Children’s floor of the Estonian Road Museum

Lake Peipus Living Room is a permanent exhibition that gives visitors information about the natural conditions in Lake Peipus and the lives of people living by the lake. You can see models of the 34 species of fish that inhabit Lake Peipus. There is also a three-dimensional model of the lake that is 4 m long and 1.4 m wide and also shows the location of the towns and villages, accommodation establishments, museums, watchtowers and other places of interest near the lake.The Mustvee beach by Lake Peipus is marked with a yellow National Geographic window; it is one of the 21 places worth discovering in Southern Estonia. If you are interested in nature, it is definitely worth a visit.

Welcome to Lõunakeskus, Southern Estonia’s biggest shopping and recreation centre, which includes more than 180 different stores and service providers. We are a child-friendly centre, which means you can visit us with your whole family! Here, you can find hotel Sophia, restaurant Fii, a sports club, Apollo Cinema, an ice rink, an adventure park, a farmer’s market, a playground, and much more. Lõunakeskus has a wide range of fast food places, restaurants, and traditional cafes, all of which have free Wi-Fi. You are bound to spend an enjoyable day at Lõunakeskus!

At the Ice Age Centre, you can travel through time from the ice age to the future. Discover the Ice Age Centre in Tartu County, on the shores of Lake Saadjärve. Interactive exhibitions take you on a journey from the last ice age to the present and beyond, revealing the story of the universe, Earth, and the evolution of life. The symbol of the Ice Age Centre is the mammoths that lived in this area 10,000 years ago. You will also encounter cave lions, ancient deer, and other Ice Age animals to learn how nature developed. The exhibitions clearly and engagingly explain the causes of climate change, the impact of human activity on the environment, and possible future scenarios. In the centre, you can move at your own pace, participate in themed tours, or use an audio guide suitable for both adults and children. The family-friendly environment makes the visit interesting for visitors of all ages. During the summer season, you can enhance your visit with a raft ride on Lake Saadjärve, and year-round, you are welcome at the Ice Age Centre café.

The Estonian Road Museum showcases the development of roads and traffic in Estonia, from the horse era to the present day. Exciting thematic events are organized here, educational guided tours are offered, and rooms are rented for seminars and celebrations. The heart of the museum is the historic Varbuse horse post station, which, together with the outdoor exhibition environment Teeaeg, forms a unique look at history. The Machine Hall is the museum's technical park and interactive traffic education center. It also houses a rotating car and the Estonian Road Museum's traffic safety simulator, which offers an immersive experience and a clear understanding of how seat belts save lives. The standout features of the outdoor areas are the historic road room, where you can seemingly travel back in time, and the recreation area with a traffic city, which offers activities for the whole family, especially during the summer season. Temporary exhibitions are held in the main building of the post station, and the second floor houses a children's museum created specifically for younger visitors.

The permanent exhibition Earth. Life. Story. includes nearly 8,000 scientific exhibit items, which tell the development story of planet Earth from the beginning of the universe until the modern day. At the exhibition, you can explore the traces of life from millions of years ago, admire shiny minerals, watch the so-called night airport of butterflies, or track the movement of the placoderm fish from the Devonian era. You can look the first jackal caught in Estonia in the eye and experience the human body through the eyes of a reptile. Visitors will be glad to see the favourites of several generations: the elk, bison, and giraffe. We also have live animals, such as the Python Regius, a turtle, a green iguana, and many other small exotic animals. See you at the Natural History Museum!

Tartu Toy Museum, situated in the Old Town of Tartu, takes adults back to the brighter days of their childhood and offers children plenty of interesting things to see and do.The permanent exhibition displays toys that Estonian children have played with throughout the years. Artist-made dolls, souvenir dolls of different nations, and Finno-Ugric traditional toys are also exhibited. Playrooms and workshops are also open. You can see puppets from Estonian puppet films and temporary exhibitions in the outbuilding. The museum also has a theatre building named ’Teatri kodu’ (The Home of Theatre) with a theatre hall, a museum of puppets, and a children’s studio.

In the summer of 2020, the Otepää Central Square and Flag Square dedicated to the Estonian tricolour got a new look. The Central Square is illustrated by Bruno Kadak's bronze sculpture – the fountain 'Fun Ott'.There is a well-known belief around the world that throwing a coin in a fountain brings happiness, but when coming to the Otepää fountain, you have to scratch the bear's rear paw.The Flag Square has one of the highest flagpoles in Estonia. Next to the Estonian flagstaff are pavilions and information stands telling the story of the flag. The community garden with a children's playground offers leisure opportunities for both adults and children.Come to Otepää!

The outlying buildings and grounds of the fairytale Cantervilla Castle are home to a theme park and playland reflecting the manor period. There is plenty of fun to be had by the whole family - for the whole day! You can see how people got around back in the day, what clothes they wore, what they ate and how they used to eat it (table manners being very important!). There are lots of attractions in the playland - a water park, various vehicles, a climbing frame, trampolines, a labyrinth, a costume room and much more. Catering is available at the cafe in the playland stable, but you can bring a picnic if you like.