When people think of the Taipei Children’s Recreation Center near the Yuanshan MRT Station in northern Taipei, the image of amusement park rides usually comes to mind. But the best fun to be had there doesn’t involve spinning around until you vomit.
Although the rides in the World of Today are tempting (and relatively expensive at 20NT a ticket), my children have always been drawn more to the playground areas. There are playgrounds scattered throughout the park, with such attractions as a climbing wall, sandpits, wooden rocking dragon, giant ship, giant rope climbing structure, rope net maze, houses of the three little pigs, and even a couple of giant wedges of cheese to climb in, on, and slide down. And of course there is no shortage of regular slides, swings, and teeter-totters.
At the entrance of the World of Today there is a long staircase that seems to be for a very steep slide, but if you keep going up, it leads to The World of Yesterday and The World of Tomorrow. If you have a stroller, towards the back of the World of Today playgrounds is a ramp that will take you to the same place. It’s quite a trek up the mountain, but the fun to be had at the top makes up for it.
The World of Yesterday includes great things to explore, such as a section of the Great Wall of China that people can climb up on, a water maze, cave and waterfall, and a traditional Chinese home. There is also a large performance square where visitors can try their hand at walking on stilts, both the long wooden kind, as well as the rope and platform kind, which are better suited to younger children. A puppet theater has scheduled puppet performances. They also have a traditional crafts area with DIY projects, as well as a traditional toys area, where visitors can play with and make traditional Chinese toys.
The World of Tomorrow displays new scientific discoveries. There is an indoor Science Hall to explore and 3D and 4D movies to watch. This is a great place to escape to during hot or rainy weather.
There are some things for parents to be aware of when visiting. First, bathrooms are not very child friendly (all bathrooms have squat-toilets) and there are no nursing rooms available. It would be wise to bring bathroom tissue, mosquito repellant, and even though most playground areas are shaded, sun-block. Food choices are limited to hotdogs, fishballs/tempura, stuffed pretzels, rice dumplings, ice cream, and assorted snacks.
Although the facilities are old and maintenance could be better, it is still definitely worth a trip. At just 30NTD for adults, 15NTD for children over 6, and children under 6 free, the price of admission is well worth it for a day of fun for the whole family.
The Taipei Municipal Children’s Recreation Center is located at 66 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3. For more information, please call (02) 2597-9012.
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October 1, 2007 4:08 AM
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Hello! Good site!
Thank you!
December 5, 2007 4:14 AM