Those who love shopping should definitely take a look at the Dubai Mall. With more than 1200 shops spread over 4 floors and a total floor space of more than half a million square meters, this shopping center in Dubai is the largest shopping center in the world. But did you know that Dubai Mall is also a great place to head to with kids? There’s a lot to do with kids and a great set of kid friendly restaurants. In this article we go over the best things to do in Dubai Mall with kids.
Kidzania Dubai Mall
Entertainment and learning never went hand in hand so well. Kidzania perfectly blends the two to give kids exactly what they want: to be adults. KidZania is a 7,000 m2 replica of a real, live city. It allows children to deal with everything adults want to avoid the most, jobs, money, developing life skills and many other activities.
KidZania takes role playing to new heights, with over 40 role playing activities for the kids to participate. You can find real-world professions where children will learn first hand how to engage with each. From the mockup University, which allows kids to earn a degree and climb the professional ladder to the Service industry which involves keeping the city safe and other government work, Health, Media and many other sectors that will ensure your child learns everything from money management to professional cooking.
This is not all, school visits can be arranged so kids can learn while enjoying themselves, birthday parties can be organized as well as other small get togethers, to ensure maximum fun for everyone.
VR Park Dubai Mall
Step inside the ultimate child’s fantasy: living in the future. This VR park is not only the world’s best, it is also the largest. It caters to the tastes of all ages, with over 25 experiences for the whole family to enjoy.
The latest entertainment at the VR Park is being transported to the year 2025, where the whole of Dubai moves through air, the sky filled with traffic, will you be able to guide your taxi and customers safely? Or would you like to know the feeling of being a window washer of the Burj Khalifa, experiencing some security issues, not knowing if you can be saved in time? You can also experience a 4WD wild ride in the dune of UAE, and battle against all the vicious predators you’ll meet along the way.
The realities vary from stealth adventures, to flying challenges, paragliding and even exploring a kids area full of obstacles and multiple levels.
Each experience varies in time, from adrenaline rushes of 2 minutes to games lasting up to 2 hours.
Best for Smaller Kids: Trampo Extreme in Dubai Mall
Trampo Extreme is a place that allows kids to choose their most preferred play challenges. From climbing things, to exploring caves, to running around or jumping, kids of all ages can submerge themselves in new dares and tests. It is ideal for kids who like to be on the move, with up to 16 different jump activities alone, it’s a safe environment to blow off some steam. The brain engines will keep moving as kids choose between enthralling caving adventures, with hidden chambers and treasures to be found, to soft play areas that take you on a ride across the world.
Parents can find something for all ages, from the Toddler area where everything is soft and fluffy to a soft play area with 3 levels, to other more trying activities such as the Boulder Field, Ball Slump or Slackline.
Trampo Extreme ensures that everyone has something new to explore time after time, boredom and monotony are not words that will be used here.
Best things to do in Dubai Mall for older kids: EKart Zabeel
Located on the 9th floor of The Dubai Mall, the sky’s the limit with EKart Zabeel. You can enjoy racing well into the night while you enjoy the surrounding vistas. This professional race track lets your racing dreams come true. The basic ticket records and shares your lap time,with all safety gear included in the price. You can enjoy group events specially organized for your team, which includes 3 Tracked sessions that replicate a real race.
Dubai Aquarium
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo may be one of Dubai’s most treasured experiences. With multiple awards under its belt, it is undoubtedly one of the most sought after parks. With several thousands over aquatic animals swimming in a 10 million litre tank, you couldn’t imagine that there would be more to this park. The Dubai Aquarium takes guests through different aquatic zones, such as the rainforest and even UAE night creature habitats, even taking them behind the scenes so everyone can experience how taking care of these magnificent creatures works. You can feed the animals yourself, explore over 140 species by walking through the 48-meter walk-through Tunnel, experience a Glass-bottom boat ride and even dip in the tank for a one on one Shark Encounter experience.
The personal encounters don’t stop there at the Dubai Aquarium. You can engage with the mighty King Croc, the funny penguins, the sweet otters, the elegant rays or simply choose to snorkel in a protected cage.
Go To The Cinema
Catching a movie in Dubai is as easy as grabbing an ice cream, the hard part comes to choosing where to see it. With state of the art cinemas all around, you will be spoilt for choice, but rest assured, whichever you choose will be a hit. All the latest movies will be showing at names such as: Reel Cinemas which also offers a dine-in experience, VOX cinemas, for those who also like to pre purchase their snacks, Novo, Roxy and Dubai Cinemas are other famous names. Watch out for differing times and pick your favourite!
