You can vacation in the Twente region with kids just fine! There is enough to do here to entertain the family for a few days. We have visited the Twente region several times with our daughter and always have a great time here. The Twente region consists of a total of 14 municipalities: Almelo, Borne, Dinkelland, Enschede, Hof van Twente, Haaksbergen, Hellendoorn, Hengelo, Losser, Oldenzaal, Rijssen-Holten, Tubbergen, Twenterand and Wierden. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Twente.
#1 Play and recreation farm the Flierefluiter
A fun farm to visit in the Twente region with kids is Play and Recreation Farm de Flierefluiter. At this play farm there is all kinds of things for kids to do. We visited the farm on a sunny day as early as early morning and we did not leave here until late afternoon. After all, there’s all kinds of things for kids to do here.
So you have an all over the farm’s grounds with play equipment everywhere. Kids here can jump on trampolines, climb and clamber and slide down slides. One advantage of the farm is that they have both a large indoor and outdoor area, so you can actually visit this farm in any weather.
In addition to all this playground equipment, they also have a large area where kids can ride go-karts. Our daughter always finds that very fun to do and they can have quite a nice ride around the grounds on the go-kart here. There are also several petting zoo animals and it is possible for kids to ride a pony here. There is also an Adventure Golf Course, where you and kids can have a ball together.
On warm days, you can also use the swimming pool located near the farm here. Our daughter enjoyed swimming and playing here at the Flierefluiter. In addition, you have several mazes, where kids can play. Kids can also have unlimited lemonade at the farm. You can either buy some food and drinks at the farm or bring your own.
For more information about this farm, visit the Play and Recreation Farm the Flierefluiter website.
#2 Adventure park Hellendoorn
You can also visit fun amusement parks in the Twente region with kids. Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is an amusement park where you can have a great time for an entire day with kids. The amusement park has more than 30 attractions for young and older kids. The park is not super big and when we visited the amusement park in the summer then we did not have to wait long at most of the attractions.
The amusement park is open from April through October, and you have regular promotions to buy cheap tickets. You also have a water park located at this amusement park. We visited the park on a hot day so we also visited this water park. You pay a small fee on top of the entrance fee here to visit this water park.
You have several slides here that kids can go down. Is it a hot day when you visit the amusement park, make sure to bring swimwear. You can also go to different shows at the adventure park. We really had a great time here for an entire day. If you want more information about this amusement park, read our blog Avonturenpark Hellendoorn with kids.
#3 Enschede
Enschede is the largest city in the Twente region and this city is definitely fun to visit when you visit the Twente region. In Enschede, you can visit the Museum Factory, which is all about nature, science and technology. You can also visit a fun climbing forest in Enschede. At Klimbos Rutbeek, kids as young as 6 can come and climb, who have a minimum height of 120 cm.
You can also go to a large play park in the city of Enschede with kids. Playpark Hoge Boekel has 49 different pieces of playground equipment where kids can play. For several attractions in the park, you can buy a token to visit them. As parents, you can also enjoy a bite to eat here on the playground’s terrace.
In addition, Enschede is also a great place to go with kids when the weather is not so good. For example, the city has a branch of Monkey Town, where kids can play and also an indoor swimming pool (Aquadrome Swimming Paradise). In addition, you have several other fun children’s activities you can do in this city. If you want to know more about this, read our blog Enschede with kids.
#4 Almelo
The second major city you can visit with kids in the Twente region is Almelo. You can go to the petting zoo in Almelo (petting Beeklust), where kids can cuddle with the various animals. You can also go swimming with the family in Almelo at indoor swimming pool Het Sportpark. You have multiple slides for the kids at this pool.
There is also a branch of indoor playground Monkey Town in Almelo that you can go to. Many families with kids also visit Almelo because of Preston Palace. This is an all inclusive hotel, where in addition to free food and drinks, you can do all kinds of activities with kids such as swimming, bowling and watching a movie at the cinema. You also have several attractions here that you can visit for free.
If you want more information on what you can do in Almelo with kids, read our blog Almelo with kids.
#5 Waarbeek amusement park
You can go to another amusement park in Twente with kids besides Attractiepark Hellendoorn. Attractiepark Waarbeek is located in Hengelo and works with an all inclusive principle: in addition to playing, food and drinks are also included in the entrance fee. You have a total of about 20 attractions at this park that you can visit with kids.
Among other things, you can ride bumper cars with kids here, there is a toboggan run, you can go on the Ferris wheel, they have a merry-go-round and many more such smaller attractions. In addition, you have several playgrounds where the kids can play. It is an amusement park really aimed at younger kids, so it is not an amusement park suitable for teenagers.
