Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism highlights a plethora of activities and experiences for residents and visitors to Dubai to enjoy while keeping cool in the warm weather. Explore a host of fun attractions and destinations across the city, from swimming clubs to indoor ski slopes and ice rinks to underwater adventures that provide plenty of ways for families with children of all ages to chill out and enjoy an inspiring summer in the city.

Activities to get the adrenaline flowing

Jump for joy and pay a visit to Bounce, the largest indoor trampoline park in Dubai. Comprised of wall-to-wall trampolines, airbags and an adventure challenge course, Bounce is the world’s first freestyle terrain park, providing the ultimate indoor playground for those looking to get that adrenaline rush,with parkour courses and freestyle features. For junior jumpers, there’s a dedicated area with a purpose-built trampoline area and climbing boxes.

Blue Wave is a swimming club offering quality coaching and advanced tuition to ‘water babies’ of all ages. Tots, tweens and teens can progress through five levels of swimming techniques, aptly named Starfish, Goldfish, Dolphin, Sharks, and Barracuda, whilst Blue Wave also offers adult swimming classes and female-only swimming sessions.  With a 25-meter training pool, a 15 meters teaching pool for adults and kids, and the fun-inducing Splash Island water park, visitors will discover slide beams, waterfall buckets, a forest, and more.

At iFly Dubai, children from three years of age can experience the sensation and experience of skydiving – but without having to hurl themselves out of a plane. This indoor skydiving centre is the perfect place for either a first-time experience or to practice skydiving skills. iFly even offers a state-of-the-art VR experience, combining the thrill of a ‘real’ dive, with an indoor skydive.

For families passionate about sports and seeking to enjoy fun indoor physical activities, Dubai Sports World is the perfect destination for this summer. This safe and secure indoor venue boasts an array of sports and academic coaching for all ages as well as a range of activities such as football, basketball, cricket, badminton and a lot more.

Roll DXB is the home of roller disco in the UAE offering the ultimate old-school activity for parents to impress their kids with retro vibes and their skating skills. Located in Mina Rashid, the space welcomes roller-skaters of all ages and levels and guests can rent retro skates onsite and even take lessons where they can develop all the fundamental skills and learn some iconic dance moves on wheels.

Ski Dubai has been named the world’s best indoor ski resort on several occasions, and for good reason. The slopes offer five different tracks, each of varying lengths and difficulty, which can be enjoyed independently, or by joining a session with the in-house Ski School, with coaching covering all levels and ages. In addition, the 4,500 sqm Snow Park offers sledding, tobogganing, zorb balling as well as rides including the Mountain Thriller, an adrenaline pumping adventure, carrying riders 150m at speeds of up to 40kph. Away from the slopes, there’s an Alpine-inspired lodge to enjoy hot chocolate before the little ones change into winter gear to meet the resident penguins for a memorable encounter.

Family challenges and interactive learning experiences

Ideal for competitive families, Brain Game is an interactive puzzle game hosted within an indoor urban maze. The course is challenging, and tests brainpower, cognitive abilities, problem solving skills, endurance and strength. There are more than 20 challenges, so families can visit time and time again to test their resolve with these physical and mental puzzles.

Children will have the chance to gain real world skills at Kidzania, an indoor playground and a vast indoor educational theme park located in the Dubai Mall. Aimed at children aged 4-16, KidZania features realistic setups where kids can learn about more than 70 different professions and the real world in the interactive city. From hosting their own entertainment show, learning to create pizzas to developing money management skills whilst running their own shop, the opportunities for fun and education are endless.

LEGOLAND Dubai, located at Dubai Parks & Resorts is ideal for families with children aged 2 – 12 years of age. A central feature of LEGOLAND Dubai is MINILAND, an indoor air-conditioned attraction, with more than 20 million LEGO bricks creating this unique interactive area. Featuring iconic landmarks from across the Middle East, such as the world’s tallest LEGO model of the iconic Burj Khalifa, guests can even build their own city at a 10m long play table or take part in building challenges.

Engage in enriching experiences

Visitors of all ages can take in panoramic views of Dubai and learn about the history of the city from inside the world’s largest frame-shaped building, which stands a huge 150m tall and is more than 95m wide. Inside this incredible structure, the Dubai Frame offers an immersive journey through the city’s history, where families can learn about Dubai’s evolution from a small trading port to a global cosmopolitan city. The Dubai Frame offers uninterrupted views from the indoor Sky Deck where visitors can view ‘Old Dubai’ to the north, including Dubai Creek and the historical Al FahidiNeighbourhood, as well as ‘New Dubai’, lying in the south, including the iconic skyline featuring Burj Khalifa.

Pay a visit to The Green Planet, an incredible bio-dome that is home to a tropical rainforest housing more than 3,000 plants, birds and animals. Young minds will be enthralled with an up-close and personal sloth encounter as the sleepy mammal roams free amongst the flora. Kids of all ages can meet friendly lemurs or explore the Australia Walkabout and if they are lucky they might even catch a glimpse of wallabies or the Australian Carpet Python. Other unusual experiences at The Green Planet include camping overnight in the rainforest, snorkeling with piranhas or even being a zookeeper for the day.

A day out for the whole family

Not only is The Dubai Mall the world’s largest shopping mall, it is also home to a wide number of family friendly activities, offering an immersive experience to visitors of all ages and interests. With a host of international cafes and restaurants offering delicious cuisines from all over the globe, the largest indoor aquarium in the world and an Olympic-sized ice rink, a day at The Dubai Mall is packed with attractions suitable for the whole family. Whether you want to head to a magical underwater world, or hone your ice-skating skills by taking a class in the skating academy at Dubai Ice Rink, families will find a variety of indoor experiences to enjoy this summer.

A one-of-a-kind experience awaits to take big kids and little kids on an unforgettable journey into the fascinating world of illusions at the Museum of Illusions at Al Seef. An educational and sensory experience, the museum is also home to an Anti-Gravity room, an Infinity Room and even a Rotated Room, all guaranteed to trick the senses. Families can also head into the Vortex Tunnel, the first of its kind in the region, and navigate their way through a ‘rotating’ cylinder, a head spinning adventure!