day tours and theatres
 

My husband, two sons(11 &14), and I are going to England in mid-April. We would like to take a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle. We would really like to take a guided tour. Can anyone suggest a good tour group we could use? Also, we'd like to see a play while in London. Any suggestions on a suitable play for a family?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Leslie

I cannot recommend any coach tours to Stratford/Warwick as we drove ourselves. I guess the tour company's are pretty efficient, but this is packing alot into one day. We stayed overnight in Stratford, saw Anne Hathaway's House, Shakespeare's Birthplace and looked at the town a bit in the morning, then spent the remainder of the day at Warwick. This was summer time and they had a bit of a mini-medieval faire on the grounds.<BR><BR>My kids were a few years younger than yours and they really did enjoy Warwick Castle. Too bad you can't make it a two day trip.<BR><BR>I was in London last month. You can find listings of what is playing on any of these websites:<BR><BR>www.ticketmaster.co.uk (lowest fees I found)<BR>www.londontown.com<BR>www.officiallondon theatre.co.uk<BR><BR>I think a number of big musicals are playing such as the Lion King (kids will love this)..also South Pacific and My Fair Lady (but these might be too 'girly') for your boys. Also Phantom of the Opera (boys would like this) and Les Miserables (one of my favorite musicals - not upbeat - but music vastly superior to Phantom - and wonderful morality play)..<BR><BR>Also, The Mousetrap..famous long running murder mystery. Finally, the "Reduced Shakespeare Company" offers three delightful comedies -

Try Astral Travel (www.astraltravel.co.uk) for a mini-coarch tour. If you want to go with a big coach, your hotel can book you with one of the multitude of companied offering a day tour to Stratford.<BR>As for a play, I would recommend The Play What I Wrote. It won best new comedy for 2001, is very funny, has gotten rave reviews and involves some silly physical comedy that your sons might enjoy.

We took the Stratford/Warwick tour with Evan Evans last year. It was a busy day but we enjoyed the tour and our guide. They have a website.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your advice with me. I'll be able to make more informed decisions about our trip thanks to all your input!<BR>Thanks again,<BR>Leslie