The 10-hectare Jaurykla Park will appeal both to those seeking a peaceful retreat in nature and to those wanting a more active experience. Over 3 kilometers of trails wind along the cheerful, babbling Jaurykla stream. Bridges and footbridges guide visitors across the stream, while curious tourists are drawn to informative stands along the way. If you feel tired, you can rest at one of the five viewing platforms offering pleasant views. Children will love the park, as it features several playgrounds just for them. The health and educational trails are accessible for people with disabilities, and the amphitheater hosts various events. For everyone’s convenience, portable toilets are also available. This park is the perfect place for walking, playing, and exploring nature. Along each trail, informational stands provide vivid details about animals, insects, and birds.
While strolling through Kretinga and walking along Vilniaus Street near the old cemetery, be sure to notice the unique doll installation. It’s not just for children – adults will also be instantly transported back to childhood memories. All you need to do is turn the magical handle. This handle has the power to bring the dolls behind the glass to life. These antique, one-of-a-kind dolls move their arms, turn their heads, and create an instant puppet theater as you turn the handle.
Visiting Kretinga without stopping by the famous Winter Garden is a real shame. The Kretinga Museum with its Winter Garden is a true gem of Samogitia. It’s a museum that adults genuinely enjoy, but children also leave enchanted. After all, in the Water Mill, you can see and touch antique work tools, three fascinating documentary films are shown in the Steward’s House, and the manor exhibition is designed so you can ‘participate’ in the Battle of Salaspils or see an animated depiction of the manor’s historical development. And, of course, the charming Winter Garden – with its abundance of plants, warm air, colorful koi fish, an impressive sturgeon, adorable turtles, and cheerful canaries.
The ‘Manor Confectionery’ offers a particularly fun educational experience, especially for children. The confectionery continues the finest traditions of the Tyszkiewicz counts and invites you to make candies. Not just any candies – old-fashioned, delicious ones on sticks. Children are captivated by the process of making candy, the variety of flavors, and the vibrant colors.
Just outside the boundaries of Kretinga, at the ‘Vienkiemis’ rural tourism homestead, another children’s paradise awaits. The ‘Vienkiemis’ grounds feature a large area with a mini zoo, surrounded by little houses. These houses look like they’re straight out of fairy tales, so everyone calls them ‘Dwarf Houses.’ You can go inside the houses and play hide-and-seek in them. It’s truly the fulfillment of childhood dreams
A place designed for both kids and adults is ‘Boom Park.’ It offers so many attractions that it’s dizzying: wild rides down a hill on a tube, jumps onto an ‘air pillow,’ maze explorations, and various obstacle courses. For those looking for water fun or relief on a hot summer day, the wakeboarding park ‘313 Cable Park’ offers endless entertainment. It’s the most modern wakeboarding park in all of Europe—a perfect activity for beginners but still delivering thrills and adrenaline for experienced riders. For climbing enthusiasts, the adventure park ‘Miškas’ invites visitors to try out tree-top courses. The park offers routes suitable for all age groups, with the lowest course just 1 meter above the ground and the highest, most extreme course rising up to 15 meters.
After such adventures, it’s nice to relax as the day winds down. Who doesn’t enjoy splashing around in a warm pool? The relaxation and wellness center ‘Atostogų Parkas‘ offers peaceful yet incredibly enjoyable water activities. It’s the largest leisure and wellness complex in western Lithuania. With 16 pools, 8 saunas, a dedicated children’s area, and a wide range of health-restoring treatments and programs, it has everything under one roof and even in the open air.
For those traveling with children and wishing to introduce them to ancestral traditions while enjoying nature, it’s worth visiting the Baltic Mythology Park—a recreational and educational trail. As you wander along the well-maintained yet natural paths of the park, you’ll get to know the Baltic gods. The park is divided into three sections, revealing the structure of the Baltic pantheon and expressing the harmony of a person’s life journey with nature. In the central part of the park, there is an altar where you can symbolically let go of negative thoughts and burdens weighing on your heart. Adults will learn a lot in the park, while children will have plenty of fun running along the forest paths, touching the sculptures, or even navigating a mysterious labyrinth.
Next to the Baltic Culture Park, the ever-expanding Japanese Garden, which promotes an exotic culture to Lithuanians, captivates with its beauty. It is unique—the only one of its kind in Lithuania and the largest in Europe. The 16-hectare garden was created and is still being developed by Japanese master H. Watanabe and Lithuanian doctor Š. Kasmauskas. It is beautiful in every season—the Japanese-style landscape garden enchants whether it’s snow-covered, adorned with autumn hues, or bursting with spring blossoms from cherry trees, magnolias, and other plants. Visitors tired from walking can enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, take photos dressed in a kimono, or peacefully meditate in the rock garden. It is an excellent spot for the whole family—to find peace, explore a different culture, and admire the plants.
Not far from the Japanese Garden, life thrives in the town of Darbėnai. Besides its fascinating history, this town is famous for the Vytautas the Great Park. The park is located next to the crystal-clear Melnyčia pond. It’s a perfect spot for swimming, fishing, or relaxing on the well-maintained shore, which features picnic areas, bonfire spots, and swings for children. Here, you’ll find the first and only glowing swing park in Lithuania. The park has several dozen different swings that transform into glowing artistic installations after dark. Therefore, the most beautiful view of the park is in the evenings. Some of the swings were created by light artist Linas Kutavičius. Additionally, the park features a special exhibit—the piano that once belonged to Lithuania’s national men’s basketball team head coach, Kazys Maksvytis.
And the final stop is at the Salantai Regional Park Visitor Center. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the natural attractions you can visit within the regional park area. Of course, the Visitor Center is one of the most enjoyable places to connect with nature. The center is full of photos, maps, and information. Everything is designed for children as well—there are things to touch and listen to. So, the Visitor Center will broaden everyone’s horizons and lift their spirits.
