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| Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Telemark boast over 700 fun and exciting attractions that are designed to excite and stimulate the whole family Aside from the great outdoors -- filled with its narrow fjords, steep mountains, miles of shoreline and lakes, and unlimited skiing -- Norway is also home to hundreds of attractions and cultural hot spots designed specifically to entertain and stimulate the whole family. Here is a selection taken out of the 700 or so kid-friendly places listed in the new book entitled, “Fun in Norway with Kids”: Oslo Region Tusenfryd Amusement Park, Vinterbro. Ride the ThunderCoaster, one of Europe's steepest wooden coasters. Norway's major amusement park has something for everyone. There are a total of 33 rides and attractions, 74 games and 23 restaurants. In the summer, visit the TusenFryd Waterpark where there’s a swimming pool, a children's paddling pool, a waterslide, diving board, fitness room, and a river going through the area. Paleontological Museum at the University Natural History Museums and Botanical Garden, Oslo. Interested in seeing a 10-meter long skeleton of a dinosaur that lived 140 million years ago? How about viewing a 400-million-year-old sea scorpion? There’s also a one-million-year-old giant ground sloth from South America. The theory of evolution of the world, the animals and man can be examined here. And there is a whole hall devoted just to dinosaurs, housing a collection of skeletons and drawings of reptiles that lived on land, in the air and in the sea. Bergen Region Bergen Aquarium (Bergen Akvariet), Bergen. If you are looking for fun and adventure for the whole family, get over to Bergen’s aquarium fast. It has one of the largest collections of North Sea fish and invertebrates in Europe. It’s also Norway’s oldest and largest aquarium. With over 60 indoor tanks and three outdoor pools – your children will be entertained for hours. At the main entrance you’ll be greeted by happy seals, swimming carp, and waddling penguins. Inside, the first thing you’ll see is the open aquarium where children (especially little ones) will enjoy touching the living sea creatures. Vannkanten Waterworld, Loddefjord. This is the biggest waterpark in the area and it is guaranteed to thrill the whole family. There are three major slides -- the longest of which is over 100 meters long. In total, there are five pools, two Jacuzzis and three saunas. Try to swim with the tide or fight against it in a special canal. The pools and slides are designed appropriately for different age groups (even the littlest ones will have plenty to try!). There is also an outdoor pool and terrace area. Voss Ski Center, Voss. A skier’s paradise -- with 40 km prepared Alpine skiing trails and 60 km of cross-country trails. It’s no surprise that Voss has delivered more Olympic participants than any other place in the world. They offer 11 lifts, a cable car, chair lifts, T-bar lifts and a special children’s ski area. Snowboard users will be pleased with the dedicated snowboard park with a Half pipe, big jump, rails and boarder cross located at Slettafjellet. Evening skiing available every Wed. and Fri. night from 7-21. The special children’s section “Badnakrokjen at Slettafjell”, provides helmets, shovels, and sleds to ensure a day of fun at the ski-play area. Trondheim Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum, Trondheim. Explore 60 vintage buildings from Trondheim and Trøndelag -- including the dentist's office, a post office, a grocery shop, a ski museum, a stave church, rural houses from the 1700 and 1800s, and more. There are plenty of attractions for the children. They can play in the “deep sea” or in Captein K´s ship in the indoor exhibition, be one of King Sverres´s Birkebeiner soldiers at the ruins of his medieval castle, play with toys from the past in the old city, or construct and build large log houses. In the summer, see demonstrations of old handwork techniques, horse or carriage rides, theatre performances, and visiting with the animals. Mid-Nordic Science Center, Trondheim. This popular science adventure center is especially designed to entertain and excite children. They will be having such a good time, that they won’t realize they are learning. Different rooms have different themes and activities to keep everyone busy. Climb into a huge “ball” and steer your body or ride on a stationary bicycle in the Movement Room. See skeleton and models of body organs in the Anatomy Room. Lose track of time in the Puzzle Room. Create your own weather broadcast in the T.V. Room. Get confused by mirrors and optical illusions in the Illusion Room. Stavanger Region Kongepark Amusement Park, Ålgård in Gjesdal This adventure playground for the whole family is the largest amusement park in western Norway. Make your own delicious chocolate in the Freia Chocolate Factory, ride Norway’s largest carousel or hold on tight going down Norway’s longest bobsled track – over 1000 meters long. You may also dare to cast yourself down a mountain in a rubber raft at high speed; drive the bumper cars; feed the animals in a real farm; or watch the little ones enjoy the kiddie rides. Havanna Indoor Water Park (Havanna Badeland), Sandnes. This water paradise is one of the largest of its kind in northern Europe. Spread out on 5 levels, it contains 1 million liters of water over 700 square meters. There’s a canal with whirling currents, a leisure pool with waves and beach area, 5 slides, a lagoon pool, brook, water canon, water fountains, outdoor pool, sauna, and 2 Jacuzzis. Kristiansand Region Kristiansand Dyrepark & Kardemomme By, Kardemomme by. With over 500,000 visitors a year, it is one of Norway’s most popular attractions. There are over 800 different animals and birds from all corners of the world (ex. Siberian tigers, wolves, apes, sea lions, etc.!); rollercoasters, bobsleds, haunted houses, water log rides; waterpark with outdoor swimming pool, children’s pool and beach chairs; Kardemomme storybook town with over 33 houses, amusing town characters and circus; Kaptein Sabeltann, the Norwegian pirate, and much, much more. Åros Motell Camp A/S, Søgne. Only 15 minutes from downtown Kristiansand, this place offers tons of stuff whether you are an overnight guest or not. The Beach: Årossanden, in Åros by the east side of Søgne river, lies a sand beach that offers good walking, bathing, fishing and boating opportunities. Right by the ocean is the the pool. It is a large, outdoor heated saltwater pool (25 meters x 12.5 meters with a children’s pool). If you are just visiting the pool, prices are, adults: kr. 50, children: kr. 40. Boat Rentals: Prices for renting canoes, ores and life jackets are kr. 50/hour, kr. 200/day. Minature Golf: They also have a minature golf center here. Camping: Child friendly facilities, large playground. pub/restaurant, kiosk, sandvolleyball, etc. Telemark Region Bø Sommarland, located in the center of Telemark. Watch the water splash in all directions at Norway’s largest water amusement park. It has pools, water chutes and fantastic water adventures to satisfy all members of the family from the very youngest to the young at heart. Ride along a roller coaster in a rubber dinghy that takes you over waterfalls, through dark tunnels, and around tight curves. Play in the Sommarland River, a 250-meter long artificial river, where a huge tidal wave is released every hour. Also in the River is one of the coolest attractions in Norway and Europe for those who love skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing. The huge artificial wave, Flow Rider, is thought to be the best in the world. Have you every heard of a water halfpipe? It’s the largest in Europe and you push off in a two-seater rubber ring. Norsjø Holiday Park (Norsjø Ferieland), Akkerhaugen. This cabin/camping rental facility is located at the foot of the Sauherad Hills on the shores of Norsjo Lake. Its biggest attraction is the 500-meter wakeboard arena where children 8 years old and up can waterski, wakeboard and kneeboard. There’s other attractions to entertain all members of the family including water trampolines, mini-golf, children’s playground, beach games, picnic area, beach volleyball, fishing, and footpaths. Visit the local arts and handcraft studios in Bø or stay around the campsite and get instruction in wakeboarding or waterskiing. Rent boats, canoes, or pedal-boats. © June 2005, Lindis Courtney
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