Oxford is one of those beautiful cities where, in the space of a single day, you can wander through the world of dragons, then on a whim find yourself face‑to‑face with towering dinosaurs, and just around the corner slip into a pocket of pure whimsical enchantment. Yes, this is Oxford. A city I hold very dearly. It has everything you need for a little journey of wonder, without ever having to travel far from one magical moment to the next.
Recently I took my daughter to rediscover what this city has to offer, and while planning the day I convinced my bestie from London to bring her little boy and join us. We started, as you absolutely should, at the Story Museum. A little about this absolute gem of a place: it has that uncanny ability to make you feel as though you’ve stepped straight into someone else’s imagination. Every room hums with stories, mischief and make‑believe, and their newest delight, the shimmering dragon exhibit, feels like stumbling into a secret lair where scales glint and tales coil in the air.
After our adventure among dragons, we carried the magic across town to the Oxford Natural History Museum. One moment we were wandering through myths, and the next we were standing beneath prehistoric giants, their ancient bones arching overhead like punctuation marks from another age. The contrast was delicious, mythical beasts to real ones, all in the same afternoon.
From there, we drifted toward one of my favourite Oxford stops: the Covered Market. It’s a cosy maze of colour and character, full of stalls selling handmade treasures, tiny keyrings, quirky crafts, little gifts that feel like they’ve been waiting just for you. And the décor at the moment is a delight in itself: an Alice in Wonderland theme that turns the whole market into a playful daydream. Teacups, knitted Pigeons, curious creatures… it’s like stepping into a storybook between bites of cake and sips of coffee.
And because no day of wonder is complete without a dash of cuteness, we finished our trip with a wander through the whimsical Miniso shops and PopMart. Bright shelves, plush characters, clectibles… the kind of place where you swear you’ll “just browse” and somehow leave with a tiny armful of joy.
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