Tomorrow (Jan 10) is Thai Children’s Day and we big kids at Guru think you should never forget your inner child. You can feel like a kid all year round, actually. No, we don’t mean sucking your thumb while no one is watching or throwing a tantrum when your parents refuse to buy you a new Lamborghini. We mean partaking in our selection of activities that are suitable for big (and small) kids. Happy Children’s Day, kiddos!
Toy town tours
There’s nothing that makes you feel like a kid again quite like being in the presence of toys. Check out these two museums where your favourite characters await you.
- Take a tour at Tooney Toy Museum where toys from movies and cartoons are strewn across two floors. Feel like a kid lost in a (very big) toy store as you explore this 800-sqm museum that boasts over 100,000 items on display. They have something for every big boy and girl from Disney princesses to Gundam robots, or meet giant Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen. Their colourful restaurant serves snacks and beverages should you need to refuel. Tickets are half price on Fridays until the end of the month.
Vanue: Fri-Sun 10am-9pm, Tue-Thu for group visits by appointment only. Tooney Toy Musuem, 69/275 Moo 1, Sri Saman Soi 8, Ban Mai, Pak Kret, Nonthaburi.
Contact: 02-961-8597-8, www.tooneymuseum.com, www.fb.com/TooneyMuseum.
Price: B100 per child, B150 per person, B3,000 for private tours of 10.
- Explore superhero collections from comics, cartoons, TV shows and movies at Batcat Museum
& Toys Thailand. Over 50,000 items are on display in two zones. The first zone houses toy collections from Japanese and Hollywood movies. Visitors may go batsh*t crazy at the second zone called Gotham City where all things regarding Batman are displayed. Other highlights include various life-size statues of superheroes. You can recreate the upside down kissing scene with Spiderman, flex your muscles with The Hulk, fist-bump with Ryan Reynold from Green Lantern, pet Monsters, Inc.’s Sulley on his head (if you’re tall enough), or be part of The Simpsons’ couch gag.
Vanue: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Batcat Museum & Toys Thailand, Lumasalee Intersection, Srinagarindra Road, Bang Kapi.
Contact: 02-375-9006, www.fb.com/batcat.museum, IG: @Batcatmuseum.
Price: B60 per child, B100 for adults, B250 for foreigners.
POKEMON PALS
- Friends of Pokemon take over Siam Paragon during the Pokemon Together event, which is on until Sun (Jan 11). Highlights include Pikachu dance, an 11m-tall Pikachu and photo ops with Pokemon characters. Pokemon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction will be shown three times a day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm over the weekend at 15 Major Cineplex cinemas. Children under 12 can watch it for free.
Vanue: Jan 9-11, 10am-10pm. Siam Paragon, Rama I Road, BTS Siam.
BOARD GAME BOOM
We’ve noticed board game cafes popping up in Bangkok since last year and this trend seems to be continuing into 2015. Here are two such places you should check out for some friendly competition with friends or family.
- Have some brainy fun at More Than a Game Cafe. Their extensive selection of board games covers the English alphabet and is available for play or sale. After coming up with strategies, calculating odds and negotiating your way to a victory, celebrate with a waffle or sandwich. They also offer board game workshops. Three membership packages are available – Knight, Queen or King – that offer privileges such as discounts on game purchases, free food and free hours of play.
Vanue: Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat-Sun 10am-9pm. More Than a Game Cafe, I’m Park Community Mall, 3/F, Chula Soi 22.
Contact: 02-214-4385, 081-917-9967, www.morethanagamecafe.com, www.fb.com/MoreThanAGamecafe.
Price: B50 per person for the first hour, B40 for the second, B30 from the third hour onwards.
- Opened on Dec 6, Boarding Time is the latest addition to Bangkok’s board game scene. The shophouse cafe has about 80 board games for play and over 100 titles for sale. No membership is required. They have a large war table on the mezzanine level for tabletop Warhammer. Celebrate defeating your opponents with an Italian soda or brownie.
Vanue: Mon, Wed, Thu 2-9pm, Fri-Sun noon-11pm. Boarding Time, 888/20 Phloenchit Road (next to Mahatun Plaza), BTS Phloenchit.
Contact: 092-985-6673, www.fb.com/BoardingTimeGames.
Price: B50 per hour.
DODGING THE UNDEAD
- Be the hero who leads your group out of a zombie-infested situation at the live-action haunted house The Bloody. Get chased by the undead and Ju-on-style ghosts as you try to solve a big mystery. There will be some hints of what you need to do in order to survive this living nightmare as escaping a zombie horde isn’t as easy as you may think. You may be taken captive as the undead, murderers and ghosts lurk in the dark. Each mission is part of a bigger story and they unveil new missions regularly so you can come back later for new scares.
Vanue: Tue-Sun 12:30pm-10pm. The Bloody, Chokchai 4 Soi 3.
Contact: 02-933-2311, 082-584-6511, www.goo.gl/QUZ5ag.
MAKING BIG SPLASHES
Since no one ever really outgrows a thrilling water slide, we suggest you get wet and wild at these water parks.
- Go from chill to thrill at the world’s first Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark in Chon Buri. There are 30 breathtaking water rides and slides, live shows from Cartoon Network and meet and greet events with cute mascots such as characters from The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10 and Adventure Time. Try out Johnny Bravo’s Banana Spin in the Adventure Zone. Float on Riptide Rapids, the 3,650-foot-long lazy river that is set among favourite CN characters, flowers and trees. Or check out a gigantic wave pool, surf on a boogie board, and hang out in a shaded cabana. There are 10 themed zones over 14 acres of land. They offer one-day tickets and annual passes.
Vanue: 10am-6pm. Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark, Najomtien Soi 52, Pattaya, Chon Buri.
Contact: 038-237-707, 085-367-1611, www.cartoonnetworkamazone.com, www.fb.com/CNAmazone.
Price: B890 per child aged three to 12, B1,290 per person, (add B300 for non-Thai residents); annual pass from B6,000.
Opened on Dec 1, Vana Nava Hua Hin combines a water park, entertainment and dining on 20 rai of land. There are 19 thrilling slides and rides along with various venues to hang out at after sunset. At night, you can still take a dip in the pools that are beautifully lit with LED lighting. Abyss, Thailand’s largest water slide, can accommodate up to six people at a time as it takes you to a height of 28m. Enjoy a 179m ride at Boomerango, Thailand’s longest water slide. For an exhilarating ride, check out Aqua Loop where you can reach speeds of up to 60km/h in the vertical looping slide.
Vanue: 10am-9pm. Vana Nava Hua Hin, 129/99 Soi Moo Baan Nong Kae, Nong Kae, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Contact: 032-909-606, www.vananavahuahin.com, www.fb.com/VanaNavaHuaHin.
Price: B600 per child, B1,000 per person, B2,600 for two adults and two children.
