It took us a bit longer to get acclimated and comfortable in Kyiv, but after we settled in, we got straight to work with researching fun things for Nolan in the city. It’s actually become a bit of a thing on our trip. Nolan will ask, “Is there anything for kids to do here?” — or — “Is this for you or for me?”
Here’s our list of all the things we did with Nolan while in Kyiv.
World War II Museum
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The museum itself is a little intense, so Jim and I went on a day date. We then took Nolan back to see all the old war machines. There are several tanks, plans, trucks on display and a few that kids can even climb into. There was an admission fee to get into the area where the vehicles were on display, but you had to pay actually to get in each one.
Volodymyrska Hill Park
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This was the go-to park in Kyiv. Nolan went almost every evening Monday to Thursday. He made a ton of friends. It is a beautiful park, and the playground is big and clean.
Kyiv Zoo
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Not great, but full disclosure the zoo was under construction when we went. We purchased tickets at the gate and stayed for about 1.5 hours. Not an impressive collection of animals and very poorly organized. Maybe it was because it was under construction, but it felt like they put all the animals in a big box, shook it up, and then just threw them in exhibits. There was also a large play area with inflatables, jungle times, and rides, and it was an additional cost for each item. Nolan played for a bit in the inflatables area.
Experimentarium
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Jim and Nolan went and sent several hours at the Experimentarium. I think this was probably Nolan’s favorite thing we did in Kyiv. He talked about it for days. Jim bought tickets online.
Dream Land
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Very cool place. It’s a huge indoor play area. It has several jungle gyms, trampolines, and even a track with power wheels. Nolan and I went a couple times actually. Very inexpensive, we bought tickets at the door and stays at least three hours each time we went. There were a couple of stormy days, so Dream Land was an excellent place for Nolan to get some energy out. It was immaculate. There were a ton of workers to monitor the kids and keep everyone safe. I actually hung out in the bean bag area and read/worked. They had great wi-fi too.
Dream Island
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Ok, correction to the running list. Dream Island was probably Nolan’s favorite. Jim and Nolan went to explore this place on their own, and they loved it. They bought tickets at the door, it was VERY inexpensive, and they stayed for about 4-hours. It was clean and enormous. Tons to do and Nolan loved the slides. Great rainy day activity, we would have gone back for sure but ran out of time.
The Oceanarium Sea Fairy Tale
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Nolan and Priya went to the aquarium together. Nolan was less than impressed and told me all about it when they got back. The aquarium is only 2-rooms and not many different species to see. They bought tickets at the door and stayed less than an hour.