We were invited to visit the Archeon. We, in the sense of Frank, Luc, Lotte and I. I was actually afraid that Luc might not like it so much anymore, you know that with those advanced adolescents, but he was also enthusiastic after our day out at the Archeon.
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What I found especially surprising to notice is that the Archeon park is suitable for all ages. You can wander around on your own and absorb all the information, but you can also participate in certain workshops or activities. We were lucky enough to have a day out exactly during the annual Roman festival in the Archeon, but the Archeon is also very nice without this festival.
Upon entering, it soon became clear to us that you can come here with any age. Families with advanced adolescents (ours was not the only one), but also families with a small baby or children aged 3-6 years were more than enough. And then 'just' the adults without children. We've seen plenty of those too.
The Archeon museum park contains a total of 43 farms, houses and huts that once stood in the Netherlands. If you would like to 'feel and experience' the Middle Ages, a visit to this open-air museum is highly recommended. You can not only see and hear what it was like in those days, but you can also experience it to a large extent by participating in the activities.
The following activities are especially fun for the children:
To be fair, we didn't have time to participate in activities because of the tours and demonstrations of the Romans, but normally it is definitely worth it. During the festival week we looked intrigued and laughed about the battles between the Romans and the training of a new legion 😉 , check below.
So nice to see how they totally get the audience involved during these demonstrations. Instructive for parents and children, but with humor incorporated which made it interesting to watch. In this way we learned how a legion was put together at the time and which ranks and positions occurred in it. In addition, they have shown - in person - how they used to attack the enemy and how they defended themselves. Like a turtle for example!
Afterwards, it was shown on the Toernooiveld with which guns the Romans were working at that time and you could take a look at the Roman camp. Awesome.
The great thing about the Archeon museum is that you can always plan a day trip here. Even if nothing is organized, it is still educational and fun and you can always participate in the activities. There's even an activity pass for kids to keep track of what they've been up to.
In addition to the activities, you can also get a guided tour through Prehistory, Roman times and the Middle Ages. You can also participate in the temple ceremony and there is a bird of prey show.
By the way, if you look at the Archeon website, you will see that they organize a lot extra. For example, there are regular festivals around a certain theme (Romans, Vikings and the like) and specific weekends are organized about prehistory or crafts such as blacksmithing.
What we also found very interesting are the Zwammerdam ships that have been found and that are being restored as well as possible with your assistance. Magnificent! Even nicer is that someone is present at the Zwammerdam ship who can tell you all about it. Not only about the shape of the ship and what was done with it, but also how they are currently restoring it.
We have a knack for not taking anything with us when we go out for a day. Doesn't really make sense and here in the Archeon museum I was again confronted with the fact that sometimes it is better to do that. You can get a lot of goodies, but I think they also know the prices. Are you staying there all day and not taking anything with you? Then make sure you have a well-filled wallet 😉 .
Children from 4-9 years old pay € 19.90 at the cash register and online you get a € 1.00 discount. Above 10 years the price is € 22.90 without the online discount. You can park for € 6.95 in a nearby car park. For an average family with 2 children, you pay with a family card between € 85.00 and € 90.00 including parking.
Are you considering visiting some more museums this year? Then check out the Museumjaarkaart. Then you are a lot cheaper! You can also buy these at the cash register of the Archeon.
We enjoyed a day at Archeon. In fact, we should have put on a little earlier because you can easily spend a day there. It is varied and because of the activities you can participate in, also very nice for children. I personally think the food is a bit pricey so make a conscious choice for yourself. Besides that… highly recommended, just like the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen, which is also super cool.
