It’s been a while since we paid a visit to Sheep Momo’s Forest, but since they first opened, they’ve always been a favorite among parents and kids alike. And Sheep Momo’s Forest just keeps on giving. They’ve got activities suited for all seasons from snow fun in the winter to a goldfish pond where kids can catch their own fish to take home for an additional fee and barrel train rides all around the park and pony rides. A nearby, complex system of metal contraptions fascinated us on our recent trip, even though we weren’t entirely sure what they did.

The cool waterworks contraption is perfect for hot summer days, and the entire section of swings and mini trampolines is great for little kids to burn off some extra energy.

For the older kids, there’s a giant inflatable mountain of a bubble where they can bounce and scream all they want, as well as a whole hanging net system where they can climb and explore all on their own.

Finally, we made it to the petting zoo section, the main reason we love Sheep Momo’s Forest so much. From what we saw, the animals were well taken care of, and their pens were clean. Fluffy alpacas, ponies that offer rides, deer, geese, and ducks quacked non-stop, alongside small pigs and a variety of other animals, making for the perfect way to end a day outdoors with the family.

Sheep Momo’s Forest has even added picnic tables that weren’t previously there and, and they allow visitors to not only bring in their own food but also order food to be delivered right to the front gate. What a perfect place for picnics!

The place felt like it was created by parents with kids in mind. The attention to detail, service, and safety was comforting.

Ticket prices at Sheep Momo’s Forest are RMB 138 for 2 adults + 1 child, RMB 109 for 1 adult + 1 child, RMB 28 per accompanying adult, RMB 68 per child . Kids under 80cm are free.

Sheep Momo’s Forest
Bashang Chunqiu Century Park Inside Xiaoyang Momo Senlin Wangguo, Chaoyang District
东五环坝上春秋世纪艺术园
Tel: 130 7015 7312

Images: Mina Yan

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.

KEEP READING: Puppies and Piggies and Sheep, Oh My!

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

Surprise Outlets is one of my family’s favorite places to go on the weekend. Why? Well, for one, we love shopping, especially when they’ve got great deals all year round! But other than shopping, there’s also casual dining and a whole lot of space for our daughter to run around. It’s even dog friendly, and seeing the occasional pup go shopping really brightens up her day.

But there’s another reason to make the trip all the way out to Surprise Outlets – a gigantic indoor/outdoor play area and petting zoo combined.

爱伴family乐园 (ài bàn family lè yuán), located on the third floor of the indoor section of Surprise Outlet, is worth a trip on its own.

Prices:
RMB 328 for 2 adults + 1 child on weekends and holidays
RMB 238 for 1 adult + 1 child on weekdays
*Nighttime tickets are cheaper since the place tends to be relatively empty after shoppers leave.
RMB 157 for 1 adult + 1 child on weekdays
RMB 187 for 1 adult + 1 child on weekends and holidays
RMB 48 for packets of veggies to feed to the animals

Inside you’ll find a huge indoor play area similar to what you’d find all over the city. There are ball pits, slides, toys, and a beautiful small carousel for younger kids. But that’s not the highlight of the place.

Walk outside and you’ll find an open-air play area and a decent size petting zoo!

They’ve got cows, donkeys, alpacas, bunnies, sheep, a few curious raccoons, peacocks, ostriches, and many more animals. They offer snacks available for purchase if you’d like to feed the animals. If not, you can spend as much time admiring them as you want.

Pro Tip:
Surprise Outlets gets pretty busy on weekends and holidays.

Find it:
Surprise Outlets 斯普瑞斯奥特莱斯
2 Airport Express
机场第二高速
*If you’re taking Didi, it’s much easier to just input the name into the destination rather than the address

Images: Uni You

We pulled up to gates that looked like they were straight out of a scene from Jurassic Park. The tall fences kept the wild beasts in as we drove through the Badaling Wildlife Park. My friends and I had wanted to take our little girls on a road trip and show them some beautiful animals, so why not a 50-ish-minute drive to this notorious wildlife park?

Badaling Wildlife Park is perhaps more infamously known in Beijing as the place where multiple locals have been injured. Back in 2016, a staff member was trampled to death by an elephant in heat. Later that year, a visitor was mauled to death by a tiger when she exited the car she was in. And most recently, in 2018 a visitor was injured when he fell off a camel.

But, unfortunate injuries aside, the Badaling Wildlife Park makes for super fun day trips.

To get there, you’ll need to drive or book a Didi or private car. Click here to find tried and tested drivers.

Pro tip: Since recent Covid transmissions, Badaling Wildlife Park now requires everyone who enters to bring their IDs. Regardless whether you’re Chinese or a foreigner, a physical ID will be required at the ticket office. Photocopies or pictures of your ID will not suffice.

Badaling Wildlife Park recommends that you purchase tickets in advance, but if you don’t know how to use their mini program to do it, you can still purchase tickets at the entrance. Ticket prices are RMB 150 for adults and RMB 90 for children and students. If you’re planning on driving your own car into the park, you’ll need to pay an additional RMB 200 for a car with fewer than six seats.

Pro tip: There are bathrooms within the park but the most convenient one is the one right at the entrance.

After signing a (not so detailed) waiver about how if you get injured the park won’t be held liable, you’re off to explore!

Driving into Badaling Wildlife Park you’ll first come to a parking lot surrounded by bears, wolves, tigers, and (for whatever reason) dogs behind cages. Don’t worry. This isn’t all you’ll get to see.

