List #38: The 5 Usual Must-See Museums and Theme Parks in Hong Kong

So the girlfriend and I have been thinking of where we want to go when we go to Hong Kong sometime this year. Of course, the internet was the first place we turned to for ideas. We want to do a balance of touristy and just normal places in Hong Kong — you know, eat street food and go to bargain districts, that sort of thing. I mean, sure, touristy places are okay every now and then but they don’t necessarily give you a good idea of what the place really feels like. Besides, we would rather not ruin our vacation by being stuck in massive queues or throngs of people gawking at the same old statue.

Now, the challenge was to find somewhere well-known to avoid getting lost (or worse, getting mugged) but interesting enough to satisfy the curiosity and little geek heart of the girlfriend. True, we know a little bit of what we want to do in Hong Kong as she has been to China a few times (but surprisingly, not Hong Kong) and I have been to Hong Kong before — even though I was but a teeny weeny third grader called Davey.

Sadly but not surprisingly, a quick search for places to see in Hong Kong brought up the usual suspects that you often see included in those discounted travel packages. We might consider including these places in our itinerary (some might be required on the travel package we get) but for now, they remain on the museum and theme park list of the 5 Usual Must-See Places in Hong Kong:

1. Hong Kong Disneyland - The girlfriend is quick to point out that no one is ever too old to go to Disneyland. I agree, rolling my eyes. Four main attractions including Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Main Street plus the very idea of it being the first and only Disneyland to date makes it incredibly appealing even to, ahem, grown macho men who used to dream about going to the magical kingdom when they were much, much younger. What I don’t get is why it seems to be a required item in the itinerary of most travel packages now. As appealing as the prospect of hugging a life-sized Winnie the Pooh, I think a visit to Disneyland is a little too common an item in people’s itinerary.

Culture and History from the Hong Kong Museum of Art

2. Hong Kong Museum of Art – While a museum is easily one of the best tourist destinations, I admit that I have a soft geeky heart for anything that is old, artistic, and historical. With 14,000 items on exhibit related to Hong Kong’s history and culture, I think we just might be able to make time for a visit to the museum.

3. Water World – Who says water theme parks are only for couples with kids? If this place ever ends up on our final list of places to go to, the girlfriend and I plan to terrorize have fun with all the theme park patrons with a splash!

4. Hong Kong Space Museum – Now if I’m a nut for anything old and historic, I suppose you can call me another nut for anything modern-looking and shiny. Possibly the first place a geeky tourist would go to, the Hong Kong Space Museum offers hands-on interaction and operation of select items on display about robotics, physics, telecommunication, computers, and energy. If the people from the 1900s got some things wrong about the year 2000, the museum should offer a little bit more credible predictions about what the world would be like in the future.

5. Ocean Park - I remember that my parents and I planned to go to Ocean Park when we first went to Hong Kong but the visit never happened because it rained the entire time we were there. It sucked a lot especially since I was told I would see a whale in action. Later on, I realized they were referring to a killer whale, not the huge whale from Pinocchio. I will still probably drag the girlfriend to Ocean Park though when the time comes.

Not really a fan of museums or theme parks? Fret no more, watch out for List #39: The 5 Usual Must-See Touristy Places in Hong Kong!