Papalote Museo del Nino Review

I'm a dad, and that means I spend a fair chunk of time on any trip doing things that shorter people like doing. Zoos and parks figure prominently in our family time, but so too do the many children's museums that are becoming highlights of many major cities. My small crew have been to quite a few children's museums, but their favorite (and mine too) is the delightful Papalote Museo del Nino in Mexico City.

I love the Papalote Museum because it's so big with such an enormous variety of fun activities and because it's got such GOOD exhibits for the little hands and developing minds. Many of the exhibits are hands-on explorations of the world we live in, with a hefty dose of technology to go with it. Papalote has these, just like most childrens' museums do. But what Papalote has that sets it apart are several exhibits that strike me as particularly Mexican.

Most childrens museums I've been to don't have hands-on archaeoligical digs, but then, most childrens museums aren't located in the heart of a modern day park that was actually established by an Aztec Emperor centuries before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the "New World".

And by the way, that brings me to another thing I like about the Papalote Museum: it's convenient central Mexico City location, within easy walking distance to a Metro subway station and close to dozens of other outstanding tourist and family-friendly downtown activities (including the world-class Chapultepec Zoo and the park's traditional amusement park area, La Feria Chapultepec Magico).

I love a great childrens museum, and the Papalote in downtown Mexico City is one of the world's best!

Official info (full of excessive and annoying Flash): http://www.papalote.org.mx/papalotemuseo/