How many times have I tried to research our family holidays searching for what to do with kids only to wonder… did the writer even have kids? Are their kids just miniature adults? So I feel like I need to share a great museum in Paris for kids (and their parents)
Let’s go back to late December 2024 for just a moment. My husband and I had decided we didn’t want to go out and celebrate New Years this year. We’d had endless bouts of sickness in the months leading up to the end of the year, and our daughter had a temperature of 40C for so long the doctors line we called sent us to the emergency room on Christmas Eve. We were ready for a quiet night in. But just because we wanted a quiet night at home, didn’t mean we didn’t want to do anything and at the last minute I saw tickets available for the “Festival du Merveilleux” at the Musée des Art Forains in Paris (circus/traveling fair arts museum.) It had been on our list for AGES and with most things sold out in advance around Paris during the Christmas holidays we jumped at the chance!
My husband feared it might have an old dusty vibe but in fact, it was great! We were there for hours and didn’t even see it all. There’s a vintage bicycle carousel (only adults can pedal but there are seats for kids – just hold on,) circus performance, a musical automaton, spinning plates to test out, wooden games and the one we discovered we had a knack for – the ball toss horse races! The kids were happy there was popcorn and cotton candy available, and I only wish we’d tried the wood fire heated mulled wine but… next time!
The best part about it was that nearly an hour before it closed a bunch of performers led a fanfare out toward the street with a kind of joy that makes for the perfect send off on the last day of the year. I know this specific event is just on during the Christmas/holiday break so I can’t say how it is the rest of the year but I suspect it’s still amazing and worth a visit and the Bercy village nearby is equipped with restaurants to grab a food or drinks before or after your visit.
I’ve included a few photos but I hope you’ll check it out yourself and tell me what you thought! I was so in the moment the photos were few. Anyways, this has nothing to do with food or wine but I know we love finding activities, especially museums that are great for our kids and we as parents too! I’ve been missing sharing about life in France and I think we’ve all experienced a lot in the last few years, and the world can sometimes feel upside down so I’ve decided 2025 is the year of going back to more of what I enjoy putting into the world, from photography, to the joie-de-vivre in between.
I’d love to hear about your favourite activities when you travel, especially, but not only, the family oriented activities in the comments below.
