Warmia and Masuria is mainly associated with lakes and forests. Nevertheless, there is a lot more to the region than that. If you want to leave your forest walks behind for a while or drop sail and set foot on dry land, why not consider a trip to one of numerous theme parks and not only with the kids in mind. Wherever you are there is no shortage of entertainment parks to choose from, here we will just look at some of them.
Actively in Bartbo Park
Active Entertainment Park ‘Bartbo’ in Burtyny is a 18ha area of pure joy. You can try to struggle your way through the rope climbing routes, spin in the zorbing ball, ride a quad or segway, take a shot in the shooting range or play paintball games and there is a special playground and bouncy castles for the children. The biggest attraction is the Eco Maze where you can really get lost for a while and then breath with relief when you manage to make your way out.
Family time in New Holland
The Family Entertainment Park ‘New Holland’ is located on the two-lane expressway S7, which links Warsaw with Gdańsk, just outside Elbląg City. The surface area of the complex covers around 64 hectares which includes a unique network of canals with a total length of 13 km where you can row your boat gently along. There is a rope climbing course, large bouncy castles, slides, trampolines, a gold-diggers station, King Arthur’s kingdom, educational paths, an aviary and numerous other attractions. Every year a new attraction is added to the park so a second visit is never the same and always better.
Education and fun in Masurialand
Near Gierłoża there is the Fun and Education Park ‘Masurialand’ where both adults and children are immersed in medieval history which is presented in an interesting way. There is a knights’ garden where medieval weaponry and costumes as well as replicas of siege armaments can be found. You can also visit two 19th century period regional cottages. The Varmia and Masuria Miniature Park is worth visiting as it is the only place where you can see models of the most interesting and very often unknown monuments of Varmia and Masuria voivodeship. The Military Park covers a large part of the Park and here you can view period costumes, guns and combat vehicles. There are other objects that are really worth seeing such as: a model of the Wolf’s Lair which was Hitler’s hideaway, uniform fitting room, a shooting range, a military training area and escape rooms. A kids Playground, a pool with balls, bouncy castles, a climbing wall, euro bungee, trampoline and mini locomotive ride await the young ones.
Cowboys and Indians
A visit to Mrongoville in Mrągowo town is a must for Wild West enthusiasts where an imitation wild west town from the 19th century has been built. You can see stunt shows, join in a party with cowboys, visit an Indian village and animal park called the ‘Farmer’s Rancho’. You can check your skills at the range, take part in various fitness competitions in addition to lasso throwing or pitching a horseshoe. A 3D cinema ,a fire show with elements of dance, theatre and juggling are also part of the offer.
In Spytkowo which is situated 5 km north-east of Giżycko there is a realistic Indian village. The idea behind it is to educate about the culture of native North American tribes in a vivid and interesting way. In the village area there is a museum dedicated to North America Indians ,an open-air exhibition consisting of teepees and life-size size huts. The exhibitions present the everyday life of the tribes’ living conditions including the food they ate. You will also see Indian handicrafts, glass decorations, hand painted leather, pipes of peace, talismans, dream catchers as well as Indian costumes and warriors weapons. You can visit the village with a guide that will tell you about Indian history and break the Hollywood stereotypes. Games and contests prepared for guests such as, archery and spear throwing will make your visit even more interesting.
Among the animals
While spending time in Varmia and Masuria, it is difficult not to become interested in the local fauna. If you like animal watching and learning about their habits, you should visit the Wild Animal Park in Kadzidłowo, the Research Station of Institute of Parasitology PAN in Kosewo, or the Zoo Safaris in Okrągłe, Zatyki and Ostrichland in Bukwałd.
In Kadzidłowo you can see lynx, Scandinavian wolves, beavers, moose, cervids such as; European, Dybowski, roe and fallow deer, Polish wild horses and several types of birds such as: cranes, eagle owls, grouse, capercaillies and hazel grouse. Some of these animals are tame and you can admire them from a short distance and sometimes even stroke them. The institution carries out reintroduction programmes of endangered species such as lynx back into the area funded by the entrance charge, a worthwhile cause.
The Research Station Institute of Parasitology’ PAN’ is a research facility available for visiting for educational purposes . In the station area animals belonging to cervids are kept and reared extensively on large pastures. You can walk along special routes with a guide while visiting the park. Gabrysia often comes close to visitors but, it is effort to stroke the beautiful doe. Before the walk it is a good idea to go to the museum near the station and learn about carvid habits.
You could also visit Zoo Safari in Okrągłe and in Zatyki near Gołdap in off-road vehicles, horse-drawn carriages, or tractor-drawn sledges in winter. You can see Asian spotted-deer, European deer, fallow deer, wild boar, llamas, guanaco, wrzosówka sheep, ponies, tarpan and Wielkopolski horses, sheep, goats and Hereford and Highland cows.
In the Ostrich land in Bukwałd around 100 breeds of animals, which include exotic ones, await you. You can see African ostriches, emu, and cochins an old Chinese type of hen. There are also pheasants, geese, turkeys, ducks, guinea fowl and peacocks. In this park you will also see rabbits, sheep, donkeys, goats and, ponies or horses can be rented to take you around.
