Families will find an abundance of fun activities in Finland

Thanks to fairy-tale scenery, a robust tourism infrastructure and a certain local by the name of Santa Claus, Finland has long been a top European destination for family travelers. Now, a host of new and revamped attractions is keeping the Scandinavian country competitive in that booming market, whatever the season.

For example, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma in capital city Helsinki features interactive exhibitions and video and audio art installations that will keep young visitors intrigued.

The Children's Museum, a branch of the Helsinki City Museum, features an exhibition that highlights animals, from guinea pigs to mammoths, and explains their place in Finland's history.

For a close-up look at snow leopards and Amur tigers, families can go to the Korkeasaari Zoo, billed as the northernmost zoo in the world.

There are nearly 150 species of mammals and birds at the facility, which is open year-round and offers free admission to children under age 7.

At the Sea Life Helsinki aquarium, visitors can watch feedings of marine predators such as sharks, piranhas and stingrays as well as encounter gentler denizens of the world's waterways.

The Linnanmaki Amusement Park in Helsinki offers some hair-raising rides for older kids and a merry-go-round for the younger visitors and the faint of heart. Open year-round, the park offers plenty of rides and slides that function in winter, including a miniature snowmobile track, a giant tube slide and pony rides.

Families looking for an easy day trip can take a 15-minute train ride from Helsinki to the Heureka Science Center, where children under 12 can perform their own experiments in a kids' laboratory and learn about the natural world through more than 100 interactive exhibits.

It takes at least a day to explore the Sarkanniemi Recreation Center in Tampere. A children's zoo, planetarium, amusement park and dolphinarium rolled into one, the center attracts more than 1 million visitors a year.

For a trip into Finland's past, families can drive along King's Road from Helsinki, which is dotted with towns with such charming names as Snappertuna (home of the Raseborg Castle ruins) and Inkoo.

Visitors can head east or west from the capital, exploring such highlights as Turku, with its 13th century castle and colorful architecture, and Loviisa, a garrison town. In summer, there are cruises that ply the shores of Baltic Sea archipelagos and coastal towns from the vantage point of the Vikings, pirates and navies that shaped Finland's maritime history.

Another glimpse into the country's past is available at Moomin World theme park, in the medieval town of Naantali. American children might not recognize the cartoon characters, created by Finnish author Tove Jansson, on which the park is based, but activities at the park (including swimming in summer) will need no translation.

In winter, Finland's star attraction is, of course, Santa Claus, whom the country claims as one of its own. In fact, Santa has his own post office in the northern town of Rovaniemi, in the Lapland province.

Youngsters can mail postcards from the town, which is located above the Arctic Circle. They can even meet jolly old St. Nick, along with his elves and reindeer, at SantaPark in a cave in the Syvasenvaara Fell and at Santa Claus Village.

In Rovaniemi, visitors also can go to the Arktikum Science Center, which showcases the culture of the indigenous Sami people and life in the Arctic Circle.

Also in Lapland, families can take in the LumiLinna SnowCastle in Kemi on the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. The castle, built by local architects, features sound and light shows as well as interactions with its snowball mascots Arttu and Terttu.

There is an ice hotel where guests snooze in Arctic zone sleeping bags and a restaurant where families can dine at tables made entirely of ice.

For another look at snowy architecture, families can visit the igloo village at the Hotel Kakslauttanen in Lapland. There are 31 log cabins and an igloo village at the property, where guests can spend their days on reindeer safaris, snowshoeing and ice skating.

Skiing is available at more than 120 resorts in Finland, and the season runs from December to March in central Finland and from October to May in Lapland.

Families with children who prefer hitting the rails to skiing will find that snowboarding is making inroads into Finland; there are an increasing number of terrain parks and half pipes.

Dogsled safaris, snowshoe treks, snowmobiling or, best of all, reindeer sleigh rides are among the other family-friendly activities readily available throughout the destination.

As for ice skating, visitors will find not only a whole menu of indoor and outdoor rinks where they can practice their figure eights, but also long-distance skating treks with expert guides.

Families timing their visits to coincide with the winter holiday season can begin or end their stay in Helsinki, where they can let the little ones stay up for fireworks over the illuminated cathedral on New Year's Eve.

For more information, visit www.visitfinland.com/na. 

To contact reporter Felicity Long, send e-mail to [email protected].