Many travelers heading to Costa Rica with kids land at the airport in San Jose, get in their rented car or in a tour bus and promptly leave the city. Costa Rica is an amazingly diverse country and more often than not, people visiting are excited to see the rainforest or travel to the many volcanos Costa Rica is home to. I get it. I have to admit it, I almost overlooked San Jose entirely too. Truthfully, I feel that San Jose is a great place to visit and has a lot to offer especially when bringing kids Costa Rica. For this reason, I’ve compiled a list of things to do in San Jose Costa Rica with kids.
Truthfully, I feel that San Jose is a great place to visit and has a lot to offer especially when bringing kids Costa Rica. For this reason, I’ve compiled a list of things to do in San Jose Costa Rica with kids.
Things to do in San Jose with Kids
Rescate Animal ZooAve
Who goes to Costa Rica and doesn’t want to see rainforest animals? No one. It is part of the draw to this amazing country. There are a bunch of places to see wildlife in Costa Rica and they are NOT created equally. The ideal place to see wildlife of course, is in the wild. With kids this is not always possible. First off, to be in the wild, you’re going to need hike. Depending on the age of your kids and their mood for the day, your hike could be wonderful or a disaster. From my experience, even if you’re having a good hike in the wild with kids, you’re still not going to see much. Why? Because kids are loud and wild animals are usually afraid of noise.
The next best place to see wild animals is in Rescate Animal ZooAve. There are a lot of animal “sanctuaries and rescues” in Costa Rica, but not even come close to what ZooAve is doing. Rescate Animal ZooAve has been around since 1990 and does a wonderful job rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing animals. They take every animal in with the goal of eventually releasing it in the wild. Many places say this, but few actually deliver. ZooAve does the best at actually following through with these goals.
ZooAve has a ton of animals in the park, jungle birds, sloths, lizards, turtles, and so, so many more. Most of the animals on display are permanent residents that will never be able to be released in the wild due to injury. Most of the animals that they take in aren’t even seen by the public. They have separate facilities dedicated just to rehabilitation. The coolest thing that they do is breeding. Any animal that is endangered, injured or not, is put in a breeding program to help repopulate the wild. They are making amazing strides in animal conservation in the country.
The entire park is kid friendly with paved paths, tons of viewing areas, a food court and a gift shop. They even have strollers available if you don’t want to bring yours along on your trip. Huge bonus!
Corso Lecheria
Just in the mountains outside of San Jose lay lush green forests and farmland which are home to Corso Lecheria. This family friendly dairy has it all. Hay rides, dairy tours, a cheese factory, strawberry fields, livestock, an ice-cream shop and restaurant, and more. Kids are sure to love the setting and their tours are full of interactive learning. Take their farm tour complete with a milking demonstration, strawberry greenhouse tour, a rainforest walk and more. They make the tour so educational and fun for the kids, even giving them a chance to pet and milk real cows. On our nature walk, we even had the privilege of a sloth sighting. Finish up your day with a stop for home made ice cream, which is delicious.
A visit to Corso Lecheria is a must. They take pride in their farm and their products and it shows. The food they make is delicious and everything is worth trying. Plus, the scenery is unbelievable.
Oxcarts in Sarchi
The Costa Rican town of Sarchi is world famous for ox carts. Yes, you heard me correctly. Ox carts. The town’s tradition started on the coffee plantations in town when they used ox carts to transport product through town to the trains. Someone in Sarchi thought it would be fun to paint their cart to spruce it up and now the town thrives on a colorful oxcart industry. Everything in Sarchi is painted in vibrant colors to match their oxcarts.
Take a tour of an oxcart factory at Fabrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro, where they still make and paint all of the oxcarts the old fashioned way, by hand, only using machines powered by the stream that runs through their property.
In Sarchi, you’ll find the world’s largest handprinted oxcart in the town square and see the church, which happens to be painted brightly as well. They also have some fabulous bakeries and shops around town.
Espíritu Santo Coffee Tour
You’d be sad to leave Costa Rica without learning more about one of their biggest exports. I’m not a coffee drinker, but Costa Rica produces an insane amount of coffee for export and I’m told it is the best in the world. All around the country, especially in the hills around San Jose
Although I don’t drink coffee, I was fascinated to learn about how coffee is produced from bean to bag. We visited the Espíritu Santo Coffee plantation and got an in depth tour of the coffee process. We toured the coffee fields, got to plant coffee, pick coffee and yes, even taste it if desired.
There is way more to coffee that I had ever even thought of and I learned a lot. The tour is family appropriate, and is a great learning experience.
Costa Rican National Theater
The National Theater in San Jose was completed in 1897 and is still an important landmark in town. They offer tours of the theater and its amazing architecture as well as regular shows. The National Symphonic Orchestra regularly has performances and live productions are constantly being put on at the theater. Many of the productions are kid friendly.
Visiting this theater is like stepping back in time 100 years and is a truly amazing experience.
Jade Museum
Costa Rica has a rich jade history and has a museum to display it. The Jade Museum is an architectural beauty and has amazing exhibits showcasing the history and beauty of Jade. The Jade Museum in Costa Rica helps to preserve the heritage of the region and it features the largest collection of pre-Columbian jade pieces in the world.
The entire family can wander the exhibits and see the various ways Jade has been used through the centuries.
Central Market in San Jose
Check out the Central Market in San Jose for a entertaining shopping experience for the entire family. The market has a range of different vendors including fresh produce, clothing, souvenirs, national products, traditional food, and coffee of course. The prices are very reasonable and you’ll leave with everything you ever needed.
Have you been to San Jose, Costa Rica? What would you recommend doing in San Jose with your kids?
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Recently I was a guest of Costa Rica Family Holidays, a branch of Il Viaggio Travel, and visited the beautiful and lush country of Costa Rica. The opinions shared of course are my own.
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