Traveling with kids changes everything. You need to find a place where there are activities that everyone in the family can enjoy. Luckily, you are planning to visit Puerto Rico where there are lots of activities that every member of your family will love.

The first question to ask yourself is What do my kids like to do? Do they like to play in the water or do they prefer to play on land? Are they into nature? Are they really daredevils or more reserved in their adventures? No matter what your kids like to do, Puerto Rico is loaded with things they will like.

We’ve put together the following list with families and convenience in mind. All of these activities are within about a 1-hour drive of the San Juan area. You’ll be sure to find an idea to keep each member of your family happy and occupied on your trip to the island!

If you’re looking for things to do with kids in Old San Juan, you may want to refer to this other article.

For Water Lovers

Beaches - Being that Puerto Rico is an island, we have loads of sunny beaches to visit. No matter if you’re into swimming, boggie-boarding, or just making sandcastles, you have miles of shoreline to choose from. If you pick a government-run beach or balneario, you will be ensured facilities like bathrooms and lifeguards. Some of the nicest beaches - Luquillo, Seven Seas, Carolina, Escambron - are all balnearios.

Snorkel Cruise - The entire family will enjoy a sailboat or catamaran ride to islands off of Fajardo. They offer snorkeling, lunch and drinks.

Ocean Kayaking - For the more active, how about ocean kayaking? Kayaking Puerto Rico has a kayak/snorkel tour that is loads of fun and good exercise. Different tours are available based on experience and age of the kids. They supply all necessary equipment, and they depart from Fajardo near Seven Seas beach.

For more adventurous water lovers

Snuba - For kids who can’t get enough snorkeling, Snuba® is another option. Snuba is a shallow water diving system that allows you to go to a depth of 20 feet underwater, while using an air line that supplies air from the surface. Contact Sunset Snuba @ (787) 354-0999

Motorized Watersports - San Juan WaterFun is located on the beach behind the El San Juan Hotel and San Juan Towers in Isla Verde. This company offers many water sports like banana boat rides, parasail rides, Hobi Cat rentals, and kayak rentals. They are open 7 days a week from 10am until 5pm. 787-643-4510

Bio-Bay - Another great water experience is the bioluminescent lagoons in Fajardo and Vieques. This is a night-time activity, as it needs to be experienced in the dark. You can either do a kayak trip in Fajardo, or take a catamaran trip over to Vieques (where you are still allowed to swim). Either way, it’s really magical to experience the glow and sparkles in the water around you.

Surfing - Surfing lessons are available in Luquillo. Call Bob at La Selva Surf Shop for information and to make a reservation @ (787)435-1760
Or with Walking on Water Surfing school in Isla Verde or at Escambron. 787-955-6059 or www.wowsurfingschool.com

For land-based nature lovers

Rain Forest - You can’t go wrong with a hike through a tropical rain forest. El Yunque National Forest has trails that kids of almost any age can use. There are waterfalls and natural pools to swim in, lots of strange plants, lizards to chase and tons of cool bugs to find. The ranger-led tour is really good. They point out and discuss the different plants, and help you find some of the insects and wildlife of the rain forest.

Nature Reserve - Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve, located in Fajardo, has many things that are interesting to kids - iguanas, a beach, a walk through a mangrove swamp, a lighthouse, a touch-tank, and skeletons of various aquatic animals. They offer a tour that takes you from point-to-point on a tram, and then they have mini guided tours at each of the tram stops.

Caves - The north-western part of the island is made of limestone and it is riddled with caves and sinkholes. The Rio Camuy Caves Park offers a nice tour for the amateur cave-explorer.

Astronomy - The Arecibo Observatory is a neat place for kids about 10 years old and up that like to learn about astronomy and the workings of the universe.

Lighthouse & Aquarium - Arecibo also has the Arecibo Lighthouse, Historical Park & Aquarium. This small park features the lighthouse, a small aquarium with sharks, a mini-zoo, some ships to play on, a pirate cave and a re-creation of a Taino indian village.

Science Park - Luis A Ferre Science Park is a large park with all sorts of things to see for the whole family. It has pavilions that include a planetarium, physics museum, electrical energy museum, aerospace museum with NASA rockets, transportation museum with antique cars, and a zoo. It’s located on 42 acres in Bayamon, and includes an artificial lake with boat rentals available. The park is on Highway 167 in Bayamon - just look for the rockets. The park is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. For more information, you can call them @ (787)740-6868 or (787)740-6878

For Active kids

Zip Line - La Marquesa Canopy Tours offers a zip line experience for kids ages 10 and up. They’re located in Guaynabo.

Rappelling & Caving - A few companies (Acampa, Ecoquest, and Adventuras Tierra Adentro) offer full-day cave excursions, canyoning, rappeling and zip line adventures. These are only recommended for older kids.

ATV, Horseback & Go-Carts - Hacienda Caraballi offers ATV trail rides, horseback riding and go-cart rides. For the ATVs, the minimum age to drive is 16 years old, while the minimum age to be a passenger is 8 years old. The minimum age for horseback riding is 5 years old. They operate the Go-Carts only on the weekends. Open daily from 9:30am until 5:00pm. Call them @ (787)889-5820 or (787)690-3781 for more info.

Biking - Another fun thing to do is to rent bicycles and ride on the Boardwalk in Pinones along the ocean and through the mangroves. You can stop along the way and explore the tidal pools and beaches. Bikes of all sizes are usually availabile, sometimes with baby seats!

Skate-boarding - The skate-board fanatic in your family will be happy with a visit to Moisty Entertainment Center & Skate Park in Bayamon. It has 10 vertical skating ramps of all sizes. It is only $20 for 3 hours of fun, including all the equipment. Located on the fifth floor of Santa Rosa Mall. Closed Monday.
Buy One Session and Get a Second Session for Free with the 2009 Puerto Rico Entertainment Book

For rainy days (or just because the kids might enjoy these)

Shopping Malls - For those teens that just have to go to the mall and shop the big malls are Plaza Las Americas just south of San Juan, Belz Factory Outlet Mall in Canovanas and Prime Outlets Mall in Barceloneta. Plaza Las Americas has a Build-a-Bear store for the younger kids in your family.

Movie Theaters - Most malls have multiplexes with the latest movies that play in English with Spanish subtitles.
Caribbean Cinemas and Cinevista Theaters - Get up to 2 Free Tickets with the purchase of 2 tickets with the 2009 Puerto Rico Entertainment Book

History of the Bible Museum - Don’t be fooled by the name - the History of the Bible Museum is a 13-story building that contains an aquarium, a dinosaur exhibit, an ice-skating rink, mini-golf, small amusement rides, video games, and a pizza parlor. I guess the name comes from the fact that it’s run by a local church. You can pay for each attraction separately, or you can get an "all-inclusive" pass for $20. Contact them at (787)969-0985 for more info. Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Wonderpark - Wonderpark has two locations, in Bayamon and Carolina. This inside play area has little "thrill" rides for younger kids, a soft play area, and video games.
Buy One Get One Free Unlimited Video Game Pass with the 2009 Puerto Rico Entertainment Book

Chuck E Cheese - There is a new Chuck E Cheese open in Los Colobos Plaza, right on Route 3 in Carolina East, at the edge of Canovanas.
Buy 1 Medium Pizza and Get 1 Free with the 2009 Puerto Rico Entertainment Book