Recommended places to take your kids in Taipei

On jdsmith’s recommendation, we went to the Taipei public library (that may not be the correct name) on JianGuo N. Rd., just beside Ta’an Park today and was very pleased. Played in the park for a little while first (before the rain started). Then the library.

We only used the kids’ section, so I can’t vouch for the rest, but I’ve been in a few public libraries in Taipei and this was the biggest and best collection of English books for kids. Lots of good stuff. Also, unlike some of the other libraries I’ve visited here, almost everyone was quiet and well-behaved, meaning my girl was content to sit and read instead of chasing all the other screaming, running kids. We checked out a huge stack of good books and I look forward to returning them and picking up another selection.

I would imagine it’s probably one of Taiwan’s best adult libraries too, but for kids anyway it’s well worth checking it out.

Glad you enjoyed it! Across the street, on the way to the Mcdonalds is a pretty god vegetarian restaurant too.

We went to Y17 Youth Activity Center with playgroup this week, and we were all impressed with this facility. It’s at the corner of Linsen South Road and Renai Road. The center is huge and they have all kinds of classes and areas. We went to the play area on the third floor. This area has some very nice climbing equipment, a small climbing wall, thematic playroom (great for babies who are crawling), a toy kitchen/house area, lots of puzzles, large physical exercise gear, a balloon room, toy cars… At 11am they have a short activity time with a teacher singing songs and leading the kids through a kind circletime and dance time. Some of the parents in our group commented that this place was one of the few where kids played by themselves without coming bored to their parents. We stayed 2 1/2 hours and no kid wanted to leave.

They have three restaurants in the building - a coffee shop, a Chinese roundtable restuaurant and a kind of VIP-room Chinese restaurant. There is a bookstore, gym, dance room… and basement parking. They have classes, including ballet, art, music, English. Their gym is free for over 65s from 8-10am, if any of you are eligible…

For the kids play area, single tickets are more pricey, at 450 per child over six months. You can buy books of ten tickets which works out at 250/child. You can stay all day, although they close at midday for rest and cleaning.

This is the website (Chinese):
http://www.y17.com.tw/index.php

Map:
http://www.y17.com.tw/modules.php

This thread is class. Thanks to all for sharing.

We’re having playgroup tomorrow at the Taipei Water Park. This is a great place for babies on up.

waterpark.twd.gov.tw/english/index_e.asp

Nt 100 for adult 50 for kids and under 90cm free.

My 4 year old and I had a great time in Hsimenting yesterday. I hadn’t been there for years and you may feel it’s more appropriate for junior high or high school age, which perhaps it is, but she had a blast.

Took the MRT there, which is an adventure in itself. The Hsimen station, just one stop after Taipei station, is perfectly located.

Took her to her first movie ever in a movie theater – some cheap, hole in the wall theater, which is exactly what i wanted. Just NT$160 for the two of us, only a dozen people in the whole movie, so we could talk whenever she needed explanation. The movie was Ratatouie, a good Disney/Pixar flick, which she really enjoyed.

Then out into the heart of Hsimenting. Lots of places to eat, lots of exciting stuff for a kid – teddy bears, stickers, games, toys, arcades, big kids dressed up and having fun, outdoor video screens with videos of sexy dancers, loud music blasting (which always excites her and gets her dancing).

Then back by MRT and bus and, of course, she was sound asleep before we got home. It was a great adventure and we’ll definitely do it again. :thumbsup:

Thanks for starting this thread! I have been hearing about and wanting to check out Y17, Playspace and the zoo… someday soon!

We take music classes at MyStoryIsland, which offers Music Together and Miya’s Wonderland as well as new stories every month.

MyStoryIsland
mystoryisland.com/info.php
No. 228, Dun Hua S Road, Sec 1
(02) 2751-7177

They have different storytimes in English and Chinese where it’s like a performance with projected screen of pictures- the stories change each month- check the website or get the schedule from there. It’s very interactive and less crowded on weekdays than weekends. There’s also a little play area in the lounge. I’d recommend it for 2-5 year olds, though younger and older might work. A lot of people like Jeremy!

I also like browsing the kids’s section and the Children’s Museum at the Eslite XinYi Store.

No. 11, Songgao Rd., 5th FL
(02) 8789-3388

Other than that, we go to parks and the other places that have been mentioned so far.

[quote=“Muzha Man”]Don’t have kids myself but these are some things I’ve done with friends who have them.

Bitan to rent the paddle boats and paddle around the river. Bitan is at the end of the Xindian line. [/quote]

Agreed. Xindian/Bitan’s great. For years I’ve been tempted by the positive reviews from sandman, poagao, bulaien, omni, etc., so this weekend I finally grabbed my girl and headed down there. We had so much fun I hope to return next weekend.

Of course, for a kid, just the mrt ride can be fun.

But when you get there. . . heck, we didn’t even have time for the boat rides and carnival-type stuff beside the river on this visit, but we enjoyed just walking across the bridge and beside the river, seeing all the new sights and eating some good food.

Definitely a nice break from the routine. :thumbsup:

If you’ve got children and a car, I highly recommend Wei Chuan Pushin Ranch, in Yangmei, about 40 minutes from Taipei. It’s a huge, beautiful property owned by a major dairy and offered to the public for entertainment, for an admission charge of NT$300/adult (children under 100 cm are free).

