Zagreb is my home town. I could try being objective but love it too much. Living abroad for the last ten years also meant some things have changed, new places popped up and to my surprise as if they were all literally made for my kids. And me. Definitely for me – first and well my personal favorite…
MUSEUM OF CHOCOLATE
Well hidden in plain sight. And if we weren’t looking for geocaches in the area we might not even see it (oh, the horror of the thought!).
Now we had our fair share of Chocolate factories not to be missed here in Scotland but none had (drum rolls please) – eat, or well more like drink, as much chocolate as you can.
Yes yes, most people will come and be well mannered, take one spoon of each – black, milk and white chocolate. That’s why it is good to have children with you. Children can teach us many beautiful things. Among them – when you want something, fight for it wholeheartedly! And so we did. Or as people in Croatia say – shame to waste. We did not waste a drop.
Now when you know where the tour of the museum ends, a bit of what to expect. The very original entry ticket holds the (magic) spoon, and chocolate to taste throughout history. Each room in the museum is dedicated to chocolate through the ages. One even dedicated to Willy Wonka.
Once you are back at the entry, be well prepared money wise because choco treasure will be waiting. Including real chocolate soap, lip balm and wee gorgeous chocolate cakes.
For more about the museum, working hours and tickets visiti Muzej cokolade.
Literally a hundred meters away from the Museum is – the Kraš store. Again, absolutely impossible for me to be objective – Kraš is the home of the best chocolate in the world. Yes, the world. Although you can find Kraš products in all the supermarkets, only the exclusive stores will give you the option of buying candie/sweets in grams/pieces thus giving you the option of trying out all the products before investing into a whole box.
MUSEUM OF HANGOVERS
I know, I know. Many would argue if this is really the right place to take your child. I’ll tell you this – after our visit, my boys swore never to drink. Mission accomplished!
The museum is definitely unique. To be honest the only reason the boys wanted to check it out was the drunk car simulator. Not so much the drunk part that was of interest to them, it was all about the driving. But once in it was more fun than expected.
Everyone entering could also win themselves a free ticket. All you need to do is hit the bull’s eye on the dart board. Oh, but you are wearing drunk goggles while shooting.
Walking home drunk is the first experience. You also get a beer for the price of the ticket. Which would say you can practice walking home drunk with a beer in your hand all the way.
But what got to my kids were the stories shared by people all over the world. Some are funny, some will really make you think twice about that next glass, and IMPORTANT – some are not for under 18’s. If you are visiting with kids bear that in mind. We got to experience the Museum with not many people around so there was a good amount of time the kids had the car simulator for themselves. Making this one of their fav experiences.
For grown ups – at the end, if the beer was not enough, there is a wee farewell surprise waiting for you. ‘Cheers’, or as we say in Croatia – Živjeli!
More on Museum of Hangovers website.
As chocolate and wine go hand in hand, these two museums are also very close, a block away from each other – great choice if you have a limited amount of time on your hands.
AMAZINGA
Trampoline, laser tag, adrenaline park, Ninja course, climbing wall, bumper cars, even stairway to heaven and a leap of faith – all that, food and more under one roof. I was skeptical at first. Not a big lover of soft plays and dusty indoor spaces. But once we were in….there was simply not enough time. Personal favourite trampoline and laser tag. Ok and the cars. And the pizza was good too.
Ideal for bad weather days. Kidding, really it’s ideal for any day. Brilliant few hours of fun for the whole family on the other side of river Sava.
With so many choices it’s good to pepare on time checking Amazinga website.
LEGAME – VR STUDIO
You never know until you try. One more experience boys got for their b-days that came very high on their favourite list. Interesting part – it wasn’t the battles that won them over but the educational VR experience where they got to do some real life work. Kids, they always surprise you.
It didn’t make sense for me to just sit and watch them wave their arms around in the air. But there were so many choices. Never give a girl that many options. At the end I dived deep into a beautiful story about a raven saving the world from the winter. And the one that had a rollercoaster. And the one with the magic tree. One can never get enough of getting lost in the magic, especially after so many months of Covid reality.
Book your experience here
SMASHIT
Zagreb’s first smash room.
Quite simple – you come, you see and you conquer. Level of protection is high. Common sense used when bringing children of course.
The owner is very helpful and easy to arrange time/days for your own personal smash time. You even get to choose your music. I would say that experience might be different for grown-ups getting their anger issues resolved (in a healthy way), and for kids whose dream of legally smashing things without consequences just came true.
Either way, like most experiences we have presented ourselves with, this one was well lived, educational and definitely got some minores into an early night’s sleep.
Wanna smash – book on Smashit.
You might also like to check about the chocolate heaven in the heart of Edinburgh. Or where to stat exploring Edinburgh when visiting with kids.