Driving Adventures around Singapore
Updated: Jul 1, 2021
Last summer, due to the restrictions and inability to travel abroad, we decided to be tourists around Singapore. We don't own a car, so we don't often venture outside of the River Valley area unless you visit the Zoo or River Safari.
We decided to make a list of things we would like to do around Singapore to travel to and much easier if one rented a car. We decided against doing a staycation due to having young children and thinking all 4 of us trying to sleep in a tiny hotel room might be a nightmare.
This way, we got to return to the comfort of our own home each evening and still stick with the bedtime routines. I am a bit of a stickler for sticking to nap and sleep routines, mainly because it's also my downtime, and as a busy stay home mum of 2 young children, the quiet time is sacred.
The weather had been a little crazy, with massive storms, so we decided to fill the boot with a fresh picnic each day but then leave a range of different packed bags in the boot full of a change of clothes for everyone, also a bag for the beach, for the rain and the sunshine and the water park! This way, we could be a little more flexible with our plans and work around the unpredictable weather.
We also tried to create a rough plan of our day to do a long drive in the middle of the day around noon so that both kids could have their naps. We would stop for our picnic each day around 11:30 and then get in the car at 12 and drive to the next destination, giving the little ones roughly 45 - 60 minutes nap, which was shorter than their usual 2 hours. Still, it worked well and made sure they were extra exhausted in the evenings and ensured they slept early.
Having a car in Singapore is a novelty for us, as we always walk, cycle or use public transport. Our toddler thought it was the most exciting thing ever that Daddy was driving instead of Mr. Taxi man. Kids loved being chauffeured around and looking outside the windows at all the gorgeous greenery that Singapore has to offer. I also enjoyed sitting back and relaxing, and enjoying traveling through Singapore.
Hay Dairies Goat Farm
Our first stop was Hay Dairies Goat Farm, which the kids absolutely loved! In fact, my daughter, almost a year later, is still weekly talking about her visit to the goat farm. It is probably under 30-minutes of activity. So, if you were getting public transport, it is not worth the hour drive to get there, but having the rental car made it a great day trip out. It's pretty relaxed when you get there; you pay for some grass and wander around freely to view and feed the goats. The children loved to feed the goats and see where they went to get milked! There were little tables and benches at the goat farm, so we stopped there to have our picnic. Or you could dine alfresco at the Goat Farm.
Entry Fee : Free
Goat Feed : $5 per packet.
Booking : No Pre booking required
Opening Hours : 9am - 4pm
Milking Time : 9am - 10:30am
More Information : https://haydairies.sg/
Bollywood Veggies
Bollywood Veggies is also less than a 5-minute drive from Hay Dairies Goat Farm, so it's well worth combining the two activities. We didn't know about the Poison Ivy on-site restaurant; otherwise, we would have booked a table there for lunch as the food looked and smelt so delicious. It is bustling, so it's worth booking a table for lunch as it looks yummy and is a "farm to table" concept. I have since heard great things about the restaurant.
We enjoyed a wander around Bollywood Veggies viewing all the fruits and veggies that they grow. It does get scorching out there, so make sure you take lots of water, sunscreen and find shade where you can. But it is a great green space to let the kids run free and find fun little bridges and wooden huts to hide in and explore.
Entry Fee : Free
Tours : Currently Suspended due to Covid
Booking : No Pre booking Required
Opening Times
Mon - Wed : Closed (unless Public Holiday)
Thur - Fri : 7am - 5pm
Sat - Sun : 7am - 7pm
More Information : https://bollywoodveggies.com.sg/
Poison Ivy Restaurant
Mon - Wed : Closed (unless Public Holiday)
Thur - Fri : 7:30am - 5pm (Last order 4pm)
Sat - Sun : 7:30am - 7pm (Last order 4pm for Food, 6pm for desserts and drinks)
Reservations: Whatsapp +65 8138 5637,
email reservation@bollywoodveggies.com OR contact us at +65 68985001
Changi
I think it's safe to say that most kids LOVE dinosaurs, so the Jurassic Mile was a huge pull for us. The airport is a little bit of a trek from River Valley without a car, but we thought while we had a car, it would be great to see the New Jewel area of Changi Airport and take a visit to see the dinosaurs. When we got towards the dinosaurs, it started to rain, so we headed inside the airport to look at Jewel.
