Spring Outing: A Joyful Three-Day, Two-Night Parent-Child Trip to Sheshan
As a Shanghai native, every week I'm on the hunt for fun and interesting things to do in the city. This week, with spring in full bloom, we set our sights on Sheshan in Songjiang and drove out there with the little one to explore Shanghai's Sheshan.
When you mention Sheshan in Shanghai, the most famous part is West Sheshan. But Sheshan is more than just mountains; as the Sheshan Tourist Resort, it brings together dining, entertainment, and many fun attractions. Since we had a child with us, we chose the most family-friendly route—flower viewing and playing, combining scenery and childlike fun perfectly.
Day 1: Outing to Enjoy Flowers in the Cherry Blossom Season
Spring has arrived again, and everything is reviving. How can you miss flower viewing on a spring getaway?
Every year from March to April is Shanghai's most romantic cherry blossom season, and as a top flower-viewing spot, Chenshan Botanical Garden is a must-see.
We drove straight to Gate 1 of Chenshan Botanical Garden, where there's a convenient parking lot. The magnolia blossoms at the entrance were already stealing the show, attracting a large crowd. We couldn't help but capture this beautiful moment right there.
Inside the gate, a vast field of tulips displayed their unique charm. Tulips are synonymous with spring. 'Write a letter in the twilight, tuck a tulip into the envelope, carrying the solitude of mountains and seas and the romance of everyday life, to send you the tenderness exclusive to spring.' These gentle words are filled with endless reveries of spring and romance, and this reverie was brought to life by the tulips before us.
There are many tulip varieties, and the scale of planting in Chenshan Botanical Garden is huge; the entrance is just the tip of the iceberg. The main tulip viewing spots are concentrated in the tram route, the quarry, the bamboo garden area, and the 'Chenshan Impression' flower bed. To explore more deeply, you can hop on a tram at the entrance, saving time and effort.
But if you're like us and want every encounter to be a surprise, just wander aimlessly, because spring at Chenshan Botanical Garden never disappoints.
Continuing further, you'll see the enchanting cherry blossoms blooming like clouds—this is the famous Kawazu Cherry Blossom Avenue at Chenshan. The best viewing period for cherry blossoms here starts from early March, which are the early-bloom varieties, mainly concentrated in the early cherry blossom viewing areas represented by Kawazu Cherry Blossom Avenue and the Spring Cherry Blossom Ring.
But admiring cherry blossoms also requires a bit of luck. When we visited, some of the early blossoms had already fallen, so we didn't see the kilometer-long avenue in full bloom. However, future visitors can look forward to the mid-season cherry blossom avenue represented by Tokyo cherry blossoms. The buds of the Tokyo cherries are just waiting for a gentle spring breeze to awaken them and burst into bloom.
Fortunately, the diversity of flowers at Chenshan Botanical Garden made up for this slight cherry blossom disappointment.
At Chenshan Botanical Garden, it's not just cherry blossoms—there are hundreds of flowers in bloom. Plum blossoms and magnolias vied for attention, and all the flowers decorated the garden like a fairy-tale world, vividly picturesque.
The little one ran and played on the grass. We brought a picnic mat and some snacks, sat under the cherry trees, and waited for a gentle breeze to send down a shower of petals.
After leaving Chenshan Botanical Garden, we went straight back to our hotel. We stayed at the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland (also known as the Shimao Deep Pit Hotel), which is very close to the scenic area. This hotel is a unique attraction in itself, with its distinctive architectural design built 88 meters below ground, brimming with a sense of technology and art.
The elevators here take you down to explore; the observation deck on level B14 offers a stunning panoramic view of the surrounding water.
And their underwater-view rooms are one of their special features. Inside the room, there's a large aquarium built into the wall, which absolutely delighted the little one—we could watch the fish swimming freely right from our room.
Day 2: A Day of Endless Childlike Fun
Before dawn, the little guy was already eager to get up and head out, because today we were going to his favorite place: JEGO Rabbit Nest Paradise!
JEGO Rabbit Nest Paradise is located within Yuehu Sculpture Park in Shanghai Sheshan National Tourist Resort. Inside, there are all kinds of dreamy and artistic themed play equipment, challenging high-tower combinations, and trendy photo spots.
