12 Family-Friendly Places To Visit In Singapore To Feel Like You're Overseas
Feel like you're on a family vacay with these 12 places
With the school holidays in full swing, it is an opportune time to take your kids out for some family fun. However, if you can't bring your kids overseas like other parents, there's no need to beat yourself up over it when you can experience what it's like in other countries right in Singapore.
It may be hard to believe considering how small Singapore is, but these hidden gems are worth the short trip for you to check out for a fun family day out. Just remember to grab snacks for a picnic, hike, or your phone for a mini photoshoot with these 12 beautiful family-friendly places to transport you to another country.
With Christmas on its way, the annual Gardens by the Bay festive display is coming back from 26 November 2021 to 3 January 2021. Enter the flower dome and be whisked away to a place where Christmas trees grow and the scent of pine fills the air.
Enjoy the decorations and make sure to snap lots of photos of your kids with them so that you can add them to their dedicated folder on your phone for you to look back fondly on.
Find out more here.
If you're dreaming of a holiday in Bali, doesn't the Pancur Larangan, aka Forbidden Spring, in Fort Canning Park reminds you of the Tirta Empul Temple near Ubud, famed for its holy spring water?
The only difference is that you can't step into the recreated 14th-century Javanese-inspired bath for a cleansing ritual. However, it's worth taking a trip there with the kids for some fresh air!
Complete the Balinese vibes at the Sang Nila Utama Garden, which resembles the Bali gates of heaven.
It is located at River Valley Rd, Singapore 179037. Find out more here.
Formerly a granite quarry, Little Guilin in Bukit Batok gives you a glimpse of the limestone karst hills in Guilin, a city in China.
What's missing is a boat tour, but you can soak in the view at the park and throw the family a picnic under a tree.
It is located at Bukit Batok East Ave 5, Singapore 650242. Find out more here.
If you haven't heard, Snow City has a new Ice Hotel display to visit, and on top of their snow-filled activities, this makes it a great place in Singapore to experience the winters of other countries.
You and the family can have fun making snow angels and snow tubing in the cold. Don't forget about snowball fights, though!
Each ticket includes a visit to the Ice Hotel, which has five ice carvings for you to admire.
It is located at 21 Jurong Town Hall Rd, Singapore 609433. Book your tickets here.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is much smaller in scale compared to the Natural History Museum in London, but it is just as impressive, nonetheless.
Located within the National University of Singapore, the museum boasts three diplodocid sauropod dinosaur fossils that are 80 per cent complete, and over 2,000 natural history specimens on display. Some of the exhibits are interactive and loads of fun for kids.
It is located at 2 Conservatory Dr, Singapore 117377. Find out more here.
Does the family want to experience horse riding in the European countryside? Well, Singapore's countryside may be much smaller, but we have our own quaint Bukit Timah Saddle Club for families to do just that.
You will forget that you live in an urban city as you learn the basics of riding a horse, including how to get on the off-road track trail rides to see a different sight of Singapore's Greenland.
With trained mentors, you and the kids will be in safe hands.
Note: public visitors are only allowed from 21 November 2021 onwards.
It is located at 51 Fairways Dr., Singapore 286965. Find out more here.
Upper Seletar Reservoir is home to the Casuarina tree, a famous tree that's starred in many wedding photoshoots, appropriately placed between two wooden benches.
Seletar North Link also offers the view of a dreamy lake with the tranquillity that would remind you of Canada or New Zealand.
If you're visiting Upper Seletar, make sure to make your trip worthwhile with other hidden gems in the area that are worth exploring with the family. Take a stroll or ride bikes with the kids to drop by their aeroplane playground, life-sized aeroplane chess and many more.
Find out more here.
Located on Pulau Satumu, the lighthouse has been in operation since 1855 and is still manned by staff on shifts.
It's so quaint you could almost mistake it for somewhere in Australia, and it looks even better at night.
While it's not usually open to the public, Raffles Lighthouse opened its doors for visits in April 2019, organised by the Maritime Port Authority. And lucky for us, there are tours planned on Saturdays and Sundays with the lighthouse in its itinerary.
This tour, hosted by professional tour guides, takes you to Pulau Hantu, the Southern Islands, and the elusive Raffles Lighthouse.
It is located at Coney Islet. Find out more and book your tour slot here.
Text: Melissa Goh/AsiaOne, Additional reporting: Cherrie Lim, Terri Kue