Museums for children: Mummies, distant galaxies, unknown worlds

Bolzano, in the museum: The children press their nose against the window pane. "Look, daddy, how small it is. And so brown." You know who we’re talking about? Sure, we’re talking about Ötzi, the Iceman, the superstar from the glacier. The Glacier Mummy isn’t the only attraction in South Tyrol. A visit to the museum with children is undoubtedly one of the highlights during your time out. From miniature trains to mysterious underground tunnels and ancient farms – during your family holiday in South Tyrol you can immerse yourself in unknown worlds, travel back in time or to foreign galaxies, and reach for the stars. Here are the best tips from your hosts at the Familienhotels Südtirol.

A day in the museum: Children, get ready to have fun!

Immerse yourself in the history of the origins of the Dolomites during a visit to the DoloMythos adventure museum. The impressive fossils, the rock crystals, the dinosaur world, and the treasure burial grounds will captivate you. Which treasure will you find in the museum for children?

“Mom, why is the kitchen so black?” “Look, an outhouse!” At the Folklore Museum in Dietenheim you will travel back in time. Ancient farms, carriages and tools from the past, rattling mills, lots of farm animals, and much more can be explored in this museum for children.

A gigantic bulwark seals off Valle Isarco/Eisacktal: the 65,000m² Franzensfeste. There is much to discover in the labyrinth with its countless rooms, corridors, gold galleries, and the underground staircase with 451 steps. And who knows, maybe you will find the treasure of gold which according to stories is said to be hidden in this very special museum in South Tyrol.

The most complete collection of fossils of the Dolomites with the spectacular find of the Ichtyosaurus of Seceda, a herbarium, a butterfly collection, prepared local animals, wood carvings, old toys, and so much more can be admired in the Museum Gherdeina in St. Ulrich in Val Gardena/Gröden.

Would you like to learn more about the rural life of the past? Then visit the Tschötscherhof farm in Kastelruth near Seis. Here you can admire old tools like scythes, ox carts, household appliances, and much more. A great museum for children and adults!

Reach for the stars and discover distant galaxies – all you have to do is go to the Gummer star village near Karneid, which has a planet path, a solar observatory, an observatory, and a planetarium. Take a seat in this extraordinary museum with the children and set off together on an exciting journey through the universe!

Bees here, bees there, bees everywhere! At the Plattner Hof on Ritten you can learn all about bees and honey production and, of course, nibble and taste the liquid gold to your heart’s content. On an educational trail behind this museum for children you will also get to know the world of bees.

From the rivers in the valley to the forest belts in the low mountain ranges and the high alpine terrain, the tour of the South Tyrol Museum of Nature in Bolzano takes you on a journey through the mountains. At different stations you can experience natural phenomena interactively. Especially fascinating: the 9,000-litre coral reef aquarium and the Nautilus aquarium in the middle of this museum for children.

This is only found in South Tyrol: a 5,300-year-old glacier mummy, better known as Ötzi, the Iceman. Today he lies on ice behind a thick pane of glass in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano. The sight will remain in your memory as well as the many exciting facts about the sensational find, which are conveyed to adults and children in this museum.

A mysterious cave with crystals, enchanted mountains, mighty defensive walls, and more await you in the Messner Mountain Museum in Firmian at Sigmundskron Castle, which is enthroned on a rock near Eppan and resembles a crown in its shape. A great museum for children who love mountains.

A museum about tourism and a wonderful botanical garden await you at Trauttmanssdorff Castle. Learn all about the origin of the earth in the mysterious grotto, dive into the botanical underworld, explore the alluvial forest, and get to know the animal inhabitants such as llamas, parrots, snakes etc.!

A separate museum for children in a museum? Yes, there is: at the South Tyrol Fruit-Growing Museum in Lana. In their own children’s kingdom with a creative workshop, the little ones get to know the world of apples, while the grown-ups explore their museum in peace. Older kids love the tricky questions that accompany them as they discover the museum. The one who solves them all gets a great reward at the end!

1,000m²of exhibition space, 800m of tracks, 70 trains, 400 vehicles, 12,000 figures – these are the impressive figures of the Railway World in Rabland near Partschins, the largest digital model railway in Italy. South Tyrol in miniature format to marvel at and railways to try out, only in this museum for children.

From the first wooden typewriter to the predecessors of modern computers – in the Typewriter Museum in Parcines you will find 2,000 different objects and also the Enigma, the mysterious cipher machine from World War II. Children and adults alike are delighted with this museum.

There are two museums of mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner in Val Venosta/Vinschgau: the underground MMM Ortler in Sulden, which is dedicated to the subject of ice, and the MMM Juval with a petting zoo, which follows the myth of the mountain.