Amazing for kids of all ages: Dubai Ice Skating Rink
Feel like an Olympian athlete as you glide through the icy surfaces of the Dubai Ice Skating Rink, an Olympic size rink right in the middle of The Dubai Mall. not only can you skate to your heart’s content, you can also participate in lessons, organize parties or events, and experience the thrill of the first snow as soft flakes fall gently around you. The coaches are all professionally trained, each with years of skating under their belt. You can also arrange for school visits for an out of the box educational experience.
Go up the Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is an obvious must see in Dubai, and highly educational for kids as well. This was once the tallest tower in the world and is an exemplary architectural structure. With hotel and office facilities, you will also find points from which to admire the vast views. It is safe to say that the views from here are near unbeatable in the world. You can choose to relax and unwind at one of their impressive restaurants or simply visit the viewing floor.
Meet the Dubai Dino
Take your family through a journey back in time and visit the resident Dino at The Dubai Mall. It is located at the heart of The Souk, and is educational and fascinating at the same time. The 155-million-year-old genuine fossil of a Diplodocus longus, a long-necked, whip-like tail sauropod, is sure to keep your children enthralled. The 24m length creature who lived in the prehistoric era makes for a unique display, and an enigmatic look into the past. It is a free exhibit to make use of, especially if the parents need to buy some extra time around The Dubai Mall!
Watch the Fountain Show
Watch some water put up a professional dance show, right on the 12 hectare, man made Burj Khalifa Lake. Dubai is known to be impressive, but watching something like water moving in perfect synchrony, choreographed and coordinated with lights lets you awe at the heights of technology, not that you will be lacking that insight while being anywhere in Dubai. These fountains actually have daily held shows, starting at 6pm, every half hour till 11pm. Watch out for special shows, and make sure to get a glimpse of the world’s largest choreographed water works.
Other Things To Do With Your Family
Apart from the great activities above, there are some other family activities you can do with kids.
Watch the Dubai Waterfall
The Waterfall is an impressive water artwork in the Dubai Mall. The artwork consists of two cylindrical walls that have a diameter of thirty meters and a height of no less than 24 meters. As a result, The Waterfall covers all floors of the shopping center. The Waterfall consists of two walls that symbolize a waterfall. A system was used that actually let water fall down, but in a manipulated way so that no water splashes fly into the shopping center below. People diving with fiberglass are able to add extra dynamics to the artworks.
The Waterfall was designed by DPA Architects, a Singapore company. Due to the placement in a location where a lot of natural light is collected during the day, there is a clear open between day and evening. The Waterfall is located in a relatively busy part of the Dubai Maal, where there is mainly a lot of catering. This part known as “The Grove”.
Hysteria Dubai Mall
Hysteria is a mansion created exclusively for the purpose of scaring you. Imagine what could come from a place like Dubai, with how it likes to approach their attractions. This is Dubai’s first extreme haunted attraction, which leaves to believe that it is the scariest built yet.
The legend of Hysteria has it that parents whose children were suddenly robbed from them in the middle of the night have lost their mind, and believe that the guests know the whereabouts of their children. The maddened parents seek revenge one the people going through this house, but beware, they are not the only ones angry. You may get a visit from traumatized, possessed spirits of the children themselves, along with some other souls who are not at peace.
Hysteria doesn’t have a restriction on how long you can be inside, it has 15 rooms you can explore or exit at any given time. Screams are not uncommon, and this is definitely not for the faint of hearted. The dimly lit rooms and dark corridors will always leave you wondering if anything jumps out.
Hysteria is the dream of thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies and horror movie fanatics. Pregnant women are strictly banned from this attraction as is anyone with a medical condition or anyone sensitive to strobe lighting.
There will only be 4 people at any given time in the house, to ensure each gets a dose of maximum scares.
Hysteria has also taken the utmost care in ensuring the safety of all its visitors, exiting at any time is as easy as raising your hands and asking to be let out. The security team will also be monitoring the guests’ movements to ensure all scares are within the norm.
