With the kids

from Guide - summer / fall 2023

Sysmä

Here are the best summer holiday tips for the whole family.

In Lahti at YOGAROCKS, you can try out how high you can climb a wall. There are several climbing walls for beginners and more skilled climbers at YogaRocks. www.yogarocks.fi

YLI-MAROLA 4H FARM ANIMAL YARD, a home of goats, cocks, hens, rabbits and sheep in an authentic countryside environment. There is a voluntary entrance fee. www.lahti.4h.fi

AT FARM ANIMAL YARD OLGAN FARMI you can meet a donkey, a cow, alpacas, sheep, goats, bunnies, horses and chickens, among others. On the KILKKILÄ FARM lure chickens and peacocks. You can also discover ostriches, alpacas, reindeer, angoras and miniature horses. www.olganfarmi.fi, www.kilkkilanfarmi.fi

1 PAJUKETTU ADVENTURE PARK IN PAJULAHTI is a track built using the local terrain and trees. It includes speedy slides, challenging climbing and obstacle courses that require some dedication, both high up and closer to the ground. Pajukettu is Finland’s largest track built in the terrain and trees. There are 177 elements or obstacles and 17 different tracks. www.seikkailupuistopajulahti.fi

Located near the VÄÄKSY CANAL, the children’s adventure park is full of fun playground equipment, the latest being a wire slide. The partly accessible Myllytonttu (“Mill Elf”) nature trail is right next to the adventure park.

LADEO has been divided for different sports: skateboarding ramps, a bouldering area and a training loft. You can ride a BMX bike or a scootboard in the hall, and there is a spectator’s gallery and cafeteria as well. www.ladeo.fi

2 The unique OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL at the foot of the famous ski jump towers in Lahti offers the best setting for a splashy summer day. The pool is 50 meters long and has a shallow section suitable for young children on one end. Showers and saunas are located in the ski-viewing building nearby. www.lahti.fi

LAUNE FAMILY PARK in Lahti is a place for the entire family, with experiences both outdoors and indoors. The park includes slides, climbing equipment, a traffic town, cottages for hobbies and a fortress. Entrance free of charge.

The eleven adventure tracks at VIERUMÄKI FLOWPARK have been built in trees. One of them is a test track, two are for children (below 120 cm in height) and three are slides. The rest are top rope tracks that include swinging paths, jumping with vines and sliding along wire ropes, for example. www.vierumaki.fi/flowpark

At HEINOLA BIRD SANCTUARY , you can study the life of rescued wild birds. There are also lively parrots that need someone to talk to, and Kaija the white cockatoo will be happy to dance to any beats from your phone. www.heinolanlintutarha.fi

Ride the PUKSU CITY TRAIN and enjoy a comfortable way to see different parts of the city during the summer. You can hop off at any stop you like during the same day and continue your journey later on with the same ticket. www.puksujuna.fi

HEINOLA TRAFFIC PARK has pedal cars, scooters and kickbikes. The equipment can be used free of charge, and there is staff on hand to assist you. A new feature is a pumptrack. During the park’s opening hours, you can borrow a variety of yard games from mölkky to pétanque and chalk to draw on the ground. www.heinola.fi

3 At the operational points of the RADIO AND TV MUSEUM MASTOLA, visitors can explore radio and TV operations. In the museum's green screen studio, for example, you can test how a real person is placed on top of the Lahti ski jump for a TV program. At the DX listening point, you can dive into the world of long-wave listening. In the "Suloiset Sankarit (Sweet Heroes)" exhibition, you can learn what it's like to make a movie when the cast includes animals. www.lahdenmastola.fi

Located at an authentic farm, KORVEN KARITSA trekking stable and farm animal yard is a memorable destination for the whole family. At the farm animal yard located at the Ravioskorpi village in Sysmä, you will see playful farm animals and even be able to pet some of them. www.korvenkaritsa.fi ■ hollola medieval grey stone church