14 exciting and fun things to do in Dundee with kids

Updated September 2018
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The past few years have seen the city of Dundee on Scotland's east coast have a bit of a renaissance, so much so that's it has recently been named one of the top 5 hottest cities in the world! The city has a real buzz at the moment and with the massive redesign of the waterfront and the completion of the long awaited V+A Museum this city is thriving, exciting and inspiring. There is so much things to do in Dundee with kids, especially as it's a city known for it's talented video game creators and comic book designers, which lead to Dundee being named as a UNESCO City of Design. 

1. Dundee Science Centre

Where else could you shoot out a nose like a bogey, move a ping pong ball with your mind or turn yourself into a gorilla? This place is packed with experiments you can try out in a fun exciting way so the kids are still learning but they don’t quite realise it. We learned about morse code, the solar system, dinosaurs, played games with robots, sat on a hover craft and tried out some optical illusions.
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Adults £8.25
Children £6.25
Children 0-3 Free
Greenmarket, Dundee, DD1 4QB

2. Camperdown Wildlife Park

This park in Dundee has been around for as long as I can remember and I have fond memories of playing here as a child so I was excitied to be returning with mine. Lemurs, bears, otters and meerkats are amongst the animals here and there is also wolves, tortoises, peacocks, goats and a whole load more. You could easily stay here for the full day if you explore the park just outside. A slow paced, spread out kind of place you can stop for picnic, or just sit for a bit and not feel rushed or hurried.
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Adults £5.50
Children £4.40
Childen 0-3 Free
Camperdown Country Park, Coupar Angus Road, Dundee, DD2 4TF

3. Camperdown Country Park

Just next door to the wildlife park is Camperdown Country Park, the largest public park in Dundee. At over 400 acres there is ample space to run around and a state of the art play area for kids of all ages mean that you can relax while the kids burn off some energy. It’s nice to get out the city and spend some quality time with the kids getting back to nature, and imagine what all that fresh air does when you get home!
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Free entry
Coupar Angus Road, DD2 4TF

4. The beaches

We jumped on the number 73 bus from the city centre and had a wee ride to the beach at Carnoustie. Even though the weather was wild and windy we loved it. What a gorgeous beach! There is something about beaches in Scotland when the weather is crazy, it just seems to make them even more beautiful. We had a long walk along the sand and a play at the fab wooden play park, which was huge! A ten minute bus journey back towards dundee and we stopped at our second beach at Monifeith. Another stunning beach with a play park and some funky standing stones. The last beach was at Broughty Ferry where we stopped for a visit to the castle. A lovely little village with cracking independent shops. We had lunch at italian Visocchi’s and had some of their award winning ice cream. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

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5. Discovery Point and RSS Discovery

This large ship is a well known site in Dundee and welcomes visitors into the city from its home on the Tay. Captain Scott’s ship the RSS Discovery is fascinating and the kids will love hearing about it’s voyage to the Antartica through the multimedia exhibitions and hands on activities. What kids doesn’t like to pretend to be captain of the ship. The centre has loads for kids to do, such as dressing up as an explorer, testing their strength on the sled pull and taking the trail quiz. Once you buy your tickets you can explore both the centre and the ship and there is also a cafe and gift shop. 
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Adults £11.25
Children £6.25
Discovery Quay, Dundee, DD1 4XA

No trip to Dundee would be complete without a walk to see Desperate Dan and Minnie the Minx on the High Street. DC Thomson, the publishing company behind such comic classics as Beano, Oor Wullie, The Broons and the Dandy is based in Dundee and if you head to West Marketgate you can find the real Bash Street. You can also find Malcolm Robertson's "Oor Wullie' statue in front of the McManus Art Gallery and Angela Hunter's cute little penguins outside City Churches. There is loads of sculptures dotted all over the city and the kids will have great fun hunting them down. 

6. DC Thomson

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7. HM Frigate Unicorn

Another of Dundee’s famous ships is berthed in Victoria Docks and was built as a sailing frigate for the Royal Navy. Launched in 1824 it’s the most complete original ship in the world and is stunning to look at. When you step on board you are transported back in time. This is one of my favourite things to do in Dundee with kids as they really seem to be transfixed with the beauty of this ship. 
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Adults £6.50
Children £2.50
Children 0-4 Free
Victoria Docks, Dundee, DD1 3BP

8. Olympia Swimming Pool

I visited the old swimming pool here so many times I lost count and I, as well as most of the locals, loved it. I imagine it must have been a daunting task to design a new pool that could live up to reputation of the old one but they more than succeeded. This fantastic new pool has four slides with screens that lets you pick your music, crazy wild waves, diving boards and a lazy river. There is a pool with lanes for competitions, a nice cafe and state of the art gym. It's modern and can easily keep the kids having fun for hours. 
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Adults £5.50
Children £4.40
Children 0-5 £1.50
3 E Whale Lane, Dundee, DD1 3JU

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9. Dundee Ice Arena

It’s not easy to find things to do at night with the kids once darkness falls. One of the things I love to do is have a family night at the hockey. Dundee’s elite hockey team, the Dundee Stars play in the winter months most weekends at the ice arena and its an exciting night. The fans are excellent, singing, cheering and banging drums and you can’t help but be swept up in their enthusiasm. You can also hire skates and go ice skating. 
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For prices see here
7 Dayton Drive, Dundee, DD2 3SQ

10. The Law

Head for the Law and watch the kids faces when you tell them there are standing on a 400 million year old extinct volcano. With 360 degree panoramic views this is a must for anyone visiting the city. Impressive views guarantee you will leave with fab photos as a souvenier. You can walk up the windy hill or if your feeling lazy you can drive to the very top.

11. Dundee Rep Theatre

This theatre is a popular venue in Dundee and is perfect if you fancy some entertainment in the evenings. Showing theatre productions from both the local ensemble and visiting theatre groups, music arts, dance acts and family shows there is loads to keep the kids occupied when everything else is shut. There is also an award winning restaurant. 

Ticket prices vary
Tay Square, Dundee, DD1 1PB

12. V+A 

The brand new V + A Dundee (Victoria and Albert) is Scotland's first ever Design Museum and is a stunning building on Dundee's waterfront. You can't miss it as you cross the Tay Bridge as it's unique concrete shape juts into the water. It is free to enter and was designed to bring the city together. There is a lovely restaurant and cafe which both have a children's menu and a picnic room which is open at weekends and during school holidays. 

Free entry
1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee, DD1 4EZ

13. Mills Observatory

At the summit of Balgay Hill is a purpose built observatory where you can see planets and stars through the powerful telescopes. The digital Telescope will help you identify over 30,000 things you might see and there are displays about space explorations. The views are pretty good too as you are up high and can look over the city and out to the Tay. It is only open at certain times so check the website before you head out. If you are lucky enough to catch it open this is one of the most rewarding things to do in Dundee with kids. 

Free entry
Balgay Park, Glamis Road, Dundee, DD2 2UB

14. Museum of Transport

This charity run transport museum is home to the famous Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and also Dundee's first flying machine. There is loads to see and it's pretty cheap to visit, only £5 for adults and £2.50 for kids. Again, it's not open every day so check the website before you go

Adults £5.50
Children £2.50
Children 0-5 Free
10 Market Mews, Market Street, Dundee, DD1 3LA

As you can see there is plenty to do in Dundee for both kids and adults. Even just walking around the city centre you'll find quirky art work and statues. This is the perfect time to visit Dundee and it's only going to get better as the massive Waterfront development continues to take shape. Have you visited Dundee?

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