9 x our country’s best open-air museums

In our previously published blog on museum visits for the whole family, we mainly looked at museums located in a building. But our country also has a lot of really cool museums that are (mostly) outdoors. We have put 8 of our favorite outdoor museums in a blog for you.

The Archeon in Alphen aan den Rijn

The Archeon is a real hands-on museum. In one day you walk from Prehistoric times to Roman times and then through the Middle Ages back to our own time. The staff of the Archeon is completely dressed in the style of the time in which they are standing and they really empathize. Super fun! Take part in workshops, experience how people used to live and take a look at one of the exhibitions. And did you know you can even stay overnight at the Archeon? Book a medieval vacation or sleep in Expedition Archeon’s 4-person lodge!

The Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen

Before the Afsluitdijk was built in 1932, the people who lived in the area of the Zuiderzee Museum lived on the Zuiderzee. Today this area is the IJsselmeer, but the Zuiderzee Museum gives you a glimpse into life back then. Take a look at one of the many crafts such as churning and sail-making or take a peek into a historic classroom. For children, the Zuiderzee Museum is a really fun place. For example, they can walk through the children’s work street and do all kinds of activities. That’s definitely not child labor!

preHistoric Village in Eindhoven

In the preHistoric Village you will make a time travel through six different eras: from prehistory to the late Middle Ages. Meet historical inhabitants such as a hunter from the Stone Age or a craftsman or woman from the Middle Ages. These residents, dressed in the clothing of the time, will show you how they used to live, work and survive. You can not only watch, but more importantly participate yourself! Bake bread on a wood fire, make fire with flints or try out a medieval sword. Experiencing it yourself is central here.

The Chameleon Village in Terherne

In the Frisian town of Terherne, a veritable Kameleondorp has been built. Named after, precisely The Chameleon! That was the ship of the twins Hielke and Sietse from the TV series of the same name. Everything in the village has to do with these adventurous twins. Not only fun for children, but also for people who have seen or read the series in the past. Because it has also been published in books. Our guest blogger Ingeborg has previously visited Terherne with her family. You can read all about it in her blog.

Madurodam in The Hague

Want to visit all of The Netherlands in one day? It’s possible in Madurodam! Here you will find the Netherlands in miniature but there is more than that. Children can have a great time in one of the many playgrounds and attractions. But also for parents it is a lot of fun. The buildings are beautifully recreated in miniature. There is something to see everywhere!

Delta park Neeltje Jans in Vrouwenpolder

You willfindDeltapark Neeltje Jans in Vrouwenpolder in Zeeland. Most of Zeeland is below sea level and in 1953, people were forced to face the facts: the dikes were bad. A great storm raged over our country and the coastal dikes, especially in Zeeland, breached. A great flood was the result. Many people died by drowning and the damage was enormous. This was never to happen again, and so the construction of a huge dike was started: the Storm Surge Barrier. Deltapark Neeltje Jans lies at the foot of this colossus and gives you a unique look behind the scenes of this “eighth wonder of the world.”

Hunebed Centre in Borger

In Borger, Drenthe, you will find a special outdoor museum: the Hunebedcentrum. Here you can learn everything about the people who lived in this part of the Netherlands in Prehistoric times. In this museum you will also find the largest Prehistoric structure in the Netherlands: a hunebed more than 5,000 years old. Really very interesting and very fun to visit with children.

Geofort in Herwijnen

Some outdoor museums are just extra special. So is Geofort in Herwijnen. This outdoor (and also a little indoor) museum is located on a real fortress island! At Geofort everything revolves around the earth. It starts off right away: you step into an elevator that drills right through the earth. There are many interactive games that tell you all about the earth. In addition, there are all sorts of hands-on activities such as a maze, an adventure playground and much, much more. Really fun, especially for Minecraft fans too!

Memorial Center – Camp Westerbork

One of the most special and impressive outdoor museums I have visited is Camp Westerbork. From this point in Drenthe, more than one hundred thousand Jews, Sinti and Roma were put on trains to “work camps.” In Westerbork they stayed in barracks where it must have been terrible. A little stone was placed for each victim. The train tracks (now symbolically bent over) are still there and there are also cards to read that people sent from Camp Westerbork to family members. Very impressive! We wrote about this museum earlier in our blog on war memorials.

Credits photos: OpstapmetLisa and www.canva.com

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