When travelling the region with kids, these museums and exhibits are great for interactive and educational fun...
All set for that family holiday away from Singapore? You’ve checked the dates, bought the tickets, booked the hotel, installed the travel apps, even the kids are packed and you’re ready to jet off to Southeast Asia. There’s just one last thing: what you’re going to do while you’re there. Once you’ve exhausted the hotel’s kids’ club and done some wildlife spotting, get busy at these fun children’s exhibits and museums…
INDONESIA
DMZ Trick Art Museum
If you love the Trick Eye Museum at Resorts World Sentosa (whether you’re a kid or a kidult), you’re sure to like the DMZ Trick Art Museum, a 3D trick art gallery in Bali. Filled with more than 120 exhibits, strike a pose on these mind-boggling optical illusions and amaze your friends and family back home. Check out Honeycombers Bali for more kid-friendly activities to enjoy while you’re there.
dmzbali.com/eng
Jakarta Aquarium
Keep an eye out for animals roaming in the wild, or check them out in the Jakarta Aquarium, home to more than 600 species of wildlife. Located in NEO Soho, a shopping center in West Jakarta, kids will love meeting the furry and friendly otters and even get to pet a shark in the touch pool. Don’t forget to say hi to our friends at HoneyKids Jakarta for more travel inspiration and things to do with kids.
jakarta-aquarium.com
MALAYSIA
Petrosains
Start your journey through this indoor Discovery Centre with the Dark Ride which brings you through a recreation of Malaysia’s natural environments and takes you to a discovery centre full of interactive science exhibits. Learn about life in space, move a small rubber ball with the power of your mind or catch a 3D screening for a chance to walk among the dinosaurs in The Lost World. Make your final pitstop at Molecule Café for some much needed refuelling before you hop on the Exit Ride.
www.petrosains.com.my
Glow Park @ Wet World Batu Pahat
If, like us, you’re extra excited every time the streets of Singapore are decked out with lights, you’ll love the wet world glow park. As the first of its kind in Johor, the Glow Park is part of Wet World Batu Pahat and features fantastic light sculptures of all shapes and sizes. When the sun goes down, the park comes to life with a mesmerising display of sea creatures, safari animals and birds.
wetworld.my/wet-world-glow-park
PHILIPPINES
The Mind Museum
The Mind Museum features over 250 interactive exhibits through five interconnected floors including outdoor exhibits Science-in-the-Park and the Botanical Garden. Kids can pick up physics principles as they traverse the galleries and learn about the Earth’s history (all the way from its birth to the dinosaurs) and man’s technological advancements while pondering what lies beyond the stars. With a 3D theatre, planetarium and travelling exhibits, there’s no way they’ll be bored. Check out Dinosaurs Around the World featuring dinosaur animatronics and authentic fossil casts from now until 2 March 2018.
www.themindmuseum.org
Planetarium at National Museum of the Philippines
Swing by Luneta Park next time you’re in Manila and check out the National Planetarium tucked between the Japanese Garden and Chinese Garden. Home to the first hybrid projection system in Asia, the Planetarium provides immersive and informative trips into space suitable for children aged five and up. Take your seats, we’re blasting off!
www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph
THAILAND
Bangkok Dolls Museum
If you’re not immediately creeped out by the idea of a museum full of dolls, head to the Bangkok Dolls Museum and admire the collection of close to 500 intricately handcrafted dolls. Opened in 1957 by Tongkorn Chandavimol, each doll is carefully designed to represent different aspects of Thai history and culture including Thai Dancers, Historical Figures and Farmer and Hilltribes of Thailand. And if you like one, you can always buy it to take home!
www.bangkokdolls.com
For more inspiration on museums and exhibits in Southeast Asia, head over to Honeycombers.
Top image credit: DMZ Trick Art Museum
Like this story? Here’s more we think you’ll enjoy:
Plan your holidays in 2018: Take note of these public and school holidays
The five most beautiful national parks to see in Asia
30 tips for flying with kids: beat the boredom and jetlag before it beats you
Easy vacations with the kids during school holidays