Cute Pets, Vertical Slides, Water Park: Shanghai Baoyan Paradise Family Guide

This year’s rain just keeps drizzling on and on, with barely a sunny break. The Jiangnan plum rain season always coincides with the kids’ summer vacation, and this year, the weather hasn’t even let up before the dog days begin. It’s really stressing out us moms with little ones at home.

Every day I’ve been researching where to take the kids during the holidays, and I decided to start with a full day at the Shanghai Baoyan Paradise flagship store.

This might be Shanghai’s first mega-combo family amusement park that has a cute petting zoo, slide park, soft play naughty castle, dynamic VR park, building block park, family restaurant, arcade games park, constant-temperature water park, and outdoor experience park all under one roof. It covers over 20,000 square meters!

The flagship store is at No. 11, Lane 3825, Dushi Road, Minhang District, Shanghai. Of course, there are many other branches too. You can bring friends along, and it’s a great place for kids’ parties during holidays.

Ticket and business info:

Currently during summer vacation (July and August), the park is open from 9:30 to 20:30.

The water park and cute petting zoo are open from 11:00 to 18:00.

The gate price for Baoyan Paradise flagship is 399 yuan for one adult and one child.

There is a parking lot, free for the first 4 hours, then 6 yuan per hour afterward.

1. 18 years old and above is considered "adult," below 18 is "child."

2. Children under 1 year old ("second baby") can enter for free with valid ID and accompanied by an older child.

3. For safety reasons, pregnant women and seniors over 60 are not recommended to enter.

4. Adult companion ticket is 100 yuan each.

I think it’s really considerate that they don’t count by height; after all, who isn’t a baby? Even 18-year-olds are minors, so of course they’re little!

1. Upon entry, you’ll get a wristband and can go in and out multiple times.

2. Both adults and kids must wear anti-slip long socks, long sleeves, and long pants when using the slides to prevent scrapes.

3. Not just for slides, other areas like the naughty castle also require you to take off your shoes and wear socks to enter – it’s more hygienic.

4. The water park is four-season constant-temperature, so you can play anytime your body allows. Don’t forget to bring swimsuit, goggles, and swim cap; the park provides slippers in all sizes. There are family changing rooms so the whole family can change together.

Cute Petting Zoo – Slide Park – Dynamic VR Park – Family Restaurant – Naughty Castle – Building Block Park – Arcade Park – Constant-Temperature Water Park – Outdoor Experience Park

Personally, I think you should head to the cute petting zoo first. It’s outside the main area on the 1st floor and has a separate ticket.

Wash hands and put on gloves upon entry to keep clean and safe – you can touch and feed the little animals.

The star animal is, of course, the alpaca! Don’t worry, the alpacas here are very well-behaved and won’t spit, so go ahead and feed them.

Bunnies, squirrels, and such are kids’ absolute favorites.

A row of bunnies pokes their heads out, waiting for my little girl to pet them, but their real aim is waiting for food. They’re all pretty clean and have no bad smell.

There are reptiles like lizards, fish – the whole environment is quite like a tropical rainforest. It covers a decent area. If your kid especially loves animals, you won’t get out of there in under two hours.

They even have a separate bird area, with bird food.

There are also meerkats, groundhogs, and hedgehogs – it’s a petting zoo with quite a complete collection.

Hamsters are very small, so you can even hold them while wearing gloves to feed.

Slide Park – Dynamic VR Park

Both are on the first floor. Slides are Baoyan’s signature, so they’re definitely unique.

There are plenty of lockers, so just relax and play. Remember to take off your shoes, and you must wear long sleeves and long pants, otherwise you can’t play because the slides are fast and could cause scrapes – it’s for safety.

The 90-degree ‘devil slide’ is a real courage test. Honestly, looking at that angle makes my legs shake, but there were brave kids who went up and even did it three times – real warriors! You need to wear a special plush suit for this slide, super cute and soft.

There are staff members around to guide you, so don’t worry if you don’t know how.