One can feed grass to cows, carrots to rabbits, milk bottles to pigs, cows or calves; milk a cow; ride a horse or a pony; pedal swan boats on the nice lake; rent bicycles; look at the exhibit of beautiful butterflies; see a magic show; climb on great outdoor play stuff; fly a kite on the large green lawns; barbecue at the many barbecue pits; even camp overnight. We had a blast. Next time we’ll save a little money by bringing our own picnic lunch (their cafe offers a decent set lunch for NT$220). Only other costs were NT$20 for a milk bottle for pigs/cows and NT$80 for the pony ride.

As you can see, we had a great time.

We lucked out on this visit, too, because it was extremely, surprisingly uncrowded. We’ll definitely return. In fact, I believe it would be perfect for a Forumosa family gathering (after CNY) if anyone else would be interested.

We started going to the HRCdance academy. On 299 Zhongxiao E Rd sec 4.
It’s about 3,000NT for 15 classes and you don’t have to go in a row. Just let them scan your card every time. There’s a easy class at 2pm on Sat and Sun. (1:30 when school starts.) and a more advanced class after that. The one hour class starts with a warm up and the teacher will show them some dance moves. It’s kind of hip hoppy. My seven year old giirl likes it. Right now she says the easy class is a little boring and the hard class is too difficult. I think it’s a good activity. (And Alleycat’s is just a little ways across the street.)

She also started ice skating lessons last Sunday at the Taipei arena.

Went to Window on China, yesterday, that amusement park near Shihmen Reservoir (an hour from Taipei). It was great. Started with miniature replicas of key buildings and things of note in Taiwan, China, Europe, which was mildly entertaining, then on to a fair number of amusement park rides all of which were included in the price of admission, then to the best part – the water park, with various pools with high twisting slides, arrays of showers to run through, and other water adventure. Took shrewd negotiating and a few tears to finally pull her away from there. NT$399/person seemed like a good deal considering the amount of entertainment included. And, it wasn’t so crowded by Taiwan standards. :thumbsup:

Someone mentioned Leofoo Village at the start of this thread. Supposedly that’s close by, so next time we may try that.

Then, on hte way home, just 5 minutes from WOC as we passed through Longtan (?), we discovered a great restaurant: Oottimo Pasta House, a very nice, large, clean, newish place, where my wife had a great spicy seafood pasta, I had duck pizza, my daughter had pasta, with bread, soup, salad, coffee and desert for just NT$880. A perfect way to cap off a great adventure. :slight_smile:

We went to the Children’s Museum of Taipei yesterday. It will be closing on Nov. 5 so you might want to get down there for one last time. They already took the Mini away. Before they took it away they let you write a goodbye message on it.
Also, I hear that the Children’s Recreational Area, the one by the river, is going to close as well, but I don’t know when.

Went to the Taipei Modern Art Museum on Sunday and had a great time. It was better than I remembered. The place is huge, with lots of weird stuff that our girl (and my wife and I) enjoyed viewing. In particular, it seems to be overwhelmingly audio-visual displays, which are more captivating for kids than mere, static paintings or objects. And there’s so much there that one can easily wander quickly from exhibit to exhibit and room to room if one is not thrilled by a particular display. But there were many that we did enjoy and best of all the price: NT30 per adult and free for kids. So, for two bucks we had a couple of hours of good entertainment, exercise and mental stimulation. :slight_smile:

Now that Tom Dragon is out of business, I need another place to go. I used to like to take them there and leave them and then I could have a few hours to myself.

Good to know they’ve lowered the entry fee. The biggest complaint I’ve heard about WOC over the years was that it was grossly overpriced.

Really? The one in Asiaworld next to the toys r us?

Really? The one in Asiaworld next to the toys r us?[/quote]
As far as I know, all of them. We always went to the Global Mall.

Hi,

Well, it is not in Taipei City, but not too far from Taipei City and you can get to it by taking a bus from the Taipei Fine Art Museum. It is Ju Ming Museum. It is a museum created by the famous sculptor, Ju Ming, and most of it is outdoors. Also, they have a nice section and even restaurant tailor made for kids. The kids are even given chalk so they can draw on the sidewalk. Just went there last weekend and had a great time. Better if you go on a good weather day, as about 80% of it is outdoors.

You can visit the museum’s web site at http://www.juming.org.tw. It is near the Keelung/Jinshan area (northeast coast) and I imagine the bus takes about 30 - 45 minutes or so to get there (we drove and it took only about 30 minutes from Neihu area).

PM if you want more info or pics of our trip there.

Cheers,

TNChris

To confirm for all again - the Children’s Transportation Museum near Taipower (Ding Chou Road and Shi Da Road) is closed and looks like it and the government building next to it are going to be torn down. Saw that yesterday (January 27, 2008).

Hey, can anyone recommend possible places in Taipei for a 5 year-old’s birthday party? Indoor is probably best in case of rain, but I’d consider outdoor if nothing indoor’s quite right. Ideally, I picture a place with pizza, ice cream, video games or other games, and kids are welcome to run around screaming and acting crazy. A place that caters to kids and often hosts birthday parties. I would imagine Chuck E-Cheese, back in the States, is something like that, but I’ve never been there so I’m not sure. Pizza would be great, but it’s not essential. Running and screaming and good times for kids are. Anything come to mind?