In this article, we collected the most interesting spots for family entertainment. Here you will learn about places you can visit with children who are not really keen on classical sightseeing and when you want to take a rest of a standard cultural program and just have fun!
01The Moscow Planetarium
Watching stars is always nice, and children like this activity pretty much. To see the night sky, better to go to the Moscow Planetarium located on the Garden Ring not far away from the Moscow Zoo. It’s one of the oldest planetariums in the world, and definitely the oldest ones in the whole of Russia. We recommend taking there children whose age is 5 and more, otherwise, they might get bored at first easily. On the underground level, there is a Small Stars Hall which is designed especially for children, to show them the starry sky in miniature. The interactive museum called ‘The Lunarium’ focused on astronomy and physics is located on the first floor, and two observatories, the big one, and the small one are located on the second floor. The big one has the biggest telescope in Moscow, and it’s better to visit this venue with children as well. The other noteworthy things in the Moscow Planetarium include the ‘Urania’ museum where the meteorites collection is being stored and ‘The Sky Park’ with different astronomical instruments. One should consider visiting the Moscow Planetarium will take the whole day.
02Cosmonautics Museum
If your visit to Planetarium made your kids’ interest in the constitution of the universe even higher, then do not miss the Museum of Cosmonautics, located on Mira prospect, 111. You can easily reach it from the VDNkh metro station and merge into the atmosphere of space bases, lunar rovers, and shuttles. The museum reveals the history of the establishment and development of Soviet and world Cosmonautics and has such gems as the first six cosmonauts’ armors, the model of the space station “Mir” where you can learn about cosmonaut lifestyle and daily routine, ejection container in which famous dogs Belka and Strelka were delivered back to Earth after their successful space travel in 1960 and many other unique exhibit items. You can visit the museum by yourself or book a tour which is highly recommended for those who want to have a closer acquaintance with the art of space engineering and traveling.
03The Sokolniki Park
If you’re looking for a place to enjoy nature and participate in some activities, Sokolniki park is the place you need for sure. Located in the northeast of Moscow, it’s less crowded than the famous Gorky Park. Sokolniki Park offers many activities for children. For example, kids can have fun enjoying the trampoline, or climbing up the ropes in the Panda park, as this type of adventure park is called, or choose different learning activities. Besides, one can always choose to take a stroll enjoying nature. There are swans and ducks in the Golden pond, and squirrels messing around, and also wild birds in the rehabilitation center for birds called ‘The Ornitarium’. During the springtime, visitors can also admire the lilac garden in full bloom, as well as two rosariums. There are many playgrounds in Sokolniki Park as well, and also children can have fun at different attractions. Types of activities available for children are seasonal, so one can always find the best one at any time of the year.
04Moskvarium
In 2015, a new place suitable for visiting with children opened in Moscow. It’s an oceanarium called ‘Moskvarium’, and it’s located in the VDNKh (Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaystva — Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy), in the ‘Space’ pavilion. There are three main zones, i.e. the space for water shows and aquariums, and also the center for swimming with dolphins. In the aquariums located on the ground floor, more than six hundred fish and animal species can be observed, including Baikal seals, octopuses, starfish, moraines, rays, Beluga whales, crocodiles, seahorses, jellyfish, corals, and even sharks. Children can learn a lot about sea inhabitants, watching and feeding them in the ‘Moskvarium’, and also take part in different activities. ‘Moskvarium’ offers lectures to understand the science behind ocean and sea, inviting people involved in this area, such as naturalists, scientists, divers, and travelers, to lead the discussion. Besides, kids can attend workshops and quests. Children of every age will be happy to be there.
05The Experimentanium Fun Science Museum
Everyone knows children like touching things, playing with them, and experiencing everything on their own. Now, in Moscow there is an opportunity to do all that, and even more! The Experimentanium Fun Science Museum has more than 200 exhibits. All of them help to understand the core things of different sciences, such as acoustics, magnetism, electricity, optics, mechanics. Children can also learn about space, solve some quiz questions, and take a look at the interactive water installation, which is unique for the whole of Russia. Visitors can perform experiments, getting to know basic things themselves, and of course, take part in educational shows and workshops organized by the Experimentanium Fun Science Museum management. On the second floor, there is also an amazing spheric movie theatre where films about the Universe and outer space are being shown. The Experimentanium Fun Science Museum is located close to the ‘Sokol’ metro station in the northwest of Moscow and renewed its collection back in 2015.
06Izmailovo Kremlin
Children are getting tired of multiple historical sights but you still do not want to miss a thing during your cultural exploration? Head for Izmailovo Kremlin then! Izmailovo Kremlin is an entertainment complex that reveals the style of Old Russian architecture and depicts 14-17 centuries Moscow style with its wooden colourful houses, church, and a big market. You can find multiple cafes on its territory and either just walk and enjoy the fairytale atmosphere of the place or visit an amusement park and museums for children.
07Moscow Zoo
Zoos are quite a classical way of entertaining kids so visiting the Moscow Zoo, located at Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street, 1 is a good option. The Zoo has a collection of 1132 species of animals and has scheduled feeding demonstrations where you can watch pelicans, raccoons, beavers, otters having their lunch and enjoy the show which white whales make of their feeding.
