Fun things to do in Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

Did you know that Kuala Lumpur is a mixture of old and new, from turn of the century colonial buildings to the soaring glass and steel Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest building in the world. It's a big city, but there are large parks and green space where kids can run around. :)

Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park – Start your day with a trip to the Petronas Twin Towers, 88 stories high, the second tallest building in the world (1, 483 feet). Take the elevators to the Skybridge that connects the two towers of this elegant glass and steel building. The Petronas Twin Towers are open Tues.- Sun., and the Skybridge is closed on Fri. from 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

Adjacent to the towers is a large public park, Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park. There is a two acre modern kid's playground, wading pools (bring your swim suits), a musical fountain, artificial lake, sculptures, plenty of grass and shade trees.

Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) – Get the bird's eye view of Kuala Lumpur from the KL Tower, a big concrete communications tower with a space age look. Take elevator to observatory deck and grab a snack in the revolving restaurant.

Back on the ground, follow the walkway which links the KL Tower to Bukit Nanas Forest Recreational Park. Suddenly you'll find yourself in a green, shady forest, right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. Bring your picnic lunch (picnic tables provided). There are trails through the park and a playground.

Craft Museum (Craft Cultural Complex, Jalan Conlay) – The attraction of this museum is the dioramas, detailed scenes showing the traditional process of making pottery by hand, intricate wood carving, silversmithing, weaving songket cloth or pandan leaves, stamping batik patterns on cloth, boat making. In the Craft Cultural Complex, you can buy these traditional handicrafts.

Masjid Jame (Masjid Jamek) – The Masjid Jame ("Friday Mosque") is the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur, located on spit of land where the Klang River and Gombak River meet. It's also a nice spot to stroll along the river.

Central Market (Pasar Seni) – The Central Market, housed in a charming art deco style building, is a place to find out more about Malaysian culture, arts and crafts." Look for shadow puppet plays (wayang kulit), batik painting, art exhibitions, traditional music and dance performances.

While you're at Central Market, buy kites. Kite flying is a national pastime in Malaysia. Look for the distinctive "wan bulan" or moon kite, cat kites, bird kites. Ask at your hotel for the best place to fly your kite.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple – You'll want to stop into this 19th century Hindu temple so you can be overwhelmed by the ornate decorations on every square inch of the temple. The carvings of Hindus gods and goddesses are painted in brilliant colors, and decorated with gilt and precious stones.

Lake Gardens (Tama Tasik Perdana) – This peaceful 100 year old park is an oasis in the city. Run around the children's playground or rent boats to take out on the artificial lake.

If you want to see splashes of tropical color, head for the Hibiscus Garden, filled with hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia, or the Orchid Garden.

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park – This large bird park has birds from Southeast Asia, including the hornbill, the national bird of Malaysia. You can see the birds amidst tropical foliage, ponds and waterfalls. Bring your binoculars.

Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park – Prepare to be boggled by thousands of butterflies in the natural setting of a Malaysian rainforest. Don't miss the insect museum and butterfly nursery.

Deer Park – This park has world's smallest deer, the mouse deer. The mouse deer looks looks about the size of a large bunny. You can come up close enough to feed the deer.

National Planetarium – The attraction here is to take the elevator ride up to the roof for a great view of Kuala Lumpur. For star gazers, there's a 14 inch working telescope in the observatory.

National Museum (Muzium Negara) – This is the place to find out about the history and culture of Malaysia. Exhibits include cultural dioramas of a Malay wedding and circumcision. If you're planning to go to the natural parks in Malaysia, find out about animals of Malaysia in the natural history gallery. There are exhibits of Malaysian musical instruments, puppets and a sports gallery." Outside, don't miss the old locomotives, cars and reconstructed Malay palaces on the grounds.

Water Parks – Tired and hot, had too much of the city? Cool off and relax in a water park. These parks are designed for families, so whether you have toddler who wants to play with bubbles, or a big kid who wants an action packed ride, it's there.

Sunway Lagoon (Petaling Jaya) – Sunway Lagoon Theme Park features a wave pool, giant waterfall, little kids' pool, and giant waterslides. Just float away the afternoon on inner tubes in the Lazy River. The theme park also has (dry) amusement rides.

Desa Water Park (Taman Danau Desa) – This water park has a bubble pool, three wave pools and water slides. For the action-oriented, try out Thunderbolt, a thrilling uphill water coast ride, or Supertube, ride your inner tube through loops at fast speeds. At the Water Factory, turn wheels and push buttons to shoot water in all directions.