It’s always a great idea to round up the family and take a vacation for some much-needed fun, relaxation, and quality time. If you’re considering coming to Aruba, you’re in for a treat. Aruba offers a perfect blend of sun, sand, and adventure that promises something special for every family member. From exciting outdoor activities to serene beach days, check out our top suggestions for fun things to do and see on the island, ensuring an unforgettable experience for the entire family!
For those traveling with young ones, we understand you may be in need of a parent’s night (or day) out. Well, we are here to tell you that is absolutely possible! Let Sitters Aruba, a trusted babysitting company come to your accommodation and watch your children while you enjoy some well-deserved alone time.
Sitters Aruba is a family-owned and operated on-call babysitting service offering in-room babysitting, child, disability and elderly care at all high-rise and low-rise hotels and vacation home rentals. Their sitters are extremely well experienced in the care sector and have been carefully screened in order to join their team. To find the perfect babysitter match for your needs contact them today.
To help plan your perfect family getaway, here are our suggestions and tips for kid-friendly activities in Aruba:
Splish splash the day away
Escape life above water and head under the sea! Grab your snorkel gear (if your accommodations doesn’t provide any, you can rent it from Aruba Active Vacations ), pack a cooler and visit one of the many beaches perfect for snorkeling. Or, join a power snorkeling tour with Seabob Aruba.
We also highly recommend joining a sail and snorkel cruise for a full morning or afternoon of family fun! Try Spronk Catamaran or browse more sail and catamaran cruises here.
For the older kids and adults, you may want to try one of the many water activities. From tubing to jet skiing, paddle boarding, kite surfing, kayaking, and parasailing… there are so many options! Try Delphi Watersports or Aruba Active Vacations.
Immerse yourself in fun cultural events
After a long hiatus, the highly anticipated Island Festival in Aruba is back, bringing vibrant street activities to the beautiful streets of San Nicolas! Island Fest will take place the last Wednesday of every month and is the perfect event for the entire family to immerse yourself in Aruba’s culture and traditions. It’s a unique event that also allows for visitors to mingle with the locals and experience a taste of the island life.
The festival includes plenty of delicious local bites, refreshing drinks, live bands, historical dance shows, and more. The kids will especially love the magical atmosphere with performances that delve into Aruba’s history and heritage. Get more event details here.
Another perfect way to get a taste of Aruba’s culture and way of life is to attend Dushi Aruba This Way! A weekly event held every Thursday on the beach of Renaissance Ocean Suites.
The family will be able to experience Aruba’s culture and indulge in a delicious all-you-can-eat BBQ with a local twist, enjoy a mixology bar ready to show off the latest trends in handcrafted cocktails, local artists with some lovely souvenirs to take back home, a Carnival show with an interactive local brass band, making for plenty of perfect memorable photo ops! Get more event details here.
Meet the animals on the island
As you venture around the island, you’re bound to come across wildlife on a daily basis with all of the iguanas, small lizards, goats, colorful birds, and wild donkeys hanging around. There are plenty of places to visit to meet and hang out with animals, such as the Donkey Sanctuary, The Butterfly Farm, Ostrich Farm, and Philip’s Animal Garden.
A fun and convenient way to interact with the animals and to learn more about Aruba’s wildlife is to join the Fauna Tour with EL Tours, it’s the perfect family activity and you’ll be happy to know part of the proceeds are donated to the animal sanctuaries on the island!
Beach Days
While every beach is worth visiting in Aruba (this goes without saying), some especially family-friendly beaches include Baby Beach, Mangel Halto, Surfside Beach, Arashi Beach, Boca Catalina Beach, and Eagle Beach.
Discover more beaches in Aruba and prepare for your happy and sunny beach days to come!
Explore the national park and natural attractions
Are you ready to explore the diverse natural beauty that Aruba has to offer? Gather your crew and head to Aruba’s National Park for a day filled with fun island adventure! On the way to the park and inside of the park, there are plenty of natural attractions to discover, such as caves, rock formations, freshwater ponds for fish pedicures, natural pools, inlets with wild beaches, hiking trails, gold mine ruins, and more.
To make it extra fun and engaging for the kids, do a little research before heading out and create a scavenger hunt across the island. Some sights worth adding to your list are the California Lighthouse, Bushiribana Ruins, Red Anchor, Ayo and Casibari Rock formations, Guadirikiri cave, Fontein cave & fish pond, Arikok National Park, wild beaches, and much more!
While purchasing your day pass at the Visitor’s Pass you can even arrange to hike with one of the well-experienced and knowledgable park rangers. If a hike doesn’t exactly suit your family we suggest joining a guided tour.
Browse island tours and nature attractions.
Play day at Arcade Aruba or Aruba Waterpark
Arcade Aruba by Wind Creek, located in Renaissance Marketplace, is known as one of the coolest ‘hang-out’ places for children and teenagers for gaming. The arcade offers many games and activities to entertain all, from young to old. It hosts 20+ machines with games like King Kong VR, Jurassic Park, Air Hockey, Basketball, Nerf Arcade and Racing.
Parents can also opt to relax and dine at Renaissance Marketplace. View more information on Dining at Renaissance Marketplace. There’s also more fun to be had at 5 o’Clock Par & Chill, where you can grab great food, and drinks, and play your favorite sports (virtually), making for a fun-filled family evening for all to enjoy!
If you’re looking for some fun under the sun, head to Aruba’s Waterpark, located right by the famous Hooiberg in Santa Cruz. The waterpark is open on weekends from 10 AM – 5 PM. A day at the waterpark is always a hit with the kids and not a bad deal for the adults either who can leisurely lounge poolside. Purchase a regular ticket or opt for an all-inclusive ticket, which includes unlimited food and drinks. Contact the park for more details and official opening hours, as they can change depending on the season.
Family-friendly dining
There are plenty of fun beachfront or waterfront restaurants that the kids will love, try Water’s Edge on Eagle Beach or Lucy’s Aruba, situated alongside the Renaissance Marina.
We especially recommend trying one of Aruba’s newest and unique family dining experiences, the Pirate Dinner at Hilton Aruba. It’s an…arrrghhh…perfect dining experience for the entire family! Your group will feel like rulers of the seven seas as you indulge in a Caribbean family-style pirate dining experience with flavors from the grill and toes in the sand. This takes place on the shores of Palm Beach at Hilton Aruba.
Another fun dining option for the family is one of the Dutch pancake restaurants (try The Dutch Pancake House, Diana’s Pancake Place or Linda’s Pancake House). The kids are bound to love their super-sized pancakes made any way they want (savory, sweet or both). Oh, and don’t forget to end the day with an ice cream stop. Yes, vacation calls for a treat every now and again!
Browse more dining options in Aruba.
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