We had taken him to the JEGO Rabbit Nest in Pudong before, but this was our first time at the one in Yuehu Park. As a non-powered play equipment park, this place is simply a paradise for kids.
You can park at Yuehu Park, and it's about a 10-minute walk to Rabbit Nest. We suggest dropping off at the Rabbit Nest entrance first, then having one parent go park the car, so the kids can get in and start playing right away.
The little one sprinted into Rabbit Nest at full speed. The park opens at 9:30, so being among the first to enter meant no queues anywhere—it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
Every free activity in the park is worth trying. We recommend heading straight for the parent-child go-kart on the right after entering; if the line is short, go for it first, because it's a lot of fun and usually the line gets longest here. Then you can check off other activities based on what your child likes.
All kinds of slides, sand play, trampolines, swings, non-powered play areas, and climbing structures are free. The entire park is designed to be joyful.
There are also mini basketball and soccer courts, etc. For those living nearby, we highly recommend getting an annual pass—one card gives you free access to so many facilities.
It's best to leave water play for last, and make sure to bring a change of clothes, because once kids get near water, they completely lose control.
Yuehu Sculpture Park is right next to JEGO Rabbit Nest, so after you leave Rabbit Nest, you can go directly to Yuehu Park.
Yuehu Sculpture Park is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. The park is built around a lake, so the natural scenery is fantastic—every casual snapshot turns out to be a beautiful landscape.
As the name suggests, this sculpture park is themed around Moon Lake, with approximately 60 sculptures artfully arranged along the lakeshore, seamlessly blending art and nature.
This is truly a great spot for relaxing and strolling with kids. Not only can you pitch a tent and camp, but importantly, there's a large sandy beach by the lake. When children encounter sand, they can play for hours—don't forget to bring digging tools so they can build their own grand castles.
The park is large, with many recreational facilities. Besides amusement games for kids, there are also water sports like sailing.
My favorite part was the fantastical Stonehenge-like rock formation; it was impressive, with blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and massive stones—it's extremely photogenic.
Day 3: Never Grow Up—A Candy for Your Inner Child
Staying at the Deep Pit Hotel, you can easily visit the Smurfs Park, as they both belong to the Shimao Group, so the hotel and Smurfs Park are connected.
The Smurfs are a memory from our generation (the 80s). Even before entering, we were charmed by those familiar little blue creatures—they belong to our childhood!
The Smurfs Park is a large indoor amusement park, so you don't have to worry about the weather at all—you can just go for it without thinking twice.
After entering, you can get a Smurfs Magic Handbook for your child at the entrance. The handbook has stamp checkpoints printed inside; after collecting 16 stamps, you can redeem a gift at the service desk. For kids, it's a great sense of ceremony.
The Smurfs Park isn't huge, but you can easily spend half a day exploring it. The whole park is packed with Smurfs elements—it's fun to see, play, and perfect for photo ops.
Because we went on a weekday, it wasn't crowded, and we barely had to wait in line. We could ride any attraction freely, without enduring long waits. The joy of having a whole park to yourself—who knows how good that feels!
Each ride has a height requirement; generally, kids who are 120 cm tall can enjoy all the rides.
The Smurfs Park is divided into areas like the Smurfs Village, Forest, and Gargamel's Lair, each with many fun attractions. The most thrilling is definitely the Berry Roller Coaster, with a height requirement of 105 cm or more, so even younger kids can enjoy the excitement. This is probably the most popular ride in the park—even I, an adult, thought it was super fun! We rode it three or four times!
The second most fun was Soaring Over the Wonderland, similar to Disney's Soarin'. You sit in a seat that rises up close to a giant screen, virtually experiencing China's magnificent landscapes as if you're flying through the sky. This show runs every half hour, so plan accordingly.
There's also the toddler-friendly drop tower, Azrael's Bungee Jump; Swamp Adventure, where you put on 3D glasses, sit in a rotating seat, and shoot at Gargamel and Azrael on screen—biubiubiu~; you can even explore Gargamel's lair, a kid-friendly haunted house with spooky but not scary settings, and there's a big surprise at the end!
Our three-day, two-night trip to Sheshan has come to an end, but what we experienced was just the tip of the iceberg. There are still many fun places we didn't get to visit. Next time, we'll plan for more!
