Dongtan aquarium with lizard touch and a play room: Artis Theme Park

This place is so famous among Dongtan moms as a great spot to take kids, and I finally made it there. Went with my 4-year-old on the weekend to Artis Theme Park in Dongtan.

Cutting to the chase — this place is genuinely fun. If you're wondering where to go with your kid in Dongtan, just go once, haha. I thought it was just an aquarium, but there's also a zoo, feeding, touch experiences, interactive activities, and at the very end, even a play room! It's good enough to replace a Dongtan indoor zoo kids' café, and the kid kept moving nonstop.

I barely had to keep saying "try this, look at that" next to her. There were also so many staff members stationed around, guiding you right through each activity, so it ended up being way more relaxing than I expected.

Where is Artis Theme Park, and how does parking work?

Artis Theme Park is an indoor space on the 9th floor of Sinyu Medi Plaza in Dongtan. Being indoors, I liked that you don't have to worry about weather — rainy days, blazing summer heat, or freezing winter, none of it matters.

Parking was easier than I thought too. It can be a little confusing to find the entrance the first time, but you go into the underground parking lot next to BBQ Chicken. Park on B1 to B3, then just take the elevator straight up to the 9th floor. Visitors get 3 hours of free parking, which was plenty to enjoy the aquarium, animal experiences, and the play space at the end without rushing. Seriously, we filled all 3 hours playing, haha.

More than an aquarium: zoo, feeding and touch zones

When we first walked in, I thought "it's probably just an aquarium." But as you keep walking, new spaces keep appearing. This part is really good.

It's not just repeated looking — there's touching, feeding, and even missions along the way, so there's no room for the kid to get bored.

Scooping your own feed: how the experience starts

Once you enter Artis Theme Park, you don't just start sightseeing right away — it begins with you scooping the feed you'll give out yourself. There are snacks numbered 1 through 6, and you scoop each one into a container with a scoop.

Even my 4-year-old was totally focused from this point on, haha. She kept asking "who's this one for?" already full of anticipation! Once you've filled the container, the real aquarium and animal experiences begin. They give you a basket, and she made a huge deal about carrying it herself, haha.

Why a 4-year-old never gets bored at Artis Theme Park

At around age 4, kids tend to get bored quickly if they stare at one thing too long. But here, it's not just "look at fish and that's it" — the flow keeps going: watch → feed → touch experience → move → another activity.

We saw otters, rabbits, birds, and got to feed them ourselves too. My kid kept asking "what's next?" and moving on ahead herself,

which actually made things easier for me since I didn't have to keep dragging her along. There's a saying that this is a spot where moms get to relax, and now I get why, haha.

And in between, creatures you don't normally get to see easily, like turtles or blue rays, show up too, which was pretty fascinating even for an adult.

There happened to be a touch experience where you can pet a lizard directly. I gave it a light stroke and went "wait, huh?! this feels so weird, scary!" hahaha. Both my kid and I were fascinated for a good while.

It's not a place where you just look with your eyes — you feed, touch, and feel things directly, and my kid's reaction was clearly different because of it.

The play room waiting at the very end

What was actually funny here was that after all that sightseeing, I thought "okay, that's probably it," but no — what's this now, haha. At the very end there's another play space, similar to a Dongtan kids' café, where kids can play.

The moment my kid saw it, her eyes lit up again. Even though she'd already played hard the whole way through, she played here for another 30 minutes, haha. It really doesn't give kids a moment to get bored, right up to the end.

Seats and drinks for parents at Artis Theme Park

There are chairs scattered throughout the experience at Artis Theme Park, so parents can sit down and rest. The kids keep playing energetically while the parents' energy starts to run out.

Thankfully there are chairs placed throughout the experience so moms can rest. If you're coming with grandparents, let them rest here in advance.

And near the final play space, there's also seating for parents to sit and rest, so I had a drink there and took a short break. There were quite a lot of grandparents resting there too, just like me!

If you write a review, your kid's drink is free, and adults can grab a drink too, which made the final stretch pretty good for parents as well. Kids keep playing till the end while mom sits and sips a drink. This part really matters, haha.

Is Artis Theme Park worth half a day in Dongtan with a toddler?

After going this time, I really understood why it's so famous among Dongtan moms. It's not just one Dongtan aquarium and done — the zoo, feeding, touch experiences, docent tour, and play room are all connected together, so the composition is really solid.

Kids around age 4 especially stay focused and react well since something new keeps coming up. Honestly, if you're wondering where to spend half a day with your kid in Dongtan, this is probably what I'd recommend first.

Artis Theme Park, this Dongtan aquarium, is truly worth visiting at least once. The kid has fun and mom ends up more relaxed than expected — once you've been, you'll think "ah, now I get why it's famous," haha.