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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who:
Me, the man and a two-year-old that had decided he was way too cool to be ferried around the fine city of Amsterdam in a travel stroller.  He could walk, thank you very much.  Just not more than about 25 feet without stopping to pick up a random piece of garbage (usually a porn flyer) or sitting down in a puddle.

What and Where:
Tun Fun Speelpark is an indoor play park built into a traffic underpass right in the heart of Amsterdam.  Kids aged 1-12 can run, climb, bounce and dance to their heart’s delight in this large indoor play facility with climbing structures, bouncy rooms, slides and even a kid’s disco that plays only the finest ambient techno music.

After all, someone has got to teach the kiddos how to be cool since most adults over 30 start to get heart palpitations when exposed to any track that exceeds 120 beats per minute.  But honestly, Tun Fun has all kinds of great options for kids looking to get their ya-yas out.  And even better, parents can look on from the central cafe area where coffees and beer with 12% alcohol content are available for reasonable prices.

Why:
In our case, we wanted to go to a museum and actually be able to look at the exhibits!  Amsterdam has several fantastic museums including the Anne Frank and the Van Gogh Museums.  Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly designed with the average two-year-old in mind.  Since Chet was not feeling the stroller on this trip, we felt our only option was to let him run amok for a while and hope that it might tire him out enough so we could strap him in without too much of a fight.  It worked.  For a little while, anyway.

The Low Point:
Did I mention that Tun Fun is built into a traffic underpass?  Well, we went on a rainy February morning.  This meant that Tun Fun’s famous Amsterdam street was full of puddles and some of the play structures were damp.  Of course, this only added to Chet’s excitement.  But we had a very wet kid and some very nasty, soggy socks to contend with when he was finished.  I’d advise bringing a change of clothes.

The Kid’s Take:
Chet loved it.  He had a blast climbing, sliding and letting his inner demons roam free.  But, alas, that led to the other low point — telling him it was time to leave.  Luckily, the squeals of excitement from the other kids drowned out his tortured screams.

The Bottom Line:
Especially if you are traveling with younger kids, I think a stop at Tun Fun is more than worth it.  Your kid can get some exercise, you can grab a coffee (or beer!) and you may just get to spend the afternoon enjoying more noble pursuits.  What’s not to appreciate about that?

February 1st, 2009 | by Kayt Sukel 1 comment