10 Cool Things to Do in Shanghai for Youngsters

No matter you are a child or an adult, it is always a cool thing to do in Shanghai to visit the Disneyland Park. Once you walk through the Mickey Avenue, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy and other characters in the Disney films will give you a warm welcome and are willing to take photos with you. You can spend the whole day in exploring the theme parks such as the Fantasyland, Adventure Isle, Treasure Cove and the Tomorrowland. Meanwhile, you are able to interact with those adorable characters in the various stage show, light show, musical play and the flower parade here. If you are hungry and want to take a break, the restaurants in the Disneyland Park will provide you with classical cuisines from around the world. In short, the fun never stops here!

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There are many skyscrapers along the east bank of Huangpu River. The most well-known three are Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center and Oriental Pearl Tower. You can choose any of them to enjoy a bird’s eye view of Shanghai, which is definitely a cool thing to do in Shanghai. The Shanghai Tower is 632m (2,073ft) high, being the tallest building in China and the 2nd tallest building across the world. The Shanghai World Financial Center enables tourists to walk through a transparent corridor on the F100. The Oriental Pearl Tower features more entertainments such as the Space Capsule and the VR roller coaster. Whichever you choose, the view you see is absolutely stunning.

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 Book Shanghai World Financial Center Ticket Here
​ Book Oriental Pearl Tower Ticket Here

F1 Race is held in Shanghai every April. Though you can watch the relay on TV, it is much more thrilling to hear the roar of the car’s engines and feel their speed on site. Tourists can easily get to the International Circuit by Metro Line 11 to appreciate such a spectacle. For every F1 Race, people from all over the world will come here to cheer for their favorite racing driver. Though the members of the audience are speaking different languages, their shared love for F1 makes watching a race a really amazing thing to do in Shanghai.

Happy Valley is a cool place in Shanghai either for young lovers to date, or for young couples to spend a vacation with their kids. Among the over 100 entertainment facilities and activities here, the wooden roller coaster and the mega drop are the most popular of them. Their sharp turns and dives will definitely make you scream. Of course, there are other activities suitable for younger children, such as the merry-go-around and the ocean adventure. Also, more than 20 performances every day, such as the magic show, water show, circus show and the flower parade, are also appealing.

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As a prosperous street in Shanghai, Huaihai Road won the reputation of the “Oriental Champs Elysees”. Though famous for high-end shopping stores, its numerous bars cannot be downplayed. When the sun sets and the neon lights come on, many people gather here to have a drink and release the pressure of the day. Over time, Huaihai Road has become a street of bars and a good place to experience the night life in Shanghai. You can ask the bartender to make the cocktail according to your taste while enjoying the musical and dance performances.

Hengshan Road is another road in Shanghai well-known for bars and it is even more exotic than the Huaihai Road. The reason is that many consulates are located around, so it is the first choice for many people from other countries to have a drink.

If you are interested in popular art, why not pay a visit to the M50 Creative Parks? The area used to be a derelict plant site. Thanks to over 130 artists from across the world, it has turned into a trendy place for tourists to see the imaginative graffiti along the street as well as the free painting displays. Isn’t it a cool place in Shanghai? Numerous abstract paintings, watercolor paintings and oil paintings will certainly stimulate your sense of art. What is more, tourists will also gain inspiration from the graphic, architectural, accessory and environmental art design in the M50. Should you wish to take a break, just randomly choose a café and its coffee won’t let you down.

In the Disc Cart, your dream of being a racer will easily be fulfilled. The 550m (550yd) long racetrack with many twists and turns will give you a feel of the thrill of car racing to the full. Each round lasts 8 minutes and your real time speed as well as your ranking will be shown on the display screen. Some people may worry about the lack of driving experience, take it easy, because many beginners said that the brake and the accelerator are very easy to control. By the way, the racetracks are all equipped with high-quality crash barriers. So driving a cart in the Disc Cart is both a safe and cool thing in Shanghai.

SMP Skatepark is the only skateboarding park recognized by Guinness in Shanghai and a cool place. Compared with other skateparks, the SMP combines the bowl-shaped area, U-shaped area and the street skating area. And each area has stairs of different levels. So, no matter you are a beginner, intermediate or a professional, the SMP will be a good place for you to flex your muscles. It is worth mentioning that there is a special design in the bowl-shaped area, a 360° slide way with the diameter of 6m (6.6yd). This slide way is made of granite and its surface is super smooth. It enables experienced players to make a 360° rotation. Besides, this park welcomes players of other extreme sports, such as BMX (bicycle motocross) and parkour. Even if you don’t play any of these sports, you will still feel energetic simply through watching others’ performance.

Long Museum can satisfy your needs of both taking beautiful pictures and getting close to art, really an amazing thing do to in Shanghai. When you walk into this museum, you will be impressed by its vaulted architectural design and the decoration with industrial chic. The F1 and F2 often hold exhibitions and tourists can feast their eyes on paintings, sculptures, furniture and new media art. The B1 looks like a huge white box and it is where people can appreciate the treasures of ancient China. Besides, this museum has amenities for people to drink coffee, have dinner, read books, listen to the music and buy souvenirs. All these designs aim to tell people that the art belongs to not only the highbrow but everyone.

It is absolutely a cool thing to do in Shanghai to try paragliding and feel the surge of adrenaline when you are free from the earth’s gravity. There are many paragliding clubs in Shanghai and they all have qualified coaches to teach you and assure your safety. Except on rainy days, you can try paragliding in Shanghai nearly all year round. In September and October, people normally fly higher due to the rising air. July and August are the best time for people to appreciate the plain landscape from the sky. In terms of one day, the best time is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. But if you are fond of the beautiful sunset, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is also worth considering.