When we plan a holiday on the Lithuanian coast, we usually think of Palanga or Klaipėda first. However, a destination nearby offers enough activities for several family days. Kretinga District surprised us with its variety of things to do. Here, we found animals, horses, a huge active entertainment park, one of Lithuania’s largest and best-known wake parks, and a cosy place to stay. Children can also enjoy plenty of activities without leaving the property.
An unexpected family destination by the seaside: places to visit in Kretinga District with kids. Kretinga with children proves that you do not need to spend every coastal holiday day at the beach. Just a few minutes by car from the coast, you can feed animals, ride a horse for the first time, spend the whole day at a trampoline park, or try wakeboarding. If you want to escape the seaside crowds, you can also stay here. We share five places in Kretinga District that we visited with children. We would gladly include them in a family holiday itinerary by the sea.
Places to visit in Kretinga District with kids
“HBH Žvėrinčius” – meeting with animals
If your children love animals like ours do, “HBH Žvėrinčius” in Žibininkai offers an easy idea for a family outing in Kretinga District.
This is not a traditional zoo where you only watch animals from a distance. Instead, you can see various domestic animals and birds up close in the forest. Goats, sheep, rabbits, donkeys, llamas, different breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, and other animals live here.
Such places always leave children with more memorable experiences than an ordinary walk. You can calmly observe the animals, watch their behaviour, and even feed them. We bought a bucket of vegetables and immediately attracted their attention. The children did not want to leave.
“Miškas Park” – climbing among the treetops
For more active children and parents, we recommend another place in Žibininkai – “Miškas Park”. This active adventure park offers climbing courses for children and adults. Here, you can choose tree-top courses with different difficulty levels. You can also ride zip lines, jump on trampolines, and take on other active challenges.
We especially like climbing parks that let children choose courses based on their confidence and experience. For one child, the biggest adventure may be getting off the ground for the first time. Another child may want the highest course and the longest zip-line ride.
Our children love climbing parks, so they were very happy to try “Miškas Park”. They really enjoyed it, and we will definitely return!
HBH Entertainment Complex
Both “Žvėrinčius” and “Miškas Park” sit within the HBH leisure and entertainment complex. Therefore, you can easily combine your visit with lunch or other activities at the complex. Children can enjoy playgrounds, rides, a sculpture trail, and a wetland trail.
“Horse and Rider” – more than just horse riding
Another place we visited in Kretinga District was the “Horse and Rider” riding school in Užpelkiai village. We especially recommend it to families whose children love horses. However, it also suits children who want to meet horses for the first time.
“Horse and Rider” offers much more than a few minutes on horseback. The school offers riding lessons, educational activities, camps, birthday parties, and horse rides in nature. Beginners can join introductory sessions, while younger children can ride with an instructor leading the horse. The riding school operates all year round. In bad weather, instructors can hold activities in the indoor arena.
We especially like places like this because of their educational value. Children do not just have fun. They also meet an animal up close and learn how to approach, handle, and communicate with it. Oskaras made friends with Akmenėlis, the stable’s only pony, and even took him for a walk.
For more experienced riders, “Horse and Rider” also offers more exciting experiences. These include rides in nature and along the Baltic Sea. You can also celebrate personal occasions with horses.
Therefore, you can choose this place for a child’s first meeting with a horse or for a more serious riding experience.
“Boom Park” – when you want plenty of activities in one place
If your children want action from morning until evening rather than a quiet walk, head to “Boom Park” in Kretinga District. This place deserves more time in your itinerary.
“Boom Park” stands in Žibininkai village, near Palanga. The park describes itself as Lithuania’s largest active entertainment park.
The entertainment park offers huge areas filled with different trampolines:
- 3,500 m² inflatable trampoline and attraction area
- 3,000 m² water trampoline area
- 600 m² “Trampoline” land trampoline platform
- 15-metre artificial hill with tyre slides and a 230-metre ZIP line
The park offers countless activities, so you may struggle to fit everything into one day. In addition to the activities listed above, you can find children’s playgrounds, an electric car town, a pneumatic shooting range, an air cannon range, and much more.
If you get hungry while enjoying the activities, you can have a tasty meal at the “Boom Studio” restaurant. We liked that the food tasted fresh and delicious.
We especially like the concept of places like this. You arrive, and children do not have to choose just one activity. Instead, they can move from one attraction to another and stay active all day.
The water area feels especially fun on a warm day. The park has a pond with a sandy beach and water trampolines. Therefore, you can combine active entertainment with swimming in summer.
Oskaras and Greta tried many of the park’s activities. However, they enjoyed the water trampoline area the most.
“313 Cable Park” – for families who love active adventures
Very close to “Boom Park,” you will find another place that makes Kretinga District especially appealing to active families – “313 Cable Park”.
“313 Cable Park” ranks among Lithuania’s largest and best-known wake parks. Internationally, it also ranks among the world’s best wake parks.
You do not need wakeboarding experience to enjoy this park. Experienced athletes train here, but the park also welcomes complete beginners. Instructors teach first-time visitors the basics. Beginners also receive a board, life jacket, helmet, and safety briefing.
Oskaras tried wakeboarding and loved it. Now, he already dreams about coming back.
Therefore, if you have children or teenagers who keep asking when they can finally try wakeboarding, this could be a great place for their first experience.
However, we also like “313 Cable Park” for its atmosphere. Even if you do not ride, you can watch other riders and athletes perform tricks from the shore. The park also has a Restobar serving fresh food.
There is another interesting option here. You can also stay overnight. “313 Cable Park” offers cabins and apartments for guests who want to spend more time at the park.
“Vienkiemis” – when accommodation and entertainment come together
After all the active attractions in Kretinga District, you may want a place where you can simply slow down. For us, that place became the “Vienkiemis” leisure complex near Kretinga.
We first liked this place as an alternative to staying directly on the coast. You stay surrounded by nature, while Palanga and other coastal destinations remain easy to reach. There are also enough activities nearby to plan an entire weekend without driving to the seaside.
“Vienkiemis” sits in the Akmena River valley. You can stay overnight, enjoy a meal, relax in the saunas, and spend time with your children. Families will especially enjoy the complex grounds. You will find children’s play areas here. One of the most unique attractions for children is the Gnome Village. Children can walk between tiny houses, play, swing, and explore the grounds. Therefore, this is not the kind of accommodation where children simply sit in the room after arriving.
Guests can choose from several accommodation options. These range from rooms and apartments to separate holiday cabins.
Kretinga District – a great alternative to another day at the beach
The places we tried with children in Kretinga District offer very different experiences. That variety is exactly why we like this destination. You can start one day with a relaxed animal experience at “HBH Žvėrinčius” or a riding lesson at “Horse and Rider”. The next day, spend time at “Boom Park” or “Miškas Park”. With older children, you can also try wakeboarding at “313 Cable Park”.
In the evening, you do not have to return to a busy seaside resort. Instead, stay at “Vienkiemis” and continue your trip the next morning.
Moreover, these places represent only part of what you can do in Kretinga District. It is also worth visiting Kretinga itself and exploring the Kretinga Museum and its Winter Garden. As you travel around the district, you can also discover lesser-known attractions, such as the illuminated swing park.
Kretinga with children can become more than a short stop along the way. It can become a separate multi-day family travel destination or even your entire holiday.