The driving route is designed so that you can have semi-up close and personal encounters with animals. After the unfortunate incidents that have taken place at the park, all the carnivores are now behind fences to prevent another person from potentially wanting to hop out and pet a tiger.

After each dangerous animal enclosure, you’ll come across a parking lot where you’ll be able to get out of your car, wander around, and see even more animals.

For those visiting the Badaling Wildlife Park with young kids, a stop at the petting zoo is a must! The petting zoo section charges an additional RMB 30 per person, and doesn’t seem to have any time limit on how long you can stay there for. There’s nothing exotic here, but the small pigs, bunnies, and lambs are more than enough to enthrall your kids.

In the same parking lot as the petting zoo is the monkey sanctuary, where you can observe the monkeys from above, and a little bit up the hill is one lone elephant. For an additional RMB 20, the staff will let you feed it snacks.

For those with really young kids, by the time you leave the petting zoo they’ll probably be super exhausted already. But the highlight of the park is yet to come.

Right before you drive out of Badaling Wildlife Park you’ll come across a section where you can either park and get out of your car, or feed horses and deer right from your window. These animals are super used to people and getting fed. As soon as your car window opens, something curious and hungry is going to wander up looking for snacks. And they’re not shy! If you’ve got veggies they like, these horses and deer are not going to hesitate to stick their heads in for more.

Pro tip: Be sure to bring some veggies from home for the animals.

Is it the most amazing wildlife park I’ve ever been to in the world? No. It’s not even the best one in China. But the Badaling Wildlife Park provides the opportunity for a fun day trip with family and friends for a bit of fresh country air and fluffy animals, without leaving Beijing’s city limits.

Find it:
Badaling Wild Park 八达岭野生动物园
South across the highway from Badaling Great Wall Center, Yanqing County
延庆县八达岭长城南
Tel: 6912 1842
Open daily from 8am-5pm between March-October
Open daily from 8.30am-4.30pm between October-March

Images: Mina Yan

The Shunyi Animal Star World 顺义动物星世界 is a fun little menagerie of animals tucked away in 高丽营镇 past the old international airport and definitely worth a day trip for several reasons, especially during this CNY! 

1. Interactivity with the animals

Aside from buying a bag of raw veggie scraps to toss or hand feed to the various beasts housed at Shunyi Animal Star World, the reptile house was full of opportunities to get up close and personal with cold-blooded animals. Inside the warm humid indoor “greenhouse”, a jolly announcer introduced us to all sorts of reptiles living inside the clear cages and tanks. They only speak Mandarin so either have a bilingual friend or your translator handy. They were very meticulous about sanitation, always disinfecting our hands before letting us hold each scaly creature, and also made sure each visitor had a turn. The nice fella even gave us some free food to feed the fishes and turtles.

2. Animal Shows 

There are two animal shows available at Shunyi Animal Star World: the “Animal City” show at 11am in the space across the Tiger Restaurant, and the 2pm performance at the “Animal Theatre”. Truth be told, I much preferred the Animal City show as it was mostly domestic pets such as dogs, cats and even mice doing cute tricks. The other show utilised a small sun bear, monkeys and miniature horses to perform comedic skits and stunts, which my son said seemed “mean to treat wild animals like that for our entertainment”. It gave us the chance to discuss the purpose of zoos and the multi-faceted argument of keeping animals in captivity. Ultimately, the decision is yours.

3. Hedge Maze of the Beasts + Outdoor playground 

If you want to see the kings of the jungle, lions and tigers that is, you’ll have to make your way through the Maze of the Beasts to find them. The kids ran through the maze several times, the first time completely missing the point of seeing the animals. For even more outdoor fun, there’s also a good-sized outdoor play area, though you’ll have to top up RMB58 per child for it. You can buy your tickets at the little container store, where you’ll also be lured by the scent of cotton candy, pop corn and Chinese sausages!

4. Tiger Restaurant 

This was one of the major highlights of our trip. Newly opened last August in 2021, 虎餐厅 T-House or Tiger Restaurant, is a clean and fun restaurant that has one huge draw – Real Live Tigers on the premises! Come on, how much fun would it be to welcome the year of the tiger with a family photo with the tiger itself?! These majestic creatures roam an outdoor area in the center of the restaurant, so you can see them from all angles.

PRO TIP: The tigers tend to be more active later in the day, from 4pm to dusk, so schedule a late lunch or early dinner for the most fun tiger sightings!

Kids may be torn between watching the tigers and spending their time at the well-maintained indoor playground at the restaurant too! Also, if you’re into that sort of thing, a couple of tables are placed within view of a television playing kids’ cartoons.

There is also the option to host a birthday party at the restaurant’s private dining areas, which can each comfortably seat 20. The package starts from RMB5000 including food, decorations, and 3 hours’ use of the room, plus some onstage entertainment options.

PRO TIP: If you just want to dine at the Tiger Restaurant without visiting Shunyi Animal Star World, you can enter the restaurant via a back entrance, but only after 5pm. The restaurant closes at 9pm.

The staff at the restaurant are exceptionally hospitable, gifting each of our kids a small tiger keychain (my kid bought the white tiger stuffie) and even filling up our water bottles for us. They accept reservations during the weekdays, but not the weekends.

Tickets to the Shunyi Animal Star World are RMB88 each and children above 1m pay the same. Their opening hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, with final entry at 4pm.

KEEP READING: Join the Stone Lion Scavenger Hunt and Win a Private Tour With Bespoke Travel!

Images: Ray Wu, Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Dianping