Nearest Station: Crystal Palace or Penge West
After the Great Exhibition in 1851, the large glass structure used to house exhibits was moved to a park in a South Eastern suburb of London, and Crystal Palace was born. Though the building is now gone (after a fire in 1936) there's still plenty to justify a trip. Perhaps the most famous occupants of the park are the stone dinosaurs at the South end. Comissioned in the late 1800s, they were the first dinosaur sculptures of their kind. A few mistakes were made (the Iguanodon has a horn: this was later discovered to be modeled on a thumb bone!) but they remain a joy to behold. When you're done, head uphill to the Crystal Palace triangle (the three streets comprising the center of the "village") to wander through antique shops, boutiques, and great restaurants and pubs.
