“How much fun could a petting zoo possibly be?” I thought as we drove to Sheep Momo’s Forest. However, when we got there I found myself pleasantly surprised by, one, how clean the place was and two, the fact that it was much more than a mere petting zoo!
The entire non-petting zoo part of the place was covered in green astroturf and crisscrossed with various slides for kids of any age, as well as plenty of places to bounce and the most charming, rustic merry-go-round I’ve ever seen. Essentially, the kids cling onto a thick rope as it slowly spins around in a circle, totally beating out the traditional merry-go-round with ponies any day!
And Sheep Momo’s Forest just kept on giving…Sure, there are activities that are better suited to warmer days, such as a little gold fish pond where kids can catch their own fish to take home – though it did have a disturbing number of dead floaters in it – which sat next to a complex system of metal contraptions that, while I’m not entirely sure what it does, nonetheless looked pretty darn cool. During the winter, however, when not being used it looks a bit like a fancy urinal.
Moving right along we found dirt pits for kids to play with. I know, it’s just dirt. But getting to dig with a shovel is incredibly fun for some inexplicable reason and we saw plenty of kids along with their grown-ups shoveling away.
As we finally made it to the last section of Sheep Momo’s Forest, we came face to face with an awesome snow slope surrounded by small tents where parents were relaxing while their kids rented tubes and had the most marvelous snow day fun. Tube rentals run RMB 59 for an hour and RMB 99 for two hours. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by how new and clean the equipment was.
We’ve only had one beautiful snow day in Beijing this winter, and the chance to play with fresh powder on a sunny wind-free day was doubtlessly the most fun the kids have had outdoors all season. Before we knew it, two hours had passed by.
As the sun started to go down we scuttled over to the petting zoo section, you know, what we originally went to do…
It was our kids’ first petting zoo experience and they absolutely loved it! Now I’m no expert, but from what we saw, the animals were well taken care of and their pens were clean. Fluffy alpacas, ponies, deer, geese, and ducks that quacked non-stop, alongside small pigs and a whole bunch of other animals making for the perfect way to end a day outdoors with the family.
The place felt like it was created by parents with kids in mind. The detail and attention to service and safety was comforting.
Ticket prices at Sheep Momo’s Forest are RMB 99 per adult during the weekdays and RMB 119 on the weekends. Kids under 80cm are free.
Sheep Momo’s Forest
Bashang Chunqiu Century Park Inside Xiaoyang Momo Senlin Wangguo, Chaoyang District
东五环坝上春秋世纪艺术园
Tel: 130 7015 7312
KEEP READING: What Do Kids Do for Fun?
Images: Mina Yan
