On tour with kids

"And what are we doing today?" Anyone with children will be confronted with this question at regular intervals. It's a good thing that North Rhine-Westphalia has an enormous wealth of excursion destinations for young and old adventurers. Animal and wildlife parks, museums and other cultural institutions ensure that boredom is a thing of the past. There is something for every taste and every weather. On this page, we present a selection of family-friendly excursion destinations.

A visit to a museum is anything but boring and a worthwhile destination for the whole family, and not just in bad weather! The cultural institutions and museums of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) and the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) offer free admission for children and young people up to the age of 18. They are largely barrier-free and have special offers for people with disabilities. The offer applies to many cultural institutions.

In the footsteps of our ancestors: There are several open-air museums in North Rhine-Westphalia that are well worth exploring. A day trip is worthwhile to gain a lively insight into life, living and working in earlier times.Admission is free for children and young people up to the age of 18.

• LVR Open-Air Museum Lindlar
• LVR Open-Air Museum Kommern
• LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen
• LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold
• LVR Open-Air Museum Lindlar
• Lower Rhine Open-Air Museum in Grefrath (free admission for children under 6 years, on weekends for children and young people up to 18 years)

During the summer vacations, the open-air museums offer special vacation activities for children. Find out more about the offers and special exhibitions on the respective websites.

Children like animals. The diversity of domestic and wild animals can be discovered particularly well in North Rhine-Westphalia's zoos. The animals can be observed in a natural environment during a leisurely stroll through the enclosures. Most wildlife parks and enclosures are budget and family-friendly, for example here:

• Wildpark Dülmen (admission free)
• Wildpark Dünnwald in Cologne (admission free)
• Wildpark Düsseldorf (admission free)
• Olderdissen Wildlife Park in Bielefeld (admission free)
• Wildlife Park Reuschenberg in Leverkusen (free admission up to 6 years, day ticket up to 15 years 2 euros, day ticket adults 4 euros)
• Wildlife Park Tannebusch near Dormagen (admission free)

Walking through bizarre forests, searching for rare animal tracks, exciting stories about tree friends and magical herbs: the 12 nature parks in North Rhine-Westphalia have a lot to offer for children and adults. In addition to hiking trails and cycle tours, the offer also includes cultural and historical sights.

The 12 nature parks at a glance:

• Naturpark Arnsberger Wald
• Naturpark Bergisches Land
• Naturpark Diemelsee
• Naturpark Dümmer
• Naturpark Teutoburger Wald/Eggegebirge
• Naturpark Hohe Mark - Westmünsterland
• Naturpark Hohes Venn - Eifel
• Naturpark Schwalm-Nette
• Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita
• Naturpark Rheinland
• Naturpark Siebengebirge
• Naturpark Sauerland-Rothaargebirge

Further information on the individual nature parks in NRW with all their offers and attractions can be found in the brochure "Zwölf Naturparke und ein Nationalpark. Nature conservation, natural heritage, experiencing nature in North Rhine-Westphalia". The brochure is available to download free of charge at www.umwelt.nrw.de.

Fun and relaxation by the water: from A for Aasee to Z for Zieselsmaar, numerous bathing lakes in North Rhine-Westphalia offer a real beach feeling and lots of leisure activities for families. An overview of all bathing waters in NRW with information on water quality in recent years can be found on the NRW State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection portal.