4 Kids: Šťastná země (Happy Land)

Near Liberec in a small town called Radvánovice, off the main road, you make a left when you see the Šťastná země sign (right before Penzion U Marušky.)

Between 1.5 and 2 hours from Prague.

After the kids have done it all on the playground (about two hours) you can begin the Discovery trail, called Geo Park, which can take half an hour and upwards depending how in-depth you get with the demos along the way.

Shoes must be removed for jumping on the bouncy pillows, but they get very hot so make sure to bring socks for that. While there aren’t any water features apart from a shower next to the pillows, the Geo Park includes a few activities where you have to get water from a nearby creek to use on the activities; my kids got dirty and wet in no time.

The Geo Park is great, but you have to know about it. It’d be best to do the trail first, while you have plenty of time and energy. The entrance is tucked behind the playground, at the edge of the woods. It’s cooler in there, so bring long sleeves. There is also an area where red, blue and white string is tied to carved tree trunks. The purpose is to choose a color thread and follow it from start to end without taking your hand off. It’s more fun when lots of people play. On Mondays in July there are special activities – the 2nd is Creative Day, the 7th is Theater Workshop, the 16th is Color Day, the 23rd is for Czech Fairy Tales (Pohádky), and the 30th is Battle Day.

This fare comes out of the freezer and goes straight into the deep fryer, but for food of that variety it’s not so bad. The fries were decent. The draft beer, Mušketýr 11, cost 1.5 clovers (30 CZK). There didn’t seem to be a policy against bringing your own food and eating in their lovely table area, which is non-smoking and looks out over the scenic skály (tower cliff structures) that pepper this region. 

We came on a Friday, the lot was empty and free. On weekends it costs 20 CZK for the whole day.

The season is April 24th – Sept 30th. It’s open every day from 9.00 – 19.00, and on holidays until 20.00.

When we walked from the car to the pokladna (cash desk), I saw my kids abandoned bikes. They had ditched the bikes and run ahead, apparently not having to pay, and I didn’t track them down for half an hour. That’s what Happy Land is like. Meanwhile, I had a bit of work to do so I camped out with my laptop and our drinks at a very comfortable, shady table surrounded by trees (but no wi-fi). The playground is big, but natural, and there were a few innovative things I hadn’t seen before, like a boat on springs and a rocking horse. Everything is wood, nothing is plastic or mechanical. It looks like they’re planning some kind of electrical cars in 2011, but the “car” I saw pictured is a log – with wheels.

Snow White has her own village here,  made of 7 adorable little cottages. There are all kinds of things to swing on, climb up, and slide down here. The wood is all carved to look a bit wonky – adding to the charm. It’s a pretty place. At the end of the area there are three “air trampolines”, which are bouncy pillows big enough for whole families at a time: one for big people, one for in-betweeners, and a teeny low one for beginners. Once the season is underway, the creations begin to appear. These are large structures – like animals and trees – built out of hay. It adds a special, playful atmosphere.

The best part, in my opinion, is the Geo Park. I’m a huge fan of nature trails in general, especially ones geared towards kids, because they combine learning with easy hiking, and this was very nicely done. Since this is Cesky Raj, the trail passes beautiful cliffs with unique features, like a honeycomb effect. The plaques teach about the local geology, for example by showing various crystal formations. At one point you make your own river, with sediment deposits, to learn how flow alters landscape, and another station has you working on a large-scale puzzle with pictures of local scenery. The final challenge is walking on the small platforms that form a path over a boggy-looking pond. Don’t fall in! Don’t worry, there’s a safer dirt path on the other side.