The 45-degree slide has even more kids, with a pool of ball pit balls below to cushion the landing.

There are also ‘rainbow slides’ with a girly feel. You can try sliding down with several friends side by side – it’s quite spectacular.

Besides slides, there’s also an adventure zone like a ‘brave ones’ path,’ so kids who are a bit timid about slides can still find their own fun.

The first floor also has 5D, 7D, and 9D VR cinema experiences. The films shown in the morning and afternoon are different, so remember to check the schedule and watch a few times – it feels like you’re getting your money’s worth. After all, a single VR game outside usually costs around 50 yuan.

After finishing the first floor, take the elevator to the second floor. The lockers can be opened repeatedly, so just leave your stuff on the first floor.

Naughty Castle – Building Block Park – Family Restaurant – Arcade Park

Before playing in the naughty castle, you can grab lunch. The second floor has a family restaurant with sofa seating, mainly Western fast food, and drink vending machines. Prices are reasonable and portions are generous. We ordered salt-and-pepper chicken, fried fish, fries, chicken wings, and bolognese. I personally recommend the salt-and-pepper chicken – it beats any trendy eatery outside.

Of course, you can also eat at the ‘Sea Harvest Works’ on the first floor.

There’s a nursery room to rest.

There’s a baking classroom.

There’s a birthday room – you can celebrate birthdays here!

What surprised this mom the most: there’s even a nail salon! I promptly dumped the kid in the naughty castle and went to get my nails done. My child is old enough to be very safety-conscious, so it was totally fine.

The naughty castle’s ball pit has several thick layers of plastic balls that can almost bury you. Of course, you also need to take off shoes to enter. There are lockers too, and near them you can play with sand art.

It has slides, rock climbing, hammocks, and swings – all very safe, and it’s a place where older kids can play independently.

It’s a great time-killer. I’ve discovered that ball pits have a mysterious pull on kids – no matter their age, they just dive right in and disappear!

A group of kids rock climbing.

Slides and trampolines – let’s play!

Of course, the building block area is also very popular – get those hands and brains working and start building!

I have to recommend the bumper cars in the arcade – there are free session times, and they can hold lots of kids at once. The more, the merrier!

There are so many fun spots – take your time exploring.

Constant-Temperature Water Park

The 3rd and 4th floors are the water park. Since it’s four-season constant-temperature, you can come anytime, not just summer vacation. Let the kids unleash their nature in the water!

They sell swimsuits here, so it’s no big deal if you forget yours.

Changing rooms come in men’s, women’s, and family types. The family changing rooms are separate little rooms, perfect for moms bringing their young sons to change – a very thoughtful touch.

If you love thrills, hit the water slides – so exciting! Splashing down creates huge sprays. This is the favorite of both adults and kids, and you just can’t stop.

My kid finally gave in to temptation and climbed up the high platform to play. Maybe because it’s indoors, kids feel braver – they probably feel safer.

After getting your thrills here, there’s a large water play area nearby with gentle little slides, splash fountains, and seesaws – more suitable for younger children.

There’s also a separate swimming pool. The water is very shallow – with my girl’s height, she can touch the bottom with her legs stretched out. It’s perfect for beginners learning to swim.

Tired from playing? You can relax in the spa pool.

Outdoor Experience Park

Last but not least, the outdoor experience park.

Walking here feels like stepping back into Jurassic World.

There are relatively thrilling rides like a pirate ship, Jurassic Adventure, and the brave ones’ path.

And there are carousels and little trains, perfect for little girls and young toddlers.

When the weather’s nice, you can even go grass sledding!!!

There’s a newly developed area where you can feed and walk horses. They’re purebred ponies, small in stature and very gentle – recommended for kids trying it for the first time.

Spending a whole day at Baoyan Paradise is truly super satisfying. Not to mention the kids, even I had a blast and plan to come again when I can. I’m so envious of the residents nearby – even just the petting zoo would make me want to come every day!