KIDZANIA (SIAM PARAGON)
Kidzania is without a doubt, most innovative addition to the ‘edutainment’ scene in Bangkok. This is unlike anything we have seen before and the level of fun has been raised to a brand new level. Kidzania, originally a Mexican company, has been opening family entertainment centers since 1999 in Santa Fe, then in 18 additional locations around the world. At first this appears to be another cute mini-town with pretty European style houses below painted skies – which it is. But beyond the extremely well executed craftsmanship, a much deeper level of education is brought to the kids.
Each and every one of the shops and buildings in Kidzania town is a learning experience for children from four to 15 years old. Not just some boring ‘show-how’: here kids get to be part of the shops. It’s extremely well executed and kids love it! The range of experiences is also unique as there are up to 80 different jobs to choose from, everything from being a real dentist to flying a Boeing 737! Fight a hotel fire with real water and ride a tiny fire truck to reach the scene. Rescue people with a small ambulance and bring them to a mini hospital where you get to use almost real equipment.
Everything is very realistic, just smaller. Then move to the newspaper office and report to a real newsroom or a TV studio, if only real life jobs would look as fun! Each activity can accommodate small groups of 6 to 8 kids and no parents can interfere or participate.
It’s a real kid’s world so mom and dad are just allowed to witness the operation and take photos. The whole thing is really well thought out, with a large lobby offering cakes, coffees and computers, all dedicated to parents so kids can finally play free without having to take care of the nagging oldies.
The most appealing aspect of Kidzania is the concept of ‘how-do-they-do-it’. It’s certainly all fun and games but kids really do learn something… Everyone has to wear the relevant outfit or uniform – whether it’s a nurse, a firefighter or a lab coat to learn how to make coke in a mini factory, how to prepare sushi at an Oishi restaurant or some burgers at McDonald’s and how to change your mom’s car tires at B-Quik car centre. It’s all heavily sponsored of course, but who cares? Life out there is just like this!
The kids earn ‘KidZos’ money by doing these mini jobs and can even open a bank account at the CIMB bank. This money is kept there for the kids to buy gifts at the souvenir shop on the way out. How smart from the organizers!
With such a great concept and perfect location at the top floor of Siam Paragon, there is no doubt Kidzania will be a huge success. In addition, being part of such an upmarket shopping mall will hopefully ensure that two years from now the attraction will not get the usual fate of other edutainment centres, when half the features usually stop working and everything looks old and faded.
SNOW TOWN BANGKOK
Snow Town Bangkok is an indoor themed village and play area with 30-40 cm of artificial snow located in Gateway Ekkamai shopping mall. Inside the air conditioned hall there is a Main Street with Japanese restaurants, shops and a playground. There is also a modest slope with sleighs and skis for rent so you can recreate the sensation of being high up in the mountains of Hokkaido.
Tickets to enter Snow Town themed village cost 100 baht for people over 90cm tall and 80 baht for children less than 90cm tall. Entrance to the Snow Playground is an additional 100 baht per 30 minutes. Winter gear including jackets, gloves, and snow shoes also require an additional fee. For a 55 minute skiing lesson it costs from 600 baht for a group or 3,400 baht for a private lesson.
There is always an artificial snow machine pumping out fresh snow and forming little mounds which children love to climb up and slide down, but try to time you visit to experience the snow falling from the roof. This happens four times a day at 12:00 (11:00 on weekends), 15:00, 18:00, and 20:00. The hall is kept at a refreshing 15 degrees Celsius so it never really gets cold, although it is certainly a big change from the tropical temperatures of Bangkok.
If you are just curious to check out snow in Bangkok, it is perfectly fine just to pay the entrance fee, take a walk around the Main Street and have a meal in one of the many restaurants. Here you will find ramen, ‘yaki-niku’ barbeque, and speciality crab restaurants, among others. The Japanese element is a bit twee but it’s catering mainly towards the local Thai community who seem to love it. For many Thai families it is the first time they have ever felt snow so spirits are high in most children (and their parents).
You can expect lots of laughter and rolling about in the fluffy white powder. Snow Town Bangkok is best for small children around 4 to 8 years old as the playground is fairly simple and older children might get bored quickly. Younger children seem to love climbing the snow mounds, playing with a ball or simply just dancing under the snowfall.
Gateway Ekkamai has direct access from Ekkamai BTS Station so it is very easy to find. If your children still have energy to burn, head down one floor to the children’s amusement park Kidszoona at Molly Fantasy. The rest of the mall has a collection of restaurants, a 24 hour supermarket and a few clothing stores.
DINOSAUR PLANET
Dinosaur Planet Bangkok is a theme park dedicated to prehistoric beasts, from the snarling T-rex to packs of Velociraptors. The amusement park is located in the Phrom Phong area of Sukhumvit and features up to 200 life size models of popular dinosaurs. This promises to be very popular a place to photograph yourself with these long extinct beasts, and the construction of these models is incredibly impressive.
The dinosaurs are placed in different terrain thought to be their natural habitat many millennia ago, along with a centerpiece volcano. Budding biologists will no doubt find the theme park in downtown Bangkok very informative and educational however this is more for the entertainment and shock factor than anything else.
