Got a teenager as well as younger kids to entertain this summer and want to get them off the screens? A trip to Happy Thursday Sports Park is what you need, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg either!

Located a stone’s throw away from Happy Valley in the Zhoujiazhuang neighborhood, Happy Thursday Sports Park is a 12-hectare outdoor space featuring basketball and tennis courts, as well as football fields for rent. They also offer coaching lessons in those sports and more (such as rollerblading). But the best find may be the spacious play area tucked behind all these sports fields – where kids can play all day for just RMB 39!

With several different types of playground equipment, including a rustic wooden jungle gym, sand pit with dragon boat-inspired rope swings, and bouncy inflatables, this play space is well-catered to suit kids of various ages from 2 to 10. The equipment was well-maintained and the area was very clean, with no sign of litter at all! The playground is fenced off with only one entrance through a manned gentry, so it is very safe as well.

Drinks, ice-cream and light snacks like chicken nuggets are also available at the various trailer cafes set up around the park, but most of them are situated near the entrance. There were a number of tables and seats available there too. There are also vending machines for bottled drinks. The public toilet that we saw is outside of the main entrance to the park, but there may be others within the park itself – though we didn’t get to find out.

This review and many others are available under the jingkids International account on local review app Dazhong Dianping, known colloquially as Dianping. The app is quintessential to discovering cool new places and the best restaurants around China, but most of it is in Chinese. Scan the QR code below to follow us on Dianping for English reviews!

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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

Beijing parents are always asking “Where can I throw a birthday party for my kid?” Well, we’re here to tackle that big bouncy question as we explore different types of venues all over the city, and give you an in-depth look at your kids’ party options. Search #BigBeijingBirthdayPartyList for more recommendations from us.

I usually lament my residential address just shy of the fifth ring road because it’s a little far from the city center and there isn’t much around. So when a new outdoor playground opened up not 8 minutes’ walk away from me, I was understandably excited and went to check it out!

Surrounded by brick walls that close off the busy streets around it, Ai Le Yuan spans two large enclosed areas right off the main road of Chaoyang Lu. Except for a glimpse of color and chrome over the exterior walls, you wouldn’t know there was a massive play area waiting within. Entering from the small road between the two areas, you’ll find the younger kids’ section on the right and the more challenging play area on the left.

Let’s first take a look at the right side play area, which I would say is good for kids younger than 6 or so. What will immediately catch your eye is the large aerial obstacle course, well-sized sandpit and the petting zoo – which has enclosures with pigs, rabbits, alpaca, goats, horse, donkeys and even squirrels to feed, for an extra fee, though nobody’s stopping you from bringing your own carrots! There are a couple of sheltered stations behind the obstacle course which offer fishing in inflatable pools, as well as a “mining for gems” machine which is pretty common in most play areas in Beijing. There’s also some tables and chairs next to the convenience kiosk here.

The playground on the left side of the park is definitely the larger, more open one, probably best suited to kids older than 6. The first thing you’ll see is the huge blue and red play structure that consists of easy climbing walls and many slides. What’s fun is how two metal slides come together to form a heart shape, and if you time it perfectly the kids will meet right at the end! Next to this is a towering playground with what might be the longest and tallest slides I’ve seen in an outdoor playground in Beijing. I’m not sure I would dare slide down it myself…

One key selling point of this play area might be the day tents they offer for rent, at a rather hefty price tag of RMB 600 for the day. But if you share it with another family or two, it could be worthwhile to spend the whole day in the relatively warmer comfort of the cloth tents while keeping an eye on the kids. Pack a picnic basket and you’re good to go. These tents are also great for parties and celebrations so you can keep this venue in mind for your kid’s next birthday!

Right now as part of its opening promotion, Ai Le Yuan entrance tickets are just RMB 49 per pax and RMB 89 for one adult and one child, valid for multiple entries all day long! Do note that several stations within the play areas themselves are subject to additional charge, including the trampoline. PRO TIP: If you are able to negotiate a fixed budget with your child beforehand, it can certainly keep you from shelling out too much yuan for add-ons.

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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

The weather is just too stunning to stay indoors these days, but you also don’t want to pay through the nose for admission tickets and add-on activities every time you leave the house, so here’s a roundup of some of our favorite parks in Beijing with playgrounds where kids can play for free!

Aegean Sea Park 爱琴海公园 (Ài qínhǎi gōngyuán)

Ground control to all space cadets! Situated within the 5th ring road, this space-themed playground is located in the Aegean Sea Park that offers free entry to all. You’ll find colorful rocket-looking structures for climbing, with slides, swings, and a sandpit as well. Beyond the playground, the wide-open spaces of the park are perfect for your child to bring their bicycle or skates, which other visitors have reported are permitted. The park is opposite the Ai Qin Hai Shopping Center so you can head to the mall after and grab a bite.

Address:
Dexian Road, Aegean Sea Shopping Gongyuan South 300m, Jiugong Area, Daxing District
大兴区旧宫地区德贤路爱琴海购物公园南300米

Guanzhuang Park 官庄公园 (Guān zhuāng gōngyuán) 

With the warming weather, a popular outdoor playground on the outskirts of Beijing reopened its “doors” on Mar 25, where all-access, all-day tickets are just RMB 58 for weekends and holidays, and RMB 38 on the weekdays!

While 浅山蜜糖奇妙乐园 (qiǎn shān mì táng qí miào lè yuán) is technically still in Shunyi District, it is 60km northeast of Beijing Capital International Airport, and about a two-hour drive from the city center according to Apple Maps.

Still, with the long weekend coming up, maybe a day trip to Beijing’s wilder side that gives the whole family a chance to escape city life for a bit is worth it!

PRO TIP: If driving there in your own car, prepare either a change of clothes for kids or a rug for the car seats as reviewers have mentioned how dirty the kids will get playing at the park.

The playground is listed as being suitable for kids ages 2-12, and by the looks of things from photos on Dianping there’s plenty there to do for everyone. With at least five different play structures offering slides, rope courses, swings, and all manner of climbing obstacles in the wide open fields, kids are bound to wear themselves out just running around. There’s even a dedicated kite-flying zone, and you’re also welcome to bring and set up your own tent on the huge grassy plains for RMB 30 instead of RMB 50 for this spring holiday.

At certain times of the day there’s also a caterpillar train ride led by a tractor, as well as other group activities like tug-of-war contests and scavenger hunts. It wasn’t specified, but I would imagine that these activities are conducted in Chinese.

As for refueling options, there’s a tiny convenience store offering store-grilled sausages and snacks, but it’s probably best to pack a picnic with healthier options. There are wooden picnic benches with umbrellas available, but Dianping reviewers have said that larger crowds do descend on weekends and holidays, so you might want to have some folding chairs on standby, or, as mentioned before, prepare your picnic mat and basket!

Do note that you are not allowed to cook or barbecue on-site, and that dogs are not allowed on the premises. You can buy your tickets on Dianping or at the door.

Find it:
Dong’an Lilong Mountain Villa, Shanli Xinzhuang Village, Longwan Tun Town, Shunyi District, Beijing
北京市顺义区龙湾屯镇山里辛庄村东安利隆山庄内
Opening Hours: 9am-5pm

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Images: Courtesy of 浅山蜜糖奇妙乐园, Dianping