Our magical day at the Moomin World, Finland
One of my favourite Finnish attractions for children is the Moomin World. If you love Moomins (and let's face it, who doesn't!) you will love the Moomin World. It is situated on a little island in Naantali, Finland, and it is one giant theme park dedicated wholly to the Moomins and their lifestyle.
We visited Moomin World last summer and we would love to go back again. We had a short but magical day experiencing the Moomin life, meeting the characters, visiting their living quarters and playing outdoors.
My daughter absolutely loved it. She was two and a bit, and had been a
Moomin fan pretty much since birth (it may have something to do with
mummy being a Finn and all...). As soon as she saw Moominmamma she
started shouting "Mamma, mamma, mamma!", ran up to her for a hug and
just would not let go. Nevermind the other kids, she would not let go.
She must have hugged Moominmamma for five to ten minutes, before she
spotted another Snorkmaiden, and jumped over to cuddle her. And as she
spotted more characters, she went over, grabbed their hands and pulled
them over to her for another hug. She really loved it, and she was in
her element.
Moomin World is not really an amusement
park, it doesn't have any rides or garish game halls. It is more like a
lifestyle park, where you get to enjoy the Moomin lifestyle and meet the characters.
The
main attraction is probably the Moominhouse, which is really like a
tower with lots of things and other artefacts Moomins own. You can visit
the houses of other characters too, like Snufkin's campsite, Hemulen's
house, or Sniff's summer cottage. There are other attractions like this too such as
Moominpappa's boat, Moomintroll's house or Snork's work shop, and there are shows, short musical stories and proper theatre too.
Mostly, there are lots of things to play with and many places to go explore outdoors. I loved the nature trail, where we could pop by the Hattivatten's cave and hear the Groke growl. There were also many places to play in, climb, and you could even doodle a bit with the characters sitting outside their cottages. I also loved the Whileaway park with lots of cushions and beanbags where you can have a nap, and the Barefoot Trail where you can kick off your shoes and let your feet explore the sensations. You can spend the whole day at the Moomin World, eat, go for a swim, have a chat with the characters, and just walk around and soak the atmosphere.
At the end of the day we stopped by the Moominhouse for another hug with the characters and a few more pictures. What a wonderful day!
Top tips
- If you struggled to get good pictures of the Moomins or give them enough hugs, stay until the closing time. From 5:30PM onwards the Moomins are outside the Moomin House waving goodbyes, and most people have left. You get great photo/hug opportunities.
- The food is your average amusement park food. If that doesn't float your boat bring a picnic (plenty of beautiful places to eat out at the Moomin World), or pop in by Naantali Old Town.
- Moomin World is situated on an island, so can get windy and cold - bring a light jacket!
- There is a beach to swim so if it is sweltering, don't forget your swimming costume (or pop in by the shop and get a Moomin one!)
- Don't miss Old Town Naantali, and have a look around before or after the Moomin World adventure. Or maybe even stay for two days in Naantali, and pop in by Moomin World again or sail to the adventure island Väski (great for slightly older kids, 6-12 years old).
Have you ever been to the Moomin World and what did you think?
Do you think i can get Tarja Turunen to take me?if so then yes!
ReplyDeleteHaha well good luck with that :D
DeleteI wish i hadn't seen this - I love moomins and had no idea such a place existed! We've committed to visiting the miffy museum later this year and now I have moomin world to add to my bucket list. Sounds amazing! x #totstravel
ReplyDeleteAh I'd love to visit the Miffy Museum :) Moomin World is such an amazing place, if you ever get the chance do visit!
DeleteMoomins featured a lot in my childhood too. I had no idea that Moomin World existed! How fantastic!! Fun Tin Box Fact: 'Moomin' is one of out nicknames for Tin Box Dog :) #myfavouritetrip
ReplyDeleteHa ha that's really funny - not really a typical name for a dog is it :) There is a Moomin theme park being built in Japan too, that would be fab to see as well :)
DeleteI'm not too familiar with Moomins but this looks like a great place to go. So sweet your daughter hugged one for many minutes. Love the look of the Moominhouse too, I wouldn't mind living there! Lovely photos. Thanks for linking up with #MyFavouriteTrip. Polly x
ReplyDeleteAh it was so incredibly sweet! She hugged so many of them and spent several minutes with each, flitting between the characters... Ha ha, other kids hardly had a look in :D Thanks for hosting :)
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