Purchase tickets for your children at the entry tent. Adults are free. Bring a backpack or baby carrier for children too young to walk throughout the park. The entire area is grass covered with no pathways and makes a stroller ride uncomfortable.
Enjoy the slides, animal petting areas, balloons, face painting and dozens of other activities and lessons available for your children.
Clean your children's hands thoroughly after experiencing Kinderplaats. Children's hands come into contact with animals, dirty slides, paint and dirt. Portable potty stations are easy to find, but washing stations are difficult to spot. Cleaning your children's hands with some wipes puts your mind at ease and keeps their bodies healthy.
Save your family a spot with a good view for the Tulip Time parades. Reserve an area by placing a blanket on the curb hours before the crowds line the streets. Spots along the parade route on E. Eighth Street may be saved beginning at 7 a.m. for the parades on Wednesday and Thursday. Spots may be saved beginning at 9 p.m. Friday for Saturday's parade.
Park in designated parking lots. Many parking lots charge a nominal fee, and the donations go toward organizations, such as boy scouts, church youth groups and missions trips. Curbside parking fills up early, and the walk is far for young children's legs. A parking spot allows easy access to the car, if necessary, and the walk to the parade route will not tire out your children.
Pack drinks and a snack for the parade. Wednesday's and Thursday's parades last about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Saturday's parade runs about 2 1/2 hours. Healthy snacks and a drink keep children feeling good the entire time.
Choose a safe spot for your young children to watch the Dutch Dancers perform around Centennial Park. The dancers kick their wooden shoes high into the air several times throughout their three dance performances. Children enjoy the music, costumes and dancing, but do not let children get too close to the swinging shoes. At times, the wooden shoes crack, and splinters fly into the air.
Snap a picture of your children with one of the costumed Dutch Dancers following a performance. Centennial Park is filled with picturesque tulips in bloom. Take a picture of your family sitting among the colorful tulips.
Purchase a few tasty treats from one of the many concession stands that surround the park. While there are many popular snacks from which to choose, healthy alternatives also are available. Fresh-squeezed lemonade and apples on a stick are a few healthy and tasty treats.
Set your child on the horse of her choice on the merry-go-round at Windmill Island. Listen to the traditional festival music as your child enjoys the ride.
Hold tight to the handrails while climbing high into the old, Dutch DeZwaan Windmill. Instruct your children to stay close as your family climbs the historic stairs. Overlook the beautiful tulips, canals and buildings below from atop the windmill. Explain to your children that this windmill once was used to grind wheat into flour that is used in the bread they eat.
Take a peek inside some of the Dutch shops at Windmill Island. Keep your children under close supervision as you near the fragile delft dishes. Instruct young children to look and not touch. Purchase a piece of Dutch cheese to enjoy together as a taste of the culture.
Climb inside the giant wooden shoe slide. Take a peek together out of the windows at the top of the shoe. Slide down the sllide to exit the shoe. Hold small children on your lap while sliding down.
Choose a seat on the swing ride, and hold small children on your lap. Keep all hats and loose shoes at the entrance to the ride. Hold tight and enjoy the ride.
Watch your child burn through his energy at one of the newest attractions at Dutch Village. Help your child get into one of the hand-pump cars. Watch as he pumps the car throughout the tracks with his own manpower.
Pack a picnic lunch for a treat at nearby Timbertown in Zeeland, Michigan, also known as Huizenga Park. Your children will enjoy running throughout a maze of buildings, slides, optical illusions and ramps. Picnic tables, grills, a duck pond and a restroom are available at the park.
Enjoy the views of Lake Macatawa while picnicking at Kollen Park. The park features a handicap-accessible playground, grills, a picnic pavilion, a gated view of Lake Macatawa with ducks and sea gulls to feed. A public restroom facility also is available.
Pack your lunch and picnic in the tulips at Window on the Waterfront. Roll down the hills, inspect the windmills, and take a stroll down the waterfront boardwalk. While there is no playground at Window on the Waterfront, your children will find much to do after eating their lunch, including viewing the 100,000 tulips that are planted in the park.