Go eat cereal at the cereal cafe
If you love your breakfast, and want to experience a morning themed meal facing a waterfall, this is your spot. This 90s themed cafe has a retro theme, and a really happy vibe. You will find hearty breakfast meals, decorated with fancy toppings and creative twists to the mundane morning dishes. You can opt for healthier dishes, including acai bowls topped with fresh fruit, or waffles with strawberries and cream, or things like rainbow cheese toast, cheesy and colourful, a win in life. The most sought after sight however may be the 120 cereal to choose, with a selection of milk and toppings for that too. Imagine your kid’s face when you mention cornflakes chicken or cereal ice cream. The visits to this cafe may have to be repeated more than ones to be able to savour a bit of everything. Who wouldn’t want to try every cereal out of the 120?
5 great places to eat with kids in Dubai Mall
After a lot of play time your kids will be hungry. Dubai Mall has a range of great restaurants that cater to both adults and kids.
Rainforest Cafe
The Rainforest cafe is catered to serve you a wild dining experience. From the appetizers such as Awesome Appetizer Adventure to Lava Nachos, Rainforest Quesadillas or Chimi Cha Cha, you will be left wanting more. Their Soups and Salads range from simple dishes like the Tomato Basil Soup, Taco Salad or Cucumber Hummus Bites. They have a speciality kids menu that allows kids to pick their favourite combos for a hearty, satisfying and fun meal. The kids will be enthralled by the tropical decorations and atmosphere, with greenery all around.
Keventers
Keventers : the original milkshake. Few other things get kids excited as a milk shake. Icy cold, dense, creamy goodness, in all sorts of flavours, colours and shapes. Find amazing Sundaes, to make every day feel like a Sunday. They come in delightful jars, look inconspicuous and innocent, but pack a punch. Their most favoured names are the “Forbidden Forest”, “Dark Conspiracy” and “Retro Romance”, each with their own surprise twist. Then look over to their endless list of milkshakes to really shake it up. Their “normal” but premium shakes range from Nutella Marshmallow, Chocolate Hazelnut, Ferrero Roche and Reese’s Peanut Butter, to mention a few. Their exotic flavours are Dulce De Leche Brownie, Lotus Biscoff and Salted Caramel. They also offer a range of delectable cold coffees, as well as a Camel milk shake option. Camel milk is supposedly immunity boosting and plenty of minerals and proteins, so it will pack that extra punch any parent looks for.
Cheesecake Factory
A known name through lands far and wide, people line up for it, they’ve heard legends about it. With over 70 years under their belt and 30 different varieties of cheesecake to offer, they are unbeatable in the sector. A Michigan born company, offers flavours to suit every taste. Their menu starts with some simple coolers, such as the Strawberry fruit smoothie and Frozen iced mango, followed by rich, creamy milk shakes. For those wanting to start with a savoury main, they also offer a range of interesting combinations, both non and vegetarian friendly. They even have mainstream classics such as calamari and tempura shrimp, you really can’t go wrong with so many options. Their portions are also massive, huge plus.
Chili’s
A meat lovers choice. Chili’s is known to serve up high quality food in a lively atmosphere. Their menus are family friendly and made to satisfy different tastes. They have the American classic flavoured colas, and other fountain drinks, whereas their food plates come ready to be shared. They have interesting starters such as “Awesome blossom petals”, which is crispy fried onion petals with blossom sauce, Southwestern Egg Rolls, which are a twist on the classic egg rolls, or you can choose the classic cheese bites. They have varieties of Wings for all those wing lovers and classic dishes such as nachos and guacamole. Their burgers are as mouth watering as their sizzling plates of Classic Fajitas. It is a place that will give you a myriad of dazzling choices and definitely keep you coming back for more Mexican fixes. You will find everything from Quesadillas to chunky steaks and Barbecue platters.
Joe’s Crab Shack
This is for the seafood enthusiasts. From crab platters to mixed seafood dishes, to prawns made in several different ways. You also get to watch the sharks and stingrays swim around the aquarium while you enjoy your meal, not too shabby for a quick meal. They offer succulent burgers and sandwiches such as the Mini crab slider, Bacon Cheeseburgers and even a mighty lobster burger, which has the lobster resting on an Angus beef patty. You can venture into the more adventurous dishes such as the “Steampots” which consist of a mix of crawfish, crabs, lobsters and shrimp or dive straight into the Crab buckets, all made to suit different levels of hunger. You will find something for everyone, between snack sized meals, larger treats or even desserts.
