Best Activities For Kids In Mexico City
Mexico City is known for its world class collections of art, gorgeous desert landscapes and historical landmarks, but what about groups traveling with small children? There are only so many art museums they can handle. Give the kids something to look forward to by adding one of these awesome family-appropriate activities to your vacation itinerary.
Mucho Mundo Chocolate Museo
Milán 45
Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600
Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico
+52 55 5514 1737
www.mucho.org.mx
Opened in 2012, this exciting and delicious museum has become a favorite destination for Mexican families and tourists alike. Learn the cultural importance and history of chocolate in Mexico and beyond. Exhibits at the Mucho Mundo Chocolate Museo teach this and then, of course, go into details of the chocolate making process and invite guests to taste test different types of chocolate. Yum! This museum is modern, clean and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Floating Gardens of Xochimilco
Salitre, San Cristóbal
Xochimilco
Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico
A visit to the floating gardens is the perfect outdoor activity for families. The Xochimilco canals have plenty of places to rent different types of boats. After choosing a boat, families can explore the canals and gorgeous floating gardens and can even pack a picnic for a lunchtime treat. There are over 50 miles of canals in the area, making the adventures almost infinite. The gardens themselves are actually remnants of Aztec chinampas, and are a popular destination for locals as well as tourists. Enjoy a day in the sun at your own pace while taking in these beautiful and historically significant sites.
El Cardenal
Tamaulipas 37
Cuauhtémoc
Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico
+52 55 5521 8815
www.elcardenal.com.mx
El Cardenal is one of the best places in Mexico City to take the family for a meal. It has been a family favorite for more than 45 years and is the perfect way to keep kids excited while also having everything to please parents and grandparents. There are five locations throughout the city, serving up award-winning food. Forbes Mexico recently praised its homemade mole sauce in a popular YouTube video, which has helped make El Cardenal a popular stop for tourists. El Cardenal is the ideal setting for a nice dinner, where the whole family can sit at one table with cloth napkins.
Related: Best Family-Friendly Restaurants In Mexico City
Kidzania
Av Vasco de Quiroga No. 3800, Planta Baja, Local 1
Cuajimalpa de Morelos, Santa Fe, 05109
Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico
+52 55 9177 4700
www.kidzania.com
All kids between the ages of 2 and 16 will love a visit to Kidzania on the outskirts of Mexico City. Kidzania creates fun, modern exhibits that transport visitors to an imaginary environment where kids can pretend to be the rulers of the modern world. They can try their hands at all sorts of 'grown up" careers. Like the board game "Life," kids go through the museum making different decisions and choosing where to spend their money and what will happen to their careers and imaginary families. This museum is lots of fun and will even teach a few important life lessons along the way.
Papalote Museum
Av Constituyentes 268, Miguel Hidalgo
Daniel Garza, 11830
Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico
+52 55 5237 1773
papalote.org.mx
Another great museum to visit with children is the Papalote. Learn about the galaxy in the planetarium, or catch an educational flick at the IMAX theater. The Papalote is a world class classic children's museum with cool exhibits like a Lego room, sand pit, bubble zone and lots of fun ways to explore science and technology. Like Kidzania, there are also exhibits that encourage kids to make believe they are adults and let them go grocery shopping. The interactive Papalote Museum is a bright, clean and modern children's museum. With Lego areas, arts stations, plus science and technology zones, there's something for everyone. Kids can learn to make smart choices in a simulated shopping environment, or check out quieter areas for magnet and sand play. There's a biodiversity room teeming with taxidermy and drawers of dirt for digging to find worms and other creepy crawlies. Be sure to venture outside to check out the well-equipped play area featuring a sand pit and bubble zone. Note that admission includes the Planetarium and the IMAX theatre, so budget plenty of time. Or kids can explore nature in the biodiversity exhibits where they can dig in dirt for worms.
Related: 48 Hours In Mexico City
Cameron Bruns is the founder of BostonGreenBlog.com and co-author of Just Us Gals Boston. She lives in Boston's North End, where her goal is to promote ethical, stylish, and sustainable lifestyle choices to all Boston residents. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.