In a lot of the world traveling with children is almost joyous. In Jordan everywhere we went with our then three-year-old she was gifted with sweets and smiles. The attention could actually be a bit overwhelming for her at times what with all of the other new going on. Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, is another place in which traveling with young children can be particularly enjoyable. Years ago, we were in Bali with our friends and their young child, who was not quite two. It was not uncommon for the staff to come out and basically commandeer the infant while the adults ate and drank. Thailand isn’t quite that accommodating, but children were welcomed and generously accommodated wherever we went.
I’ve gone on about how important play areas are when traveling with a young child. Chiang Mai Family Guide, which is a great resource for anyone traveling to Chiang Mai with young children, has a section just on playgrounds. There are several playgrounds the city that you can map, two of which are walking distance from anywhere within the Old City. They are pretty much across the street from each other. The park by the lakes, named either Nong Buak Hard Park or Suan Buak Haad Public Park, has the best bathroom. It’s also the only one where we saw massage huts. The massages there were the cheapest that we saw advertised in town. Because they offered half hour sessions, we could trade off getting massages while the other watched LB. The massages ranged from decent to bone melting.
The park itself is a nice bit of shaded greenery. Though the playground itself is nothing fancy it is frequented by tourist families and locals so there is a bit of diversity and it is quite common to run into English speaking children. Although our four-year-old managed to communicate regardless who was there. There are vendors surrounding the lakes offering snacks, water, and fish food. You may run into impromptu live music performances or an outdoor yoga class but are most likely to see local couples and families picnicking. Especially on Sunday when the park can get quite crowded.
If it’s too crowded cross the street to Jubilee Park. A long, shady stretch of greenery following along a narrow creek its playground is located at the end farthest from Buak Park. We rarely saw anyone at all the few times we went to this park and the playground was invariably empty. Perhaps because, unlike Buak Park, the playground is not shaded. Since we were there in winter this wasn’t a major issue, but I imagine in the sweltering summers the equipment would be too hot to use most of the day.
The third park we went to was Muean Chiang Mai Stadium Park. There is a string of playgrounds along the outside of the stadium. There are bathrooms, though we did not need to use them and cannot attest to their accessibility, and a few vendors selling packaged snacks and water. There is lots of play equipment and we did spend a few hours here, but we only went the one time. It’s a bit out of the way if you are staying in or near the Old City. But the main reason we did not make the trek back out is because, unlike at Buak and Jubilee, there is no fencing to protect littles from the busy road that runs along the playground area.
We were there during the winter dry season. The weather was cool heating up to warm during the day and I don’t think it rained but once for the whole month. But the last time we were in Chiang Mai was during the summer rainy season. If this is when you have planned your trip and are looking for an escape from the afternoon downpour or the blanket of wet heat that rests upon the city during this time of the year you may want to check out one of the indoor play areas. We went to the Bronco Kids Sport Club by the swimming pool which has an indoor kid’s playroom and café. A parent needs to be in the room but, if there are two or more adults the others can explore a bit. This is located in the Old City. The malls also have indoor play areas. Go.Hello.World covers indoor play areas on their activities in Chiang Mai page.
If you are going to be in town a while it may be worth it to make the trip up to Nic’s. Offering a wine list and a menu that pretty much covers everything Nic’s biggest draw is the ability to actually eat while your little is gleefully occupied with the elaborate playground. The menu prices mean that it is mostly middle-class Thai people and expats who keep the place afloat. It’s a bit out there so, it may or may not be worth the trip. Since we were staying a month it was a welcome, if a bit expensive, respite for us. If you don’t feel like going all the way to Nic’s Hummus Chiang Mai has playroom and the restaurant is located within the walls of the city! As with most places in Thailand there is indoor and outdoor seating. From the outdoor seating you can look directly into the large windows of the roomy play area. Since I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food this quickly became one of our happy places in Chiang Mai.
The Chiang Mai Zoo, a surprisingly unique experience for this zoo aficionado, deserves its own post. See you next week!