Leisure Pursuits For Istanbul:
TOY MUSEUM IN ISTANBUL:
The Istanbul Toy Museum, located in a beautiful snow-white and almost fairy-tale house, will give adult visitors the opportunity to remember their distant childhood, and young visitors will learn what toys their parents and grandparents played with. The house-museum, where childhood has settled forever, will certainly become a pleasant addition to your excursion program in Istanbul.
The Istanbul Toy Museum is located in the Asian part of the city, in the Göztepe district. This unique and first of its kind private museum was opened by the famous poet and collector in Turkey Sunay Akin. Today it occupies quite high positions in the ratings among museums of similar themes around the world. The gallery with an area of 500 sq. m contains about 4000 toys acquired by the collector over 20 years at auctions and in antique shops around the world.
The oldest exhibit is a tiny French violin dating back to 1817. Each room is dedicated to a specific theme: the railroad, Indian warriors, dolls, various doll houses that recreate the household and everyday life of their time in great detail, funny miniatures in the form of a music store, a pharmacy, a butcher’s shop or a monastery. There are also exhibits dedicated to marine, space, historical and even military toys. All the exhibits in the halls are arranged in such a way as to tell the visitor a story or describe a certain historical event. A separate room is allocated for the Barbie doll, beloved by girls of all times and nations.
Modern toys, such as robots and electronic games, harmoniously complement the rich collection. The founder of the museum paid special attention to national toys, of which there are plenty here. Every week, puppet shows are shown to children in the fairy-tale theater hall or creative master classes are organized. There is a souvenir shop in the building, and a cozy cafe where you can have a snack and share your impressions after viewing the exhibition.
RAHMI M. KOC POLYTECHNIC MUSEUM:
Rahmi Koç Polytechnic Museum is the first and largest museum in the country dedicated to the history of transport, industry and telecommunications in Turkey. It should definitely be included in your excursion program if you are traveling with little inquisitives. The museum was founded by Turkish millionaire and philanthropist Rahmi M. Koç and has been open to visitors since 1994. Some of the exhibits are located in the restored premises of the Lengerhane anchor foundry, built in the 18th century and bought by Rahmi Koç specifically for the museum.
The museum offers visitors a large number of sections where things from our everyday life are presented. How does a sawmill work? How is olive oil produced? What is the operating principle of a steam engine and a regular telephone? You will surely find the answers to these and many other questions here. All the exhibits are beautifully and thoughtfully designed, and knowledge of Turkish or English is not at all necessary to view the exhibits. There is a huge collection of cars, water and air transport. Separate halls are dedicated to achievements in engineering, scientific instruments, models, and communications.
A coast guard vessel, a tram, a steam train, and a vertical steam boiler are exhibited in the open-air area. By the way, the price of visiting the museum includes a ride on an old train – such an unusual journey through time! The museum is interesting primarily because the creators tried to make it as interactive and lively, not boring and exciting as possible. For example, in the hall dedicated to physics, you can test the laws of physics in practice and conduct scientific experiments. Everyone, both adults and children, are allowed to sit in the cabin of an old car or in the cockpit of a wartime aircraft, ride a steam locomotive, and even visit a real submarine (an exciting excursion is organized for adults and children over eight years old).
Special educational events are regularly held here, during which museum employees explain the principles of operation of a particular object or phenomenon. On the territory of the Rahmi Koç Polytechnic Museum there is a cafe and a restaurant where you can have a snack, as well as a souvenir shop. Near the entrance to the museum there is a special room for changing babies.
AQUAPARK AQUA CLUB DOLPHIN:
Vacation is a vacation, so that it can be spent in a fun, interesting and diverse way. Having planned your excursion program in Istanbul, “dilute” your visits to museums with a visit to the Istanbul water park. One of the most interesting places to visit with a child is Aqua Club Dolphin, which can accommodate up to 3,000 people at a time! This is a large Istanbul water park, which has a large dolphinarium integrated into it. It is located in the Asian part of Istanbul – Bahcesehir.
