Jump360
Image via 247tickets
Picture wall-to-wall trampolines as far as the eye can see, all connected together to form one huge bounce park where you can literally bounce off the walls. There are not just one, but three of them in the city. Depending on the venue there are also slides of different size (and scariness), zip wires, foam pits, obstacle courses, basketball rings and more. This is the perfect place to tire your kids out. Which is, let's face it, what it is generally all about…
Jump360, see listings here. Click here to book tickets.
Peppa Pig World of Play
Image via Peppa Pig World of Play
Boasting 10 play areas, each referencing a specific scene or location from the famous TV series, this indoor theme park is great for Peppa fans young and old. Preschoolaged children will especially enjoy the chance to immerse in the world of Peppa Pig, and embark on exhilarating adventures with the adorable piglet and her family. Hop on a choo-choo train for a ride around Grandma Pig's farm, take a slide down Rebecca Rabbit's rabbit hole, and step inside Peppa's home for a tea break. And would it truly be Peppa Pig World if there was not to mention an interactive 'muddy puddle' area to jump up and down in? Scan QR code for details and to book tickets.
Peppa Pig World of Play, see listing here. Click here to book tickets.
Mini Mars
Image via Ned Kelly
With two locations, one in Changning and a brand spanking location in Jing'an on the ground floor of the building that houses Cages, Mini Mars are the play centers that have it all. We always lose count of the different play zones, but they include a garage, dollhouse and Lego area, pretend restaurant (and a real one, that serves pan-fried ginger flavor goose liver with caramel apple and mango port sauce, no less…), princess dress-up area, supermarket, racecar circuit, makeup dressing room, Inuit snow area, baby zone for under-twos and more. There are also loads of slides, ball and foam pits, obstacle courses, trampolines and all that good stuff to thoroughly tire your kids out while they live it large.
Mini Mars, see listings here.
Twinkle Premium Kids Café
Image via 匿名用户/Dianping
When Twinkle opened last year it set the web ablaze with controversy over its spa for kids (it has loads of other sections to it, btw). Sitting in an environment reminiscent of a Disney princess movie, each child wears a pink bathrobe and enjoys the likes of a relaxing foot bath, all while sipping a glass of grape juice. The experience lasts three hours. Since the clamor of "We're creating little monsters!" died down, the general consensus is that it is just a bit of fun, and the netizens overreacting were the monsters, rather than kids playing at grownups for a few hours. Hey, Internet, leave those kids alone!
Twinkle Premium Kids Café, see listings here.
Jihuabi Children's Playground
Image via Mandy Tie
Many of Shanghai's play areas are not exactly easy on the wallet; a few are eye-wincingly expensive. Step in Jihuabi Children's Playground, which is absolutely free. Part of the 'Pudong Left Bank Project', which will see some 21 kilometers of the Huangpu river bank revamped from its swampland past, expect to see the usual playground components here, along with obstacle structures, climbing ropes and a seven-meter slide for little thrill seekers. To ensure safety while playing, the colorful floor and wall surfaces are covered with a rubber finish, so any falls will be met with a soft bounce. Explore further afield and you'll find sandpits, mini castles with slides, skate ramps and climbing structures spread out along the waterfront.
Jihuabi Children's Playground, see listing here.
Adventure Zone @The Kerry Hotel
Image via Dianping
If you're looking for versatility, Adventure Zone is your spot. Designed and built by UK-based David Taylor Design, a leading manufacturer of children's play equipment, there's something to suit every age group. There is a small jungle gym in the front of the park, and a mini play town for younger kids. The back of the park is for the older kids, with nets for climbing, themed party rooms - Jingle Jungle, Pirate Ship and Circus Circus - and three slides - some seriously steep - leading into colorful ball pits. There is also a small cafe next door, and of course The BREW, The COOK or The MEAT elsewhere in the hotel.
Deal!
For every one adult and one child who dines in The COOK for buffet lunch and dinner, a child between 6-11 can enjoy buffet dinner at half price and receive one Adventure Zone ticket for free. Child under 6 years old may enjoy one 'Adventure Zone Day Pass' for an addition payment of RMB100 net.
Adventure Zone @The Kerry Hotel, see listing here.
[Cover image via 247tickets, Ned Kelly and Peppa Pig World of Play]