There is also a large lake near the park, where you can ride pedal boats with kids. If you buy a ticket online, the tickets are slightly cheaper than buying them at the park’s box office.
Other children’s activities Twente
You have a number of things to do with kids in Twente in addition to the children’s activities described above. We briefly list the other children’s activities in Twente below.
#6 Avatarz Nature Park: this is a climbing park in Deurningen that you can visit with kids in the Twente region. At this climbing park, they distinguish between a low climbing course (for kids as young as 6) and a high climbing course (for kids as young as 9). We always find these types of children’s activities very fun to do together as a family.
For kids under 6, there’s plenty to play at the park, too. For example, Avatarz Nature Park has an air trampoline, cable car, playhouse, swing and a climbing course 60 cm off the ground.
#7 Sallandse Heuvelrug: you can also enjoy nature in Twente with kids. The Sallandse Heuvelrug is a nature reserve where they have all kinds of things for young kids like a gnome trail, a 2-kilometer walk with Joep the Squirrel, a DIY forest of Daantje the Badger and a big frog trail.
Also, at the Sallandse Heuvelrug you can take kids to nature museum Holterberg. Kids can do a scavenger hunt at this museum and take a look at the life-size peep boxes that give a great view of the animal kingdom.
#8 Museum Buurtspoorweg: you can also ride an old-fashioned train in the Twente region with the family. At Museum Buurtspoorweg you can find a lot of information about trains, but with kids perhaps the most fun is to take a train ride in the old steam train.
#9 Speelbossen Twente: You have several play forests in the Twente region that you can visit with kids. Especially on a summer day, we always enjoy going to a play forest with our daughter.
You have the following play forests in the Twente region that you can visit with kids: Ledeboerpark, Speelbos ‘t Klauterwoud, Beleefbos Weusthag, Bos van Daantje Das, Speelbos Sallandse Heuvelrug, Outdoor Challenge Park and Speelbos Het Hulsbeek.
#10 Indoor playgrounds Twente: we already described in this blog the two Monkey Town indoor playgrounds in Enschede and Almelo that you can visit with kids in the Twente region. Still, there are other indoor playgrounds you can visit in Twente with young kids. So you can also take the family to Ballorig Enschede, Ballorig Nijverdal, Speeltuin Morskieft and Krazy Kangaroo & Avontura in this region.
#11 Oyfo Techniekmuseum: this museum in Hengelo is all about technology. Kids can do all kinds of things here, so it’s mostly a doing museum. You also have all kinds of interactive games here that you can do with kids.
#12 Natura Docet wonderryck: this museum is in Denekamp is all about nature. They always have different exhibits here, making a visit to the museum different each time. They have lots of stuffed animals here and it is also possible here for kids to put a snake around their neck.
Family-friendly restaurant Twente
You can eat out in Twente with kids just fine. You have several nice family-friendly restaurants in Twente. We list a few options below.
Van Doorn & Doorn: this is a family-friendly restaurant in Twente where you can have a great lunch with kids. You can park for free at this farm and the restaurant has several large playgrounds for the kids. They also have a nice outdoor terrace where you can sit outside with the family during the warm summer months.
Twentsche Foodhal: a food hall is always fun to visit with kids because the atmosphere is often very casual and there is a lot of choice, so there is something tasty for every member of the family. You can choose from 8 different world cuisines at this food hall in Enschede.
Café Restaurant Rouwers: this is a family-friendly restaurant in Twente with a large outdoor playground. There is also a small indoor play area for the kids inside. You can have a great family lunch here.
Mister Pancake: a pancake restaurant naturally belongs in this list of family-friendly restaurants in the Twente region. At Mister Pancake in Enschede, you can choose from a variety of pancakes, but also have other dishes to choose from including several burgers with fries.
Restaurant Klein Afrika: At this restaurant in Oldenzaal, you can also eat pancakes with the family. You also have a large playground at this restaurant with climbing equipment, slides and a cable car. Also, next to the terrace of this restaurant is an animal park that you can visit with kids.
Family-friendly hotel Twente
You can spend a great night with the kids in several places in the Twente region. We list some of these family-friendly accommodations in Twente below. Click on the blue link for more information!
Enschede area:
Budget hotel: City Hotel Hengelo
Mid-range hotel: Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Broeierd-Enschede
Luxury hotel: The Residence
For the entire list of accommodations in Enschede with kids, take a look here.
Almelo area:
Budget hotel: B&B Sagenland
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Jachtlust
Luxury hotel: Landgoed Hotel & Restaurant Carelshaven
For the entire list of hotels in the Almelo area, just click here.
