Tired of visiting Malls every weekend? Explore Mumbai with your child!
PLACES IN MUMBAI YOU CAN VISIT WITH YOUR CHILD (MALLS NOT INCLUDED)
We are the first generation of parents who are raising kids in the world that’s made of concrete jungles and surrounded by a pool of screens. And living in Mumbai, which is one of the busiest cities in India, we are always short of places where we can spend quality time with our kids. Well, we may be wrong! There are more than 50 places (apart from malls and indoor play zones) in Mumbai where we can take our kids and also relive our childhood.
Here is a list of places, without any order of preference:
(Click on the link to read more)
NATURE PARKS
Sanjay Gandhi National park (SGNP), Borivali east:
Mumbai is the only metropolitan city to have a national park within the city. SGNP is spread over 103 sq.kms, almost covering 20% of Mumbai’s geographical area. It’s a perfect getaway destination from the chaos of the city life. There are a lot of activities that one can do here.
Mahim Nature Park (MNP), Sion-Bandra Link road.
Bhavan’s Nature Park (BNP), Andheri
GARDENS
Children’s gardens to jogger’s park, Mumbai has a huge list of special Botanical parks. Let your children take a taste of natural fauna.
- Hanging Garden a.k.a. Kamla Nehru Park
- Horniman Circle garden
- Priyadarshini Park
- Sagar Upvan a.k.a BPT gardens
- Mazagoan Hill a.k.a. Joseph Baptista garden
- Amarson’s garden, Breach candy
- Shivaji Park Garden, Dadar
- Five Gardens, Matunga
- Diamond garden, Chembur
- Johnson & Johnson garden, Mulund
- Kalidas Park, Mulund
- Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Thane
- Patwardhan Park, Bandra
- Jogger’s park, Bandra
- Rajesh Khanna garden, Santacruz
- Juhu garden or Airport garden, Santacruz
- Kaifi Azmi Park, Juhu
- Picnic Spot garden, Aarey Colony
- Mindspace Garden, Malad
- Evershine Garden, Kandivali
- Veer Savarkar Garden, Borivali
Apart from these, there are small, local parks too that are easily accessible to our kids.
Traffic Park
There are two traffic training parks for kids in the city. One at Colaba and the other one at Ghatkopar. They have traffic lights, intersections, Zebra crossing, Miniature Petrol Station and a Policeman who directs the traffic. The park is not open to walk-in visitors but the guided tours that have to be applied for are free of cost.
To take a tour one needs to put together a group of about 30 children and apply for permission by writing to The Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic Control Branch, Worli, Mumbai – 30.
BEACHES
Amidst the fast pace life in Mumbai, one can enjoy a day at the sands of the Arabian sea with the beauty of a lulling horizon. Mumbai is surrounded by the Arabian sea and there are several beaches to spend a fun-filled day with your little one.
1. Juhu Beach
2. Girgaum, Chowpatty Beach
3. Dadar, Chowpatty Beach
4. Versova Beach, Andheri
5. Aksa Beach, Malad
6. Marve Beach, Malad
7. Madh Island Beach, Malad
8. Gorai Beach, Borivali
9. Uran Beach, Between Panvel and Karjat
10. Kalamb Beach, Nalasopara
Carry along their beach set and let them get their hands dirty while they make sand castles and paper boats. Teach them not to litter around and don’t forget to enjoy some refreshing coconut water with them.
FERRY RIDES
We often take a short road trip on weekends but very few of us take this mode of transport. Ditch your car for 1 weekend and enjoy a boat ride with your family. You may be in any part of Mumbai, you are not far away from a ferry ride.
· Gateway of India to Mandwa
· Gateway of India to Alibaug
· Gateway of India to Elephanta
· Gorai jetty to Gorai khadi
· Gorai Jetty to Essel World
· Marve to Manori
· Versova to Madh Jetty
· Arnala (Virar) to Arnala Fort
While enjoying your ride, speak of anchors, boats, sails, light house, islands, water, waves, rocks, sea gulls, things that they have heard but never seen.
OPEN BUS RIDE
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has introduced a tour by OPEN DECK BUS (Nilambari) in the heart of City of Mumbai. You can hop on in one of these in the evening hours (7.00pm to 9.00 pm) at the Gateway of India. The appointed tour guide makes the journey entertaining, informative and enjoyable as you travel through the City’s past and present. Do not miss the sight of the historical and archaeological buildings on the way.
You can also book this bus for your child’s birthday party or for a group of friends.
TRAIN RIDE
Local train: Train is the lifeline for Mumbaikars. Take a local train ride with your little one upto CST or Churchgate. Kids enjoy the view from the moving train. Choose the right time and day, else it can be really crowded.
Metro train: Children are fascinated to see and experience new things. A ride in the metro train will surely make your child smile and add to a new experience.
