Zamania: A Fun, But Fading Family Favorite
add_circle Pros
- The Zamania staff were super friendly and helpful, making the experience feel more welcoming.
- The play areas were well-maintained and had a great selection of activities for kids.
- We loved the Zamania cafe, which served a decent cup of coffee and some tasty snacks.
- The Zamania location inside a closed building was convenient and easy to find.
- The all-day pass was a great value, especially considering the unpredictable weather.
remove_circle Cons
- The park quickly became repetitive and boring after a few visits.
- The Zamania marketing materials made it seem like a more adult-friendly destination, but it's really geared towards kids.
- The Zamania food options were limited and overpriced.
- The Zamania staff seemed overwhelmed and understaffed during peak hours.
- The Zamania play areas were too crowded and noisy for our taste.
Gallery
Editor's Summary
I gotta say, Zamania was a total blast for our family at first, but it quickly lost its charm. Located inside a closed building, this family adventure park is geared more towards kids than adults. While it's a great spot for a rainy day, the novelty wears off fast. Here's the deal - it's worth a visit, but don't expect to be back for more.
Specifications
Autumn's arrived, and before we know it, indoor play centers will be in high demand, especially on rainy days. I'm sharing my experience with one place where we had a blast as a family.
ZAMANIA
Zamania Family Entertainment Park reviewZamania Family Entertainment Park reviewZamania markets itself as a family adventure park. While we did have a great time as a family, it's primarily geared towards kids.
Zamania is located inside a closed building (usually a large shopping mall). Tickets can be purchased online or at the counter. We always buy at the counter and opt for a full-day pass, considering we never know how long our little ones will want to play, and with the forecast that we might want to come back in the afternoon. The all-day pass allows for unlimited entry and exit, as long as you have the wristband, which is given out at the counter. The unlimited pass costs 1590 rubles. On weekends and Fridays, the price is higher - 1990 rubles, but during our last visit, the ticket was discounted to 1590 rubles, even though it was a Saturday. Maybe we caught a promotion. You can also buy a one-hour pass for 590 rubles. Only kids' passes are paid for; adults get in for free.
Upon entry, there's a changing room (no coat check, self-service only).
Zamania Family Entertainment Park reviewYou'll need to leave your upper clothing there, but you can store your shoes in lockers before the turnstile leading to the attractions area. Zamania Family Entertainment Park reviewYou can only enter this area in socks. Zamania Family Entertainment Park reviewATTRACTIONS
The main draw here are the roller coasters. They come in various heights, twists, and straight tracks, mostly enclosed, but there are a few small open ones. The roller coasters are a real attention-grabber, but over our four visits, I've only seen a handful of people actually ride them.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Hands down, the mazes and climbing frames are the most popular attractions.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Other activities include trampolines and a massive dry pool with toy tracks for kids to move balls around.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review There's a teeny-tiny play area with a trampoline and a mini rollercoaster for toddlers. It's marketed as a 3+ attraction, but by 3 years old, it's already getting a bit boring.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review For some chill activities, you can play in the blue sandpit, spin the boards with challenges, collect a large Lego structure, or play with some constructors, but our zone for constructors by profession is already pretty bare, with a lot of things missing.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewOn our last visit, they had scooters, but we didn't find them on our last trip.
You can also toss balls into the basketball hoop and play table hockey.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewThe rides have age restrictions, and it's up to the parents to enforce that. My three-year-old son and I have been to everything here, but we accompany him on the more intense rides. Almost all parents do the same. The staff is only present at the trampolines.
We really liked Zamania's equipment on our first visit. After visiting other play areas, it seemed more extensive and varied. We visited Zamania three times over the course of a couple of months, but it started to get boring by the second visit, and our son didn't even last an hour on the third visit. When we came back almost six months later, my son was excited again because he had forgotten about the equipment, and he had a great time for a couple of hours. So, I'd recommend taking longer breaks between visits to keep the kids from getting bored, and alternating between Zamania and other play areas.
Cafe
There's a cafe on the Zamania grounds. There are plenty of tables, and even on weekends, you can usually find a free one. We've eaten there a couple of times, but we don't feel like going back. The food is okay, but the selection is pretty limited - I even ordered from the kids' menu a couple of times because there wasn't anything interesting for me to choose from as an adult. And the prices aren't exactly cheap.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment Review Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewThere's a room for birthday celebrations right next to the cafe. I've seen some pretty lively groups in Zamania, whether it's a weekend or a weekday afternoon.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewADDITIONAL SERVICES
As with any play center, Zamania has its own photographer. We were bombarded with offers to take photos, but the quality just didn't live up to the price. When we first agreed to have our kid photographed, I specified that I wanted action shots, not just a static portrait. But the photographer kept asking my kid to pose, and then she brought out all this props and started dressing him up in silly hats and sunglasses. We had to ask her to stop, but by then my kid was totally confused and didn't want to play anymore. The photos were mostly just his face, and he looked scared or surprised in every single one. Needless to say, we won't be using their photography service again.
You can also get your kid's face painted with aquagrim.
There's a snack bar near the entrance where you can buy sweets, balloons, water, and other treats.
TOILETS
Zamania's toilets are a highlight - there are at least ten stalls, and they're always clean and free.
The adult toilets are standard, but the kids' stalls have little stools for them to sit on. The stalls are actually pretty spacious, too.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewThere are baby-changing facilities, too, both for adults and kids.
Zamania Park Family Entertainment ReviewOverall, the toilets are clean and smell nice, which is a big plus.
VERDICT
As I mentioned earlier, Zamania's got some great stuff, but it can get old pretty quickly, so I'd recommend spacing out your visits.
Your Bohemia
P. S. If you're looking for other places to take your kid, I'd recommend checking out...
If your kid is dino-mite, this park is the best thing you can show them.
I recently checked out the city farm at VDNH and it was decent, but for the price, I was expecting more.
Dino Safari is a real blaster - it was a ton of fun for me and the kids!
