behind Harrison way and the Millennium Village, a development of flats architecturally very different and themselves worth looking at, hides a park with a mission.
Originally, the land where the arena stands today was marsh land. With the advance of industrialisation, and its location, being so near the river, heavy industry took over. With the decline of these industries, the marshes reappeared and in 1997 a massive regeneration project started.
The Ecology Park is 121 hectares of neglected land brought back to life. It has 2 lakes in which a large variety of wild life can be seen such as dragonflies, newts, an array of birds. The Park staff and volunteers are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable and the display very informative. The Ecology Park is a must see.
The Pilot Inn
In the middle of this very modern development which is the North Greenwich Peninsular, at the end of a 19th century row of cottages stand a Georgian building: The pilot Inn, or known locally simply as the Pilot.
This pub is a real find. If you don't fancy the unsurprising offerings in one of the chains that abound in the arena, walk down the road and seek out the Pilot. This pub offers a range of Fuller's ales, with six hand-pulls dispensing London Pride, ESB, Chiswick and Discovery. The atmosphere is cosy and in addition there is a really large garden which is kid friendly.
In Greenwich
A mere mile away, there are enough attractions to enjoy a full day out before going to the O2. Greenwich is home to an array of interesting places, most being admission free
- Greenwich market
- National Maritime Museum
- Royal Observatory home of the Greenwich Mean Time
- Queen's house: Inigo Jones' house of delight built for the wife of Charles I
- Old Royal Naval College and its magnificent trompe l'oeil painted chapel
- Fan Museum
- Cutty Sark tea-clipper (under repairs reopening planned for 2011)
- Viewfinder Photography Gallery
- Fan Museum
- University of Greenwich
- Greenwich Park
A little further afield are:
- Laban Center: largest dance center in the world in a stunning building
- Thames Barrier
- Canary Wharf
To get to Greenwich, there is a direct bus (188).
Buses depart every 10-12 minutes, the journey takes a maximum of 22 minutes when conditions are normal.
the O2 arena
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