Monorail: There is just one in the city from Chembur to Wadala. In case you are in that part of the city, do take your child to experience the ride.
EDUCATIONAL
It is one place that makes science seem like a lot of fun. Plan a day’s escape to this edutainment centre with your kids to introduce them to a whole new way of learning about our galaxy, constellations, solar system, eclipses and much more.
India’s largest interactive science centre that has more than 500 hands-on and interactive science exhibits on energy, sound, kinematics, mechanics, transport, etc. installed in the science park & different galleries. One can spend an entire day while doing different activities and looking through different sections.
Did you know, the 1 and 2 Rs. coin that we hand over without a second thought, might have a history to tell. The Reserve Bank of India Money/Monetary Museum has an abundance of information about old & new Indian coins and currency notes till date. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of money beginning from the time when emperors used gold coins to the current trend of e-money.
Entry is free on all days except Monday and bank holidays.
It showcases the city’s cultural heritage and history through a rare collection of Fine and Decorative Arts that highlight Early Modern Art practices as well as the craftsmanship of various communities of the Bombay Presidency.
The Discovery of India, Nehru Centre
It is situated at the Nehru Centre (not Nehru Science Centre) on the first floor. It exhibits history of India in the most visual way.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum)
Situated at the southernmost tip of Mumbai, it is one of the premier art and history museum in India. The Museum offers a perfect leisure day out for all its visitors where you can engage with a world-class art collection and participate in fun-n-learn activities.
ANIMAL LOVERS
Mumbai has a lot to offer for all animal lovers. Right from the national park to zoo, bird watching and bird feeding and also petting dogs and cats.
BIRD WATCHING & FEEDING
Feeding birds is a holy as well as sane act. Take your child at kabutar khana, (Dadar) and let them feed the pigeons there, and watch the smile on their face.
Flamingo watching at Sewri
Every year thousands of flamingos fly from Gujarat and stay in Mumbai for around six months. They arrive in November and leave by June but the best time to see them is from January to March as these months sport the maximum number. Apart from flamingos, various other birds like Black-headed Ibis and Black-Tailed Godwit, Western Reef-egret, River Tern, Sandpiper, Green Shank, Herons, Egrets, Cranes, Wagtails, Swallows and some others can also be seen.
Chota Kashmir within Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon East
It has a small lake with row and paddle boats and a nice green garden where you can even try your hand at bird watching.
Jijamata Udyan/Byculla zoo
The place is nice and quiet, and one can plan an afternoon picnic there. The animals that can be seen there are Porcupine, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Deers, Monkeys, Elephants and Penguins. There are many species of birds too. There is a well-maintained botanical garden where one can have relaxed family time. There is a separate children’s park inside the zoo.
Taraporewala aquarium, Marine Drive
It is the oldest aquarium in the city and hosts a variety of marine and freshwater fishes. There is 12 feet long, 180-degree acrylic tunnel at the entrance exhibiting different types of colourful fishes.
Aquarium is open from 10:00 am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 5:00pm all days, except Monday
Fees: Adults Rs.60/- Kids (below 12 yrs.) Rs.30/-
Dolphin Aquarium, Vile Parle
They don’t host dolphin as the name suggest but the aquarium has a variety of fishes that attract the kids. The aquarium is built in the middle of a pond. Apart from the fishes, there are rabbits, ducks, different types of birds and squirrels too. They have a toy train and boating facility where kids can feed the ducks in the pond.
Welfare of Stray dogs, Mahalaxmi
If your child is eager on getting a dog as a pet or is very fond of dogs, then the first step is to sign your child up as a volunteer with Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), a non-profit trust that has been helping street dogs since 1985. The kennel activities include walking the dogs and even bathing them. This could serve as a good opportunity for your child to understand what goes in to looking after a dog and will also give him the chance to interact with other animal lovers.
In the last couple of years, Mumbai has seen many cafes and pet centres for dogs and cats. Pawfect Life at Andheri is one such pet centre for dogs.
Mahalaxmi Racecourse
If horses make your child’s heart gallop, you should definitely consider the 10-day Riding Camp organised by the Amateur Riders’ Club, which is an introductory service to familiarize kids with horses.
PLAYS/THEATRE PERFORMANCES
Prithvi Theatre, Juhu
Instead of a movie, take your child for a live performance or a play. Kids love to watch live performances. Prithvi theatre holds a lot of events/workshops/plays for children of all age groups.
THRILL PARKS
As kids, we had at least one trip planned to Essel world, fantasy land (closed now) and water kingdom during our summer holidays. Time to relive those days again with our kids.
- Essel World
- Wonders Park
- Yazoo Park
- Tikuji-ni-wadi
- Water kingdom
- Royal garden water park
- Great escape water park
- Vardhaman Fantasy, Mira road
- Shangrila resort and waterpark
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