Let me start with a confession: we are not big fans of kids-centered entertainment during holiday - from our experience children can thrive traveling with minimum number of toys and enjoy exploring if only given enough guidance from the parents.
On our first trip to China we had no intention of going to an indoor playground - we didn’t enjoy them back home, why would we spend time and money there in China if there so many other things we could potentially be doing?
It was only after accidently stepping into one in Lanzhou when looking for a supermarket selling nappies that we discovered the world of world-class children entertainment in China.
Why is it worth going to an indoor playground when traveling?
Even though small kids can be an excellent travel companion, they do get tired from moving around and exploring all the novelty. Even during best planned journeys there are some long tedious travel days or days when you want to see something YOU really want to see.
For that reason, including some “kids days” in your itinerary can recharge their batteries. Having this metaphorical carrot dangling in front (“today we take a walk arohnd the city, but tomorrow we have this special surprise for you that we think you would love”) can reduce frictions and bring back a lot of enthusiasm.
Those kids days don’t necessarily need to be playground days, but it can be one of your options.
One of the things that China lacks is outdoor playgrounds that are so common in Europe - for that reason an indoor playground is a great way to make the kids blow off some steam and move a little.
What can you expect from indoor playgrounds in China?
Our experience with playgrounds in China is that they are on another level!
I think taking children to indoor playground is a very middle class thing to do, so many of them are quite big, with attentive staff and lots of entertainment, crafts and other out-of-this-world ideas.
Chinese parents have reputation for being focused on education, and the playgrounds reflect that - there is always a station to do crafts, experiments, organised play teaching kids about being firemen, mechanics, cooks etc.
Because they are catering for people who are relatively well-off, some (not all) can be quite expensive, so they are not the best option if you are on the budget.
Our favourite indoor playgrounds
So far we visited quite a few playgrounds and we try include a visit in one of them in every major city we stay longer in.
Those are just a few examples. Every city has something to offer, make sure to do your research in advance.
They are usually located in shopping centers and from our experience there are usually plenty good dining options to choose from.
Beijing - BE1ST
This is a very new indoor playground in Beijing, that has already opened 2 branches in the city.
It has a very cool design and is very well suited for older and fitter kids - there is a lot of climbing facilities, trampolines. One of the unique selling points that might entice slightly oldre kids or even young teenagers is VR - you can jump on trampolines why playing a game, they even have VR exercise mirrors.
As it is often that case in these kind of facilities in China, there are some games taking place animated by the staff.
Our favourite was a game of human whack-a-mole where the kids try to steal some corn popping up from tunnels trying not to get beaten on the head with an inflatable stick. Fun to play and fun to watch!
Chongqing - NeoBio
Our first encounter of a proper high-end indoor playground and probably the most advanced I have ever seen.
With the pastel-coloured design it might feel a bit creepy for an adult, invoking thoughts of the perfect world pictured in Black Mirror TV series ("Nosedive" Episode). It is however a paradise for kids.
Its main selling point is a variety of spaces for very advanced role-playing games - there is a supermarket with shelves filled with plush fruit and veg, a veterinary, car mechanic, and tons of other spaces. Naturally there are also climbing frames and slides for older kids, and a mini play area for babies and toddlers. There is even a library for quiet time.
The restaurant has surprisingly good (and very expensive) food - the whole playground is rather a pricey experience so I do not recommend it when travelling on a budget.
The playground is located in Chongqing Guanghuan Shopping Park, which is in itself quite a cool place to stroll around admiring modern architecture and people-watch China's afluent middle class.
Lanzhou - playground in the shopping mall by Hilton
While there is nothing really unique about this particular playground, it is just next door to Lanzhou Hilton City Center hotel that we stayed in and we absolutely loved.
Whether traveling from East to West (along the Silk Routes) or North to South (between Tibet and Gansu), Lanzhou is an excellent place to take a rest. And a couple of chilled days that include few hours in an indoor playground do the trick.
The playground is located in the shopping mall right next to Hilton hotel by Nanchang Road. Unfortunately I don't have the address, because we went there before I even thought of starting the blog and collecting such information.
Harbin - near Harbin West Railway Station
Visiting Harbin in the winter is quite a challenge - especially if like us you come to visit Ice and Snow Festival that has shut few days later.
Regrets aside, Harbin has an unforgiving climate in the winter, and while worth-while visiting, you might struggle to find enough things to do outside.
This was our motivation to go to a shopping center - originally aiming to visit a big bookstore with a beautiful design we found online (Zhongchuang Bookstore), but accidently discovering the playground.
The playground was big with a lot of fun activities - riding plastic ducks on a mini river, catching absolutely real small fish, and tonne of activities animated by the staff.
We particularly liked a crafts making station where we made a mini sundae dessert from glitter and a lot of sparkly cequins.
Both the playground and a bookstore are located in a shopping center next to Wanda Plaza near Harbin West Railway Station:
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