Taipei, Museum of Drinking Water 自來水園區

Location: google map location (No. 1, Siyuan Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei)

Website: 自來水園區中文版

Pros: inexpensive, parking lot available, clean, FUN!

Cons: can be crowded on weekends

Open year round, 9am - 6pm (8pm in the summer), admission is $50/Adult, $25/child ($80/$40 in the summer). Water fun can't get any cheaper in Taipei! We first visited on a Saturday in the middle of August, arrived a little past 9am, and by 10:30am it was packed with school groups. They also offer Dipping Dots and other light snacks at the concession. Would definitely recommend going!

*Closed on Mondays

*swim caps are not mandatory

*no water guns allowed

Taipei, Daan Park 大安公園

Location: google map location (Andong street #52, Taipei)
Pros: proximity to the mall, MRT, restaurants
Cons: small playground, no restrooms on site

Not to be confused with Daan Forest Park (on google map the forest park is called Daan Park. yes, it is confusing) - Daan Park is located right across from Sogo Fuxing off of Zhong Xiao E Rd. Nothing fancy, but may be a good option to let the kids get their wiggles out after doing some shopping at Sogo.

Taipei, Recycle Park 兒童志氣公園 (damaged by Typhoon Megi)

Updated 10.07.16: Structures removed due to damages by Typhoon Megi

Location:google map location (Zhongxiao E. Rd sec.3 #140)

Pros: shaded at 10am in the summer. good for little kids

Cons: structure are not stable enough for big kids climbing, no bathroom on site

We call this the "Recycle Park" because this is one of the projects by Re-create Taipei, which is an organization that uses recycle items to create unique parks in the city. I really like the idea of turning something old to something new and useful, but this park really is not for kids 4 and up. It's a neat little space for toddlers to walk around. The structures which are made out from old water towers, are kind of flimsy and hard to play "on." They are probably not meant to be climbed on, but thats what BOYS do - they climb on everything. If you live close by, might be worth checking out though!

Taipei, Qingcheng Park 慶城公園

Location: No. 29 Qingcheng Street
Transportation: MRT Nanjing Fuxing Station, exit 7
Pros: zip line, close to restaurants/shops, picnic tables
Cons: No restroom on site

It's a great little park with a zip line, swings, and a metal ladder thingy. It's away from busy streets and close to where all the restaurants/coffee shops are on Qingcheng Street.

Taipei, Fu Ming Park 富民生態公園

Location: Minsheng E Rd Sec. 5 & Sanmin Rd. （民生東路五段 & 三民路）
Transportation: Bus 262 新東街口 (Xindong St)
Pros: big trees with shade, unique play structure, close to coffee shops
Cons: No restrooms on site

We came here last weekend - It's the MIDDLE of summer and we were at a park!!! I have been trying to figure out where I can take the kids OUTSIDE in the summer other than the beach. Luckily we decided to try this park and it turned out to be quite shady (at 9:30am in the morning). It was my first time visiting Minsheng neighborhood and I really enjoyed it. There are quite a few other parks in this area all within walking distance to each other. In this heat, the kids walked 2 blocks with me to a nearby coffee shop with the promise of getting them a treat in the end. ;)

Taipei, Mei-Lun Park 美崙公園

This is an awesome park located right by Taipei Astronomical Museum. It is BIG! It has two areas with play structures. Not a lot of shade coverage from trees - so it might get pretty hot in the summer. It is walkable to Taipei Children's Amusement Park, so I think you can take public transportation to the amusement park and walk to this park easily.

Location: Lane 152, Meilun St.

Pros: big, science themed play structure, metal planets you can jump on, restrooms on site

Cons: keep close watch to your children because it's a big park!

Malaysia, Angry Bird Activity Park

Opened in 2014, this Angry Bird Activity Park is located in the city of Johor Bahru (same city as Legoland Malaysia). It is located in a shopping mall called KOMTAR JBCC, which supposedly is the best mall there (more on this later). We were staying at the Legoland hotel, and the cab ride from Legoland to KOMTAR JBCC was about 30 minutes and costs 50 Ringgits. 

Before coming here, we tried to limit our expectation for this place since most reviews I've read said it's not very big and you can finish the entire park in an hour or so. It is actually pretty fun - and if your kids are about the same age as mine (4,6,7) - they can easily spend the entire day here! (you CAN exit the park and come back)

The main drawback to this place is that there wasn't a lot of employees there to supervise/guide the children where help is certainly needed. As parents, you have to be vigilant because not every parent will be watching their kids (think: a mall playground on crack). At the "Space Drop Air Bag" area, basically your child would be jumping off of a platform onto an gigantic air bag with no instructions as to how to land, the proper way to jump, etc. If you want to try the go-kart, good luck trying to get onto one waiting in line - gotta get out there on the track and demand your turn. 

That being said, my boys still had a great time. We only stayed for a littler over an hour because it was late, but they could still keep going if we let them. Oh the mall - remember to bring your own toilet paper if you plan on using the restrooms there. and the restrooms are down right disgusting for a seemingly decent mall. And getting a cab to your next destination? It took us over 30 mins to figure out where to go for the taxi stand. But I think culturally it is just harder to get correction information from people in Asia. lol!

Website: Angry Birds Activity Park