So, what does this Aqua Club Dolphin offer its guests? First of all, these are, of course, water slides, designed for both toddlers and older children and their desperate parents. As many as 12 water slides of various lengths and levels of difficulty await you here: “New Rockets”, “Twister”, “Kamikaze”, “Black Hole” and “Space Hole”, “Anaconda”, “Multislide”, “Tsunami”, “King Cobra” and others. One of the slides is distinguished by its length – you will slide along it for as much as 100 meters! In this Istanbul water park, you can not only appreciate all the delights of water slides and descents, but also relax in the pools (there are 3 of them: wave, family and children’s paddling pools), play beach volleyball or water polo.
For an additional fee, you can watch dolphins in the local dolphinarium, which organizes daily shows with marine mammals. And additional services “photo” and “walk in the water with dolphins” will help you get to know the animals even better. Hungry? The doors of local food establishments are hospitably open for you. The ship bar, vitamin bar, barbecue and restaurant always offer a delicious menu and drinks. And if you are lucky, you can get to a concert of one of the Turkish stars who often perform here in the Dolphin Club in the summer.
JURASSIC LAND DINOSAUR PARK :
The Jurassic Land dinosaur theme park is located in one of the largest shopping and entertainment centers in Istanbul, Forum Istanbul, and occupies an area of 10,000 square meters. The park was opened quite recently, in 2011. This is a grand educational and entertainment complex consisting of several halls where you can learn almost everything about dinosaurs.
Jurassic Land invites adults and children to travel back in time and get acquainted with the unique and mysterious world of these animals, learn more about their lives in a fascinating interactive way. The journey begins with a museum where skeletons and bones of dinosaurs from different periods of their existence are presented. One of the exhibits deserves special attention – the remains of a dinosaur found during the construction of a shopping center.
The museum is interesting not only for its exhibits with special effects (some of the animals start moving and flying during the inspection), but also for the presence of caves and paths where you can wander, immersing yourself in the atmosphere of that period. Then the route of park visitors passes through a 4D cinema with special effects. Here, having taken a helicopter flight, you can meet friendly and not so friendly dinosaurs on your way, visit the jungle.
The impressions are simply unforgettable! After an unusual flight, you will get to the laboratory, where you will be shown all the periods of dinosaur development, eggs, baby dinosaurs. The last point of exploration on the way is Jurassic Park, where 70 moving and sounding life-size dinosaur models are presented. As a keepsake of your visit to “Jurassic Land”, you can buy some thematic souvenir in the museum shop (for example, a toy dinosaur or a book). Please note that photography is prohibited on the territory of the park.
KIDZANIA CITY OF PROFESSIONS IN ISTANBUL:
The Kidzania children’s project is presented in many large cities around the world, and it was recently opened in Istanbul. Be sure to visit this theme park with your child, which is located in the Istanbul shopping center “Akasya”. This unique entertainment and educational center is designed for children from birth to 14 years old. In fact, “Kidzania” Istanbul is a mini-version of the real adult world with its infrastructure: shops, schools, banks, a clinic, social services, transport and interpersonal relationships.
Several unique interactive areas allow children who come to “Kidzania” to get acquainted with a wide range of modern professions. Moreover, the kids independently choose one or several new professions, try to master them and can even receive a real salary for diligent and conscientious performance of their duties. Of course, in the local currency of the “Kidzania” center. After receiving the money, your child will be able to spend it right there at their own discretion: go to a store, a cafe, a pizzeria, go to the theater or put it in a personal savings account at the bank. If you want your little tourist to learn how firefighters, doctors, shop assistants, police officers and other government employees work, be sure to visit this center with him.
