Hong Kong Heritage Museum: Kids’ Activities, Exhibitions And More

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum located in Sha Tin may sound like it’s for older kids but there are plenty of activities and exhibits for the little ones to enjoy! Plus, it makes a great rainy day activity in Hong Kong!

We may have beaches and swimming pools in mind when it comes to Hong Kong summer, but it’s often pouring out and we need to keep the little ones entertained at home. If you fancy shaking it up a bit and are in need of an indoor activity a little different from the run-of-the-mill indoor playrooms, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum could be for you! The museum is a delight for kids from 3 years and up with plenty to do and see and it’s perfect for children fed up with being cooped up in the apartment! Here’s everything you need to know about the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Keep an eye out for special exhibitions to make your experience even more immersive.

Read More: The Best Museums In Hong Kong To Visit With Kids

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum – Kids’ activities

Virtually Versailles Launches At The Hong Kong Heritage Museum

In collaboration with the Palace of Versailles, this exhibition gives visitors a chance to explore the iconic palace’s gardens and the collection of its outdoor sculptures. Highlights include a 360-degree immersive images of Versailles, an AR treasure hunt, a Baroque music playlist and a digitalised children’s booklet.

The Virtually Versailles exhibition is open from now until Sunday, 9 July, 2023.

Find out more here.

Cantonese Opera Gallery

At this gallery, there are computers where kids can generate an image of themselves in full Cantonese Opera costumes including make-up and headdresses. They can also watch videos and see the wonderful, eye-catching costumes that are on display. Also, the museum is spacious, cheap, a perfect rainy day activity, and easy to find (all in all, it’s a crowd-pleaser)! 

Children’s Discovery Gallery

The gallery space on the ground floor is split into different areas, each designed to teach kids about Hong Kong’s heritage hits including the Mai Po Marshes. In a reconstruction of the wetland area, kids can sort fish from shrimps, build birds that inhabit this area, wear masks of different animals looking through their eyes to see what they see and listen to the sound of Egret birds to name a few delights.

Read More: 101 Things To Do In Hong Kong With Kids

The Archaeology Section

Here, kids can restore broken pots, draw on transparencies and place them on a projector to decorate their own ceramic pots. The New Territories Village zone is a reconstructed village dwelling where kids can play in a typical kitchen complete with a typical stove and dining table and bench.

Museum Gift Shop

More than just a gift shop, you can walk the aisles that merge Western and Eastern cultural elements. The shop interior fuses traditional motifs with modern-day recreations and there are adorable souvenirs that are unique and it’s more than just magnets for your kids to stick on the fridge! If you’re looking to pick up books covering history, heritage and culture, just note that majority of the books are in Chinese. 

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum – What to know before you go

Opening hours: Monday and Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 6pm; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, 10am to 7pm (Closed on Tuesdays, except for public holidays, and the first two days of the Chinese New Year)

Admission: $20 for adults ($10 on Wednesdays); $10 for children and students ($5 on Wednesdays) 

Do note that it can get pretty busy at peak hours, especially on weekends and public holidays.

Read More: Taking Your Kids To The Library – How, Why And When To Start

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum – How to get there

By MTR: From Central or Admiralty take the red line to Mongkok, and transfer to the green line to Kowloon Tong. At Kowloon Tong change to the East Rail Line for one stop, alighting at Tai Wai. Then switch to Ma On Shan Line for one stop, alighting at Che Kung Temple Station.

Take exit A to your right and look for signs for Hong Kong Heritage Museum — you’re aiming to cross the river so take the path that leads to a bridge and look for the Museum on the opposite side of the water. Cross the bridge, turn right, (you’ll have picked up the signs by now!) and the museum is a few minutes down the path on your left.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Road, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2180 8188, [email protected], www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

Editor’s Note: “Sassy Mama Family Field Trips: Hong Kong Heritage Museum” was originally written in June, 2013 by Maura and was most recently updated in June 2022 by Fashila Kanakka.