YOUR ONE-DAY FAMILY ITINERARY AROUND MARINA BAY

Home to over a million plant species, Gardens by the Bay is easily one of our favourites on this tiny, shiny island. The best way to get here is via Bayfront MRT. From there, follow the signs and make for the Dragonfly Bridge that’ll take you to the Supertree Grove, a cluster of Avatar-like trees strewn with plants. Yet more fun awaits at the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome conservatories – the latter holds a 2015 Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Greenhouse – but be sure to meander the Heritage Gardens en route to the ticketing booth.

Daily 9am-9pm; last admission 8pm. $8-$28. More details here.

In Singapore’s sweltering heat, nothing beats taking a dip – or cooling down at the Far East Organization Children’s Garden, essentially a massive water playground designed to hone your child’s physical and cognitive wellbeing. (Err, which also just means having fun.) Stepping springs, a sway bridge and water tunnels make up the Toddler Play Zone. And six- to 12-year-olds get access to the Rainforest Tree House, set within a dense canopy of trees alongside a 130-metre-long forest trail – plus a water play area rigged with sensors that create water effects based on your child’s detected movements. Keep in mind it’s BYO swimwear.

Tue-Fri 10am-7pm; last admission 6.30pm. Sat & Sun 9am-9pm; last admission 8.30pm. Closed Mondays. Free. More details here.

Japanese art collective teamLab are masters of interactive digital installations, and Future World: Where Art Meets Science is no less impressive. Traverse four key narratives (Nature, Town, Park and Space) for installations like Crystal Universe, an immersive space fitted with over 170,000 LED lights that mimics floating through a virtual galaxy. Better yet for kids is Sketch Town, where hand-coloured vehicles can be scanned and projected on-screen in a vast city – or the DIY hopscotch set on an illuminated floor that triggers sounds and colours based on projected circles, triangles and squares. 

Daily 10am-7pm; last admission 6pm. Hourly session slots. $14-$19. More details here. 

Avengers, assemble – for the Marvel Studios: Ten Years of Heroes exhibition, no less. Taking you through 19 films spanning ten years, it’s quite the unrivalled step into the Marvel cinematic universe featuring an immersive installation based off Thor: Ragnarok, alongside favourites like Iron Man, Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy. The exhibition opens June 9, but if you’re itching for yet more, try one of these workshops and school holidays specials at the ArtScience Museum.

9 Jun-30 Sept. Daily 10am-7pm; last admission 6pm. $12-$19. More details here.

If exploring Future World: Where Art Meets Science enthralled the family, try Digital Light Canvas, yet another installation by Japanese art collective teamLab. The centrepiece fronts Rasapura Masters – the latter of which hawks all manner of local nosh – and is illuminated by a 20-metre-high light sculpture rigged with over 400,000 lights. Paint calligraphic art with your feet, or admire shoals of fish racing beneath you as you dart across the LED-lit space.

Sun-Thu 11.30am-9pm; Fri & Sat 11am-10pm. $5, or free with Future World: Where Art Meets Science ticket. More details here. 

No better time to recuperate from your packed day out than with Disney’s The Lion King, direct off Broadway as it marks its 20^th anniversary with an international tour. The 51-strong cast includes veterans from London, Las Vegas, Australia and Hamburg, but what’ll truly excite are the intricate costumes and high energy performances, set to a bold score whose music features the likes of Elton John and Tim Rice.

27 Jun-26 Aug 2018. Tue-Fri 7.30pm; Sat 2pm & 7.30pm; Sun 1pm & 6pm. $65-$230; box seats $420-$920 (seats four). More details here.

Having experienced the magic that is Disney’s The Lion King, summon what’s left of your energy – but only if you can – to catch Spectra, Marina Bay Sands’ 15-minute light and water show spectacular framed by the city skyline. Led by colourful projections, gyroscopic arches, lava and mist effects and a 12-metre-high glass prism, this show’s one not to be missed. Timings vary, though, so you may want to save this for another evening out with the family lest the little ones grow cranky. 

Sun-Thu 8pm & 9pm; Fri & Sat 8pm, 9pm & 10pm. Free. More details here. 


Want more? Make a day of it visiting some of Singapore’s best museums.