Frankfurt offers visitors a wide variety of recreational opportunities, transforming even the shortest vacation into an unforgettable experience. Here in Frankfurt, culture, cuisine, shopping and entertainment combine to form the basis for an ideal family holiday, even if it’s only for a weekend. What’s more, the metropolis on the River Main holds in store fun and fascination for visitors of all ages.

The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History is just one of many places offering hours of entertainment for families with children. As Germany’s largest museum of natural science, the Senckenberg’s exhibitions highlight life’s colourful diversity, the creation and development of the animal kingdom as well as the slow yet irresistible transformation of our planet. Most impressive are the countless mounted animals and, in particular, the dinosaur skeletons, which include examples of the Tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops and winged lizards such as the pterodactyl.

Visitors of the EXPERIMINTA – ScienceCenter FrankfurtRheinMain, on the other hand, are encouraged to touch the exhibits on show, to ponder, to research and to experiment: How does one build a self-supporting bridge? How do tornadoes form? How is electricity generated? Rest assured, the EXPERIMENTA has all the answers, and more. Interested in finding out how to make a man-sized soap bubble or to see yourself from inside a so-called “accessible eye”? Come to the EXPERIMINTA and find out!

For younger generations of nature-lovers and animal researchers we recommend a visit of Frankfurt Zoo. Open 365 days a year, Frankfurt’s zoological gardens are home to more than 450 different animal species. Particularly popular attractions include the great ape house, the bear enclosure and the predator exhibit. The seal enclosure is yet another fan favourite; goings-on here are always rowdy, both above and beneath the water’s surface. The fur and common seals living here never fail to impress crowds with their playful and rambunctious nature. A grotto with an underwater viewing window enables visitors to watch the agile animals in their preferred habitat. The nocturnal animals house, meanwhile, with its spectacular bat cave, is a true rarity amongst zoos.

The DialogMuseum introduces visitors of all ages to a world that is most likely entirely unknown to them. Here, blind tour guides lead small groups through the museum’s main exhibition, named “Dialogue in the Dark”. Everyday situations are reenacted in these chambers entirely devoid of light using scents, sounds, wind, temperature, tones and textures. Visitors of this most unusual establishment are told to expect a truly unique “eye-opening” experience.

Eating healthily while at the same time creating dream worlds with thousands of colourful Lego building blocks, that’s what children – and adults – have waiting for them at Restaurant “Brickland” (Wiesenstraße 33, 60385 Frankfurt). Worry not, the little master builders won’t be left entirely to their own devices, with a trained child-minder on hand to keep an eye on things. Parents, meanwhile, have the chance to relax in the adjoining restaurant, which specialises in Hessian-style tapas as well as traditional local fare. The children’s menu features pasta, fish nuggets and German-style sausages. A variety of vegan dishes is also available.

Rebstockbad, Frankfurt’s largest outdoor public pool, is perfect for families wanting to enjoy a brief “beach holiday”. Palms trees, a wave-pool, a 25-metre sports pool and a paddling pool help you to forget the hustle and bustle of the big city. Two particularly popular attractions are the 120-metre water slide and the so-called “Black Hole”, an enclosed tubular water slide with light effects and a sci-fi look and feel. The vast outdoor area features sunbathing lawns, further paddling pools, a children’s playground and a beach volleyball court.

Parents interested in checking out the brand-new MyZeil shopping centre may avail themselves of the mall’s attendant childcare service. The centre’s indoor playground invites youngsters to frolic to their hearts’ content. Children of all ages are welcome, with soft play areas for toddlers, trampolines for in-betweeners and table-football for the older ones being available.

When the weather is fair, the forest playground at the Goethe Tower becomes yet another highly recommendable recreational destination. Children love the location’s wide range of play equipment as well as the large adventure playground with its labyrinth and the two extra-long slides. On hot days, the water fountains and the paddling pools naturally take centre stage. Nearby, bicycles with attachable child-trailers and buggies are available for hire, while Café Goetheturm invites parents to relax and enjoy a cool beverage or a light snack. A final attraction for both young and old is the 43-metre Goethe Tower, one of the tallest wooden observation platforms in all of Germany.

Photo: Children visiting the Archaeological Garden - © Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main