Rules of the Kidzania children’s center:
Children under 7 years old can only be in the center accompanied by adults or use the KidZitter program (local nannies and animators);
- each visitor after registering at the center must put on a special bracelet on their hand and do not take it off until leaving;
- the bracelet cannot be given to another person;
- children are not allowed to leave the park until the end of the excursion for even one minute;
- children under 4 years old can only visit the Urbano House and Arbenos School sections;
- you are not allowed to bring food and drinks with you;
- adults accompanying children do not have the right to participate in any of the activities of the children’s center. They are only allowed to observe their children from the sidelines.
ISTANBUL DOLPHINARIUM:
The Istanbul Dolphinarium is a joint Turkish-Russian project opened in 2008 in the European part of Istanbul on the coast of the Golden Horn (Eyüp district). The area of the dolphinarium is 8,700 square meters, of which 5,800 square meters are indoor spaces. In total, the dolphinarium has seven interconnected pools. The main pool, where the shows take place, has a radius of 16.5 meters.Four seals, four dolphins, two walruses and a beluga whale perform for the audience. The star of the Istanbul Dolphinarium is deservedly considered to be a walrus named Sarah, who calmly demonstrates her talent for playing the saxophone, grimaces and performs amazing tricks with a ball. The main part of the coaching staff of the Istanbul Dolphinarium are Russian specialists who came to Turkey to work with the animals.
The show lasts about an hour on average, after which viewers can take photos with the artists and buy paintings made by dolphins. For an additional fee, you can swim and dive with the animals in the dolphinarium, or take a dolphin therapy course. For the youngest children who cannot swim yet but would like to communicate with these amazing animals, a special program called “Dolphins and Children” has been developed.
A group of five people aged 4 to 12 years communicates with dolphins directly from the platform for 10 minutes under the guidance of experienced instructors. Children pet the animals, play with them just like the trainers do during the show, listen to dolphin songs, and also listen to a short fascinating story from the trainers themselves about the habits, behavior, and physiology of these unusual animals.
The cost of participation in such a program for one child is 100 Turkish liras. To become a participant in the program, you must write a request in advance to the dolphinarium’s email address. It is also worth noting that the Istanbul Dolphinarium has several rehabilitation programs involving dolphins, which have a beneficial effect on children with disabilities and those suffering from certain diseases. Additional services on the territory of the dolphinarium: parking for 120 cars, a cafe, a souvenir shop.
SEA LIFE AQUARIUM:
Today, a holiday with children in Istanbul cannot be imagined without visiting the local aquarium TurkuaZoo (Sea Life). This is an unforgettable journey into the world of seas and oceans, a great opportunity to get to know their inhabitants better and spend some time in harmony with nature, striking with its creations. The aquarium with an area of 8000 sq. m. is located in one of the largest shopping and entertainment centers in Istanbul – Forum Istanbul.
Already in the first year of its work since October 2009, it was visited by more than a million guests and residents of the city. It is very easy to explain such popularity of this institution: it is interesting, educational and spectacular. The inhabitants of the aquarium are about 10,000 marine representatives, including 35 sharks (the largest is a tiger shark 2.5 meters long), giant rays, perches, turtles, octopuses and other freshwater and marine inhabitants.
The aquarium has many tanks, the largest of which holds 4.5 million liters of water. TurkuaZoo Sea Life boasts one of the longest underwater tunnels in the world, equipped with a moving walkway. It is 80 m long, and the 270-degree panorama creates the feeling of being in the marine environment without diving into the water. Every hour from 10:30 to 19:00 on weekdays and every half hour from 11:30 to 18:30 on weekends, you can watch the feeding of the fish in the underwater tunnel.
The most interesting and exciting spectacle is the feeding of the sharks, which can be seen every Tuesday and Saturday at 15:30. The most courageous and brave guests of the aquarium, who are at least 14 years old, are offered to dive in the aquarium with experienced divers. Additional entertainment is constantly arranged for young visitors – for example, face painting in the form of various colorful fish or a show with the participation of famous cartoon or fairy-tale characters. TurkuaZoo periodically hosts interesting exhibitions related to the marine theme.