Family holidays with children in Uruguay - attractions and entertainment

A vacation with children is the best way to spend precious time with all family members. A holiday in Uruguay with children will leave only pleasant memories because this Latin American country can offer a broad range of events and great activities with both adults and children. Besides quality beach recreation, Uruguay can please children with numerous interesting museums, entertainment parks, zoos, and natural landmarks full of unique animals.

The capital of Uruguay, just like any other large megalopolis, can offer a range of interesting activities and entertainments for kids. In Montevideo, children will be super excited to visit the local planetarium. There is also a small observatory inside it. This is an excellent opportunity to see the sky of the planet’s southern hemisphere. Lecocq Zoo is one more place that deserves a visit. Located approximately 10 kilometers from the city, this zoo occupies an area of 120 hectares. This zoo was built in the 19th century and was fully funded by Lecocq, the local entrepreneur. Nowadays, this is home to more than 500 animals of 33 species that live in comfortable conditions close to their natural habitat. In this zoo, visitors can see llamas, zebras, capybaras, foxes, deer, monkeys, armadillos, ostriches, coatis, otters, and many other species. In Montevideo, there is one more zoo that is, however, smaller in size. This is Zoo Villa Dolores that is located almost in the center of the city. In this zoo, there are mostly animals from Latin America, Australia, and Africa.

Blu Park in Montevideo greeted its first guests in 2014. This is a popular entertainment park that has only one entrance that takes visitors to a large square decorated with rocks and waterfalls. There are several large streets that start from this square, and each of these streets has many different amusements. There is a free fall amusement, a centrifuge dancing amusement with energetic Latino rhythms, and karting track. For small children, there is Dinopark where kids can have fun in flying soccer with a 15-meter tall inflated ramp. In Blu Park, there are 3 theaters that host performances of acrobats and numerous plays for children. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In the resort city of Punta del Este, vacationers are encouraged to visit Mansa Beach. This is one of the best beaches for tourists with children. It is located in the north-eastern part of the city, in the place where Río de la Plat meets the ocean. The beach is safely protected from oceanic storms. There are no high waves here, and the sand is soft and clean. That is why this beach is excellent for vacationers with children. The water is slightly yellowish on Mansa Beach because of clay in the sea bottom. However, this doesn’t make recreation on Mansa Beach less pleasant.

Lobos Island is located approximately 12 kilometers to the south of Punta del Este. This is a small strip of land, the size of which is only 40 hectares, that is home to a large colony of sea lions and seals. Isolation from the mainland and peculiar natural conditions have helped to preserve colonies of these sea animals. The population of sea lions on Lobos Island is the biggest in Latin America. It is possible to reach this island only by motorboat. Sea lions and seals feel so safe that they swim close to the berth and look at tourists who arrive to see these cute animals. Needless to say, photographs with these marine creatures are simply wonderful, and a day spent with these charming animals cannot leave children and adults indifferent.

In the city of Colonia del Sacramento, children will be very excited to visit the Museum of Shipwrecks and Treasures. The exhibition of the museum is dedicated to the history of sailing close in the La Plata region. Visitors can see models of ships that sank near the Uruguay coast, gold and silver coins founded during underwater excavations, weapons, and sailors’ items. Museum Granja Arenas stores the biggest collection of pencils in the world. Besides pencils, there are many vintage items that date back to the middle of the previous century, a vinyl records player, and many old photographs of the long-gone epoch. The owner of the museum gladly makes excursions in his museum. The entrance is free.

Healing springs in the department of Salto have turned into a popular aqua park that is called Aquamania. This is the first aqua park in Latin America that is made close to healing hot springs. Companies that had built Disneyland parks were participating in the building of Aquamania. In this park, visitors can make a boat ride on a manmade river that has numerous tunnels and waterfalls, slide down from an 18-meter tall water slide right into a pool with healing water, spend some precious moments in Jacuzzi and pools with artificial waves, and try Finnish and Scottish showers. This aqua park is a great opportunity to combine entertainment and rejuvenating treatments. The park is closed on Wednesdays. Children below 3 can enter the park free of charge.