Bangkok’s first Dinosaur Park is easy to find alongside Benjasiri Park, just a short walk from Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain Station.
DREAM WORLD BANGKOK
Dream World Bangkok – A visit to Dream World theme park is a fun-filled, entertaining day out where, as the name suggests, children’s fantasies become realities: they can sleigh or make snow angels in Snow Land, ride a rollercoaster up Space Mountain, and meet Cinderella and Pocahontas all in one day. While Dream World’s high-octane rides might not measure up to the best of American or Japanese theme parks’, the sights and attractions for smaller children are excellent and ensure an exciting family day out and a lot of memorable photographs.
Although it’s not actually located in Bangkok, Dream World is only a short ride up the motorway, past Don Muang, the old international airport. Tickets cost 650baht for entrance and unlimited rides, although this excludes Snow Town which costs 150baht extra. If you book a day tour everything is included.
The entrance to the park sets the scene for the fantastical experience to come: friendly, green aliens laughing beneath medieval castle walls. It makes no sense but children love it! If you have ever visited a Western theme park you will recognise many of the same features: cheerful music piped throughout the park, swathes of manicured gardens, flowers and water features, and a plenty of maps dotted here and there to help you navigate your way around. The park is split into four sections but just strolling around will take you through every section.
The more hair-raising rides include old favourites like Space Mountain, a roller coaster which zips along through the pitch darkness, and the Viking ship. However, the top rides in the park are undoubtedly the iconic Sky Coaster, a fairly modern roller coaster that twists and rolls as passenger’s feet dangle freely from their securely harnessed seat, and Super Splash, which is sure to give riders a refreshing shower whether they want it or not. Beyond these, the options available to teenagers are fairly limited but still ensure screams and howls keep ringing throughout the park.
Besides the rides, there are so many things of interest dotted around the park: a fallen colossus half buried in the ground makes for a great group photograph, and a love garden (so called because it is dedicated to all things romantic) is always popular for couples to stroll through hand-in-hand and take a picture of their special date. Photographers will rarely have the chance to put their camera away with so many character-cut-out amusements, you know, the ones that have a hole cut out through which you put your face: in one day you can be Superman, James Bond, a princess and a vampire!
The food on offer is a definitely child orientated – popular American style fast-food, candy floss, and ice creams are on offer throughout the park from many booths, along with more nutritious Thai favourites like som-tam and pad-Thai, all at much lower prices than you’d find in European theme parks. Another option is to book a day tour which includes a buffet lunch as this food is of a higher standard.
There are several shows taking place throughout the day such as the Animal Show and the Stunt Show, which are entertaining without being spectacular, and, in the afternoon, there is a parade along the thoroughfares of the park. This is one of the highlights of a day at Dream World and should not be missed. There is an endless stream of famous characters, cute mascots and performing clowns who dance and wave their way around to the delight of kids and parents.
The majority of the visitors are tourists but numbers swell during the weekend when many more local Thais visit the park. As such, it is recommended to visit during the week, although even on Saturday, queues for the most popular rides rarely last for more than ten minutes. A visit to Dream World is an exciting day out for children, and with enough to keep the teens and adults entertained you can guarantee it will memorable holiday highlight for everyone.
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 daily, until 19:00 on holidays
Location: 10 minutes north of Don Muang Airport at KM. Stone 7 on Rangsit-Ongkharak Road.
By air-con bus, take No. 538 Victory Monument – Don Muang – Rachamonkolk or No. 523 (Mochit – Kasetsart University)
Tel: +66 (0)2 533 1152
LAZGAM BANGKOK
Laser games in Bangkok have been few and far between in recent years so when Lazgam opened we were happy to have a family friendly, all-weather activity to try. Games last 15 minutes and really get the heart racing.
Located on the fifth floor of the Holiday Inn Sukhumvit, Lazgam Bangkok is spread out across two floors within a maze of walls and partitions. There are several types of game to play but the most common are Teams, red vs blue, or Solo Play, which means every man for himself. Other game types include Alien Invasion when one player starts as the alien and has to shoot people to turn them into aliens too. Lazgam Bangkok is open to anyone aged 7 and over.
To play is simple: strap on the vest which has strike points on the chest back and shoulders, pick up your laser gun and run into the action. It’s fast and furious fun! You can get shot an unlimited amount of times – and you will – but after three seconds you are back in the game. Points are awarded for each ‘kill’ and deducted when you are shot. There is an information panel on your vest to tell you who shot you and where you were hit.
The strategy is to keep moving and ducking around corners, but with so many nooks and hiding spots, you will be fighting from all angles. There are also ‘power pods’ dotted around to give you special powers, such as invisibility and a shield. At the end of the game, each player receives a print out of how you performed. It tells you who you shot, who shot you, accuracy percentages and other interesting statistics. One game is rarely enough.
To play Lazgam Bangkok it costs 350 baht for the first game, and 300 baht for every subsequent game.
Find the Holiday Inn on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 22, half way between Asok and Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain stations.