Where to Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day

PHOTO: The original Winnie the Pooh and Friends on display at The New York Public Library. (Photo via Flickr/Rach)

Winnie the Pooh is a chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff who is adored by children of all ages all around the world.

His creator, author A.A. Milne, was born in the United Kingdom on Jan. 18 which is now designated as National Winnie the Pooh Day. There’s plenty to do around the globe to celebrate this willy, nilly, silly old bear and the man who brought him to life.

Check for storytimes: Winnie the Pooh’s stories always center around the journeys of him and his friends. It wouldn’t be nearly as fun without Piglet, Tigger, and Rabbit joining him on his journeys. It’s fitting, then, to take your kids to meet with other kids and have a read-along to some of the great Winnie the Pooh stories. You can start at your  local Barnes & Noble or independent bookstore or library to celebrate the day or take a trip into New York City to the Battery Park City Library, where there will be a free live reading on Milne’s birthday.

See the real stuffed animals: Also in New York City is a Winnie the Pooh display at the New York Public Library, located on 42^nd Street. When Christopher Robin Milne, the son of A.A. Milne, was a boy, he received some stuffed animals as presents, including a bear, a rabbit, a big, and a kangaroo. As you might have expected, those became the inspiration for his father’s books, including and especially Winnie the Pooh. Those stuffed animals are on display at the New York Public Library to see for free, so it’s a perfect way to enjoy a part of Pooh’s history.

Visit Ashdown Forest in Sussex, England: A.A Milne got the inspiration for the famous 100 Acre Wood from Ashdown Forest, which was located right next to his house in England. Christopher Robin Milne himself even said that anyone who has read the books would see that they are identical. Walking through, you can visit the Pooh-sticks bridge, Eeyore’s Gloomy Place, and a memorial plaque to A.A. Milne. You can also explore the town of Sussex to make a day of visiting the forest.

Ride the Winnie the Pooh ride: If you’re at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland in California, (as well as other global locations) there is a ride called The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is a slow ride using voices from the characters and animatronics surrounding you as you ride. The ride a family-friendly experience, and you can also pair it with buying some Winnie the Pooh themed merchandise to make a whole day of fun.

A bronze statue of the real Winnie the Pooh now stands at the London Zoo in her memory. According to White River, Ontario, it was unveiled in 1981 and part of the inscription reads “She gave her name to “Winnie-the-Pooh” and A.A. Milne and Ernest Shepard gave “Winnie-the-Pooh” to the rest of the world”. 

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