In the Lion’s City, the attractions for children are endless and safe. Dorothy Veitch provides your starter for 10.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios’ theme park offers up 24 rides, shows and attractions. Seven themed zones – Hollywood, New York, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Sci-Fi City, Madagascar and Far Far Away – are arranged around a lagoon. Be sure to ride the world’s tallest pair of duelling roller coasters, and visit Shrek’s castle.
GARDENS BY THE BAY
Take a stroll through Supertree Grove where 18 ‘super trees’ support a 125-metre-long aerial walkway. Gardens by the Bay also boasts the Flower Dome, the largest greenhouse in the world and the Cloud Forest, where a 35-metre mini-mountain plays host to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Garden Rhapsody light and music shows are held twice nightly.
SINGAPORE ZOO
Big on conservation, Singapore Zoo aims to provide animals with an approximation of their natural habitats – from frozen tundra to lush grassland. Don’t miss the night safari where you travel by electric train through different regions, like Equatorial Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayan Foothills. On a moonlit night, it feels like there’s nothing between you and the 2,500 nocturnal animals.
WILD WILD WET
At Wild Wild Wet waterpark, you can plunge down a near-vertical drop at speeds of up to 15 metres per second, experience a high-speed 360° extreme loops ride, and even whiz down a water rafting slide! But if free-falling isn’t your family’s speed, head to the kids’ zone, which is wonderfully laidback, and filled with pint-sized versions of the big rides.
KIDZANIA
In this kid-sized indoor city, children, aged four to 17, can try their hands at different jobs – they get to be everything from a spaceman to a builder for the day. There are 80 or so role-play activities, and all the right locations in which to play, from a full-sized fuselage of a Boeing 737, to a replica bank and mini hospital.
PALAWAN BEACH
Palawan Beach on Sentosa Island is both beautiful and safe, with wading pools for the kids. Rent a Segway and you can glide along the 2-kilometre stretch of white sand with a small group. Viewing towers overlook the Singapore Strait, and you’ll see a suspension bridge that connects the beach to the southernmost point of Asia (also Asia’s closest point to the Equator). And don’t miss the Port of Lost Wonder kids’ club. There’s a piratically themed water-play area, hidden islets on which to hunt for buried treasure and plenty of child-friendly places to eat. Captain Palawan makes an appearance every weekend and during the school holidays.
SEA AQUARIUM
Home to over 100,000 marine animals, swimming in 45 million litres of water, SEA Aquarium is the largest in the world. As you walk through the long tunnels between zones, you feel as if you’re on the ocean floor. Don’t miss the moray eel habitat at the South China Sea zone. Kids can crawl into a ‘cave’ and pop their heads into a dome for thrilling, up-close views of the snake-like creatures.
MOUNT FABER CABLE CAR
On Sentosa, you’ll find not just the SEA Aquarium and Universal Studios but also Fantasy Land water park and Volcano Land… and even getting there is fun. Hop aboard the cable car at Mount Faber for an 18-metre ride with great views.
SINGAPORE FLYER
Kids really like Ferris wheels – huge ones – so take them for a spin on the Singapore Flyer, Asia’s largest observation wheel. Each 30-minute ride offers up incredible views of the city and takes you 165 metres above ground.
JURONG BIRD PARK
With free-flying aviaries and a 30-metre waterfall, Jurong Bird Park homes around 9,000 birds, and opens your eyes to over 600 species. You can walk among the birds, and handfeed flamingos, ostriches, pelicans and lorikeets. Your ticket money partly funds the park’s Avian Hospital and Breeding and Research Centre.
