10 Best Family Things to Do in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico water parks offer a world of refreshing adventures to cool off from the tropical heat with waterslides, lazy rivers, rapids, wave pools, and surfing simulators. At these places, you can ride the waves in pure safety or careen down rocket-speed curves. You can relax in calm pools or lie out in the sun to catch some rays.

Many water parks in Puerto Rico offer on-site dining and indoor fun like video games, Skee-Ball, and other entertainments. You'll find so much to do that your biggest challenge will be fitting it all in over the course of a single day.

Rainforest Zipline Park offers one of the longest zip lines in Puerto Rico spanning more than 2,300 feet over 8 different lines that race between and over the trees. The whole time you rocket across the forested canopy you'll see stunning, panoramic views of the rainforest below.

You can even book a special zip line tour that's great for anyone who's at least 8 years old. You don't even need prior experience; your guide will teach you and make sure you're safe the entire way. It's located in the heart of El Yunque National Forest.

Cayo Aurora, also called Gilligan's Island after the TV series, is accessible by kayak and offers shallow waters that are crystal clear and great for snorkelling. It's just a mile off the west coast of Guánica and is part of Puerto Rico's Guánica Forest Biosphere Reserve. It's sparsely visited, making it something of a hidden gem amongst the Puerto Rican islands.

If kayaking isn't your thing, you can grab a ferry ride over from a local restaurant. The journey over the waters offers outstanding photo opportunities. Snorkelling gives you the chance to witness the ecosystem of a live coral reef.

El Yunque National Forest is the only rainforest in the US forest system and offers rich green canopies, natural waterfalls with swimming areas, hiking, and roadside eateries. Here you can hike up to the top of Mount Britton and catch an expansive panoramic view of the surroundings from the lookout tower.

While you traverse the hiking trails, keep an eye out for ancient petroglyphs left behind by the indigenous Taino tribes centuries ago. In addition, watch out for the more than 240 native species of plants and hundreds of native animal species wandering the forests.

Bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico include Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay, a stunning body of water that offers a fairy-tale-like experience when the water glows bright blue at night from natural chemical reactions. This bay has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the brightest in the world. It's not the only bay in Puerto Rico, however.

Puerto Rico hosts 2 other bioluminescent bays: Laguna Grande is in Fajardo, while La Parguera is in Lajas. The bioluminescence in the bays is caused by microorganisms being disturbed. Any of these bays are a stunning sight, especially on a kayak tour of the region.

The Museo del Niño, or Children's Museum, is the ideal place to go with kids in Puerto Rico to experience over 100 hands-on interactive activities across 3 floors. Outside the museum, you can find a playground, go-karts, and a miniature zoo kids can walk through. They can also explore a full-sized aeroplane from American Airlines.

The museum is located in Carolina, just 10 minutes or so north of the heart of city centre. It's an outstanding way to pass a few hours for any family with kids ages 3 and up.

Parque de Bombas is a kid-friendly museum dedicated to the unsung heroes who have lost their lives fighting fires. It's located in a historic building with colourful Moorish architectural influences. Entry to the museum is free, and it's considered one of the most recognisable landmarks in the city due to its bright-red colour and Gothic architecture.

Most kids go through a phase where they want to be a fireman, and this museum lets them see the history of these heroes and learn all about what fighting fires means to people. It's in the heart of city centre Ponce and is a good attraction for kids of just about any age.

Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve offers an immersive experience in the heart of the Puerto Rican wilderness with lagoons, reefs, forests, beaches, and unspoiled nature. You can go snorkelling amongst a living coral reef here, relax on beaches of sand and rock, and explore natural headlands.

This experience is wonderful whether you decide to bike, take a trolley, or go kayaking on the waters. You can book a tour with an expert guide who can show you all there is to see and educate you about the ecosystems of the area. It's about an hour east of San Juan.

Arecibo Lighthouse and Historical Park is a historic landmark and cultural park on the grounds of the Arecibo Lighthouse offering panoramic views and education for all ages. Here you can take a tour of the past from 1493 when the Spanish first landed here through the founding of the lighthouse in 1898.

From the top of the lighthouse, you can get panoramic views of the surrounding area for miles. You can also ride go-karts and enjoy a water park right on-site. It's a great experience for kids age 3 and up just 10 minutes east of city centre Arecibo.

Arecibo Observatory lets you bathe in the beauty of the cosmos by looking through a radio telescope and learning about planets, stars, and galaxies. The observatory offers hundreds of exhibits that will appeal to kids and adults alike, many of which are hands-on and interactive. One of the more popular attractions is the opportunity to see one of the world's largest radio telescopes.

Kids will be thrilled to learn how the dish that measures the distance of 3 football fields gathers information about planets, galaxies, stars, and other elements of the cosmos. It's just 26 minutes south of city centre Arecibo.