The Jewel
There are lots of walking trails through the forest valley, but many of the trails had steps, so they are unsuitable for strollers. However, you can access each level using the lift and access the viewing platform, but off to the sides of the viewing platforms, each walkway is up or downstairs. We enjoyed walking around the ground level, viewing the waterfall, and using the viewing platforms on the upper levels.
You can pay for many activities inside Jewel, from hedge mazes to the canopy walk and bridge to slides and sky walks. My husband and almost 3-year-old daughter decided to go into the mirror maze, where they had a great time.
Entry Fee : Free
Jewel Opening Hours : 24 Hours
Shop Opening Hours : 10am - 10pm
More Information : https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/en/getting-to-jewel.html
Resident Prices
Adult : $13.50
Child/Senior : $9
Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm
More Information : https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/en/attractions/mirror-maze.html
Jurassic Mile
Jurassic Mile is just that! One mile walk of HUGE Dinosaurs, their babies, and even their eggs, including nine different species, are towering up to 5 meters high! It can be challenging to get to and is not accessible from the MRT station at Changi that arrives in Terminal 2. To access the Jurassic Mile, you need to head towards the parking lot at Terminal 4. From there, it is a 5-minute walk, and it is then signposted. Their website below has further details on getting to Jurassic Mile.
We enjoyed a nice walk to the end of the mile and back again, looking for all the different dinosaurs and taking photos with each one!
Entry Fee : Free
More Information : https://www.changiairport.com/en/discover/changi-airport-connector/jurassic-mile.html
East Coast Park
Our next stop was East Coast Park. Despite living in Singapore for three years, we had never had the chance to visit. We drove to the East Coast and parked up, and took a walk through the park, and enjoyed building sandcastles on the beach. We also wandered up to the wake park to watch the borders in action! We used our homemade and painted binoculars from 2 toilet rolls stuck together and some string during the circuit breaker. My little girl loved using her binoculars to search for different things on our walks, and she loves using them to spot wake boarders flying off the jumps! Although we went to the East Coast Park in the morning when it was cooler, we stopped for some frozen yogurts to cool off - after all, we were ‘on holiday’!
Since we went to East Coast Park, there is now a fantastic new playground with giant slides and a sand and water play that we have since returned to in a taxi and visited, and the kids had great fun!
BYOKIDS have written a whole blog entirely about the new Playgrove Park, so please view further information below:
Wild Wild Wet Water Park
The last stop on our agenda was a trip to Wild Wild Wet near Downtown East. The water park is only open from 12 pm, so we had our picnic at the East Coast Park before driving to Wild Wild Wet and letting the kids have a nap in the car before our water adventure. We enjoyed a scenic drive and some time relaxing in the car before our crazy day on the slides! If you plan to go to the water park, it needs to be pre-booked and it is well worth hiring a cabana for the day as it means you have a shaded area to rest and keep your belongings.
You can not take your food into the water park apart from baby food, fruit and drinks. You can order food from within the park or a McDonalds' and a few other food vendors in the nearby shopping mall.
Due to Covid, most areas need free tickets to access. I found the system to work quite well. To avoid standing in queues in the heat, you could collect a ticket you wanted for the area you wanted to go in, such as the kids' play areas, slides, or wave pool, and then return at the time slot on your allocated ticket.
While you are waiting for your time slot to access the restricted zones, there are six little slides perfect for children, who can sit on your lap up to around seven years old (pictured below), where you do not have to queue for a ticket, and there are no restrictions on them. My children spent most of their day here, and we have since returned with friends and spend most of our day at the six little slides and the water fountains with our little ones.
Our just under 3-years old daughter was comfortable going down these six little slides by herself. Quite a few steps are going up to the slides, so one adult monitored the steps and one of us waited at the bottom of the slides, and she soon was running up and sliding down over and over again, safe to say we had two exhausted kids by the end of the day!
Adults : $24 - $32
Children aged 3 - 12 : $18 - $24
Under 3 : Free
Cabana : $70 - $210
Booking : Required
Opening Hours : 12pm - 6pm
Opening Days : Friday - Sunday
More Information : https://www.wildwildwet.com/
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