Hi there!
I was invited by Marom PR to write about a few summer attractions in Jerusalem that are suitable for families. And so, I took my daughter and her friend and went to check them out.
Trip Agenda Options
Time Elevator Jerusalem – a special film theater
The Hebrew Music Museum – Interactive Tours
Iceland – an ice-skating rink
Trip Anchors
Time Elevator Jerusalem is a unique attraction that is celebrating its 20th anniversary and 2.5Mth visitor this year. The attraction includes four unique exhibits that are screened in an innovative and technological hall unlike any other in Jerusalem. It’s location, in the heart of Mamilla Mall makes it an attractive add-on to any tour of the old city.
The showroom features 250 square meters of LED screens covering the audience at 180 degrees with advanced audio and lighting systems displaying to 104 seats, 98 of which are mobile on 6 axes and 6 of which are immobile. Additional fixed seats can be arranged upon request.
The first exhibit is a 30 min journey through time film providing an overview of 3,000 years of the history of Jerusalem starting from the first temple till modern Israel. This popular film has been translated into Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Mandarin Chinese.
The second 25 min exhibit called ‘I am Jerusalem’ invites the viewer to experience the sounds and smells of the city of Jerusalem through innovative technological means. The film is presented in Hebrew and English with some of the written texts in Arabic as well.
The third exhibit is a journey into the human body in 3D as presented through the eyes of a robotic capsule at a level suitable for children. When did you last see what happens in your ear, brain, or muscle? The film answers a multitude of questions. How do we breathe? How do we absorb information? How do we digest? How do we look from within? The duration is 25 minutes. The film is presented in Hebrew and Arabic and is suitable only for mobile chairs.
The last exhibit is a 20 min fascinating journey into space. This 3D film invites visitors to see the moment of ‘the Big Bang’ and to enjoy a virtual tour of the solar system, around the Earth, the moon and the neighboring planets. The film is in Hebrew alone and is suitable only for mobile chairs.
During this trip we saw the human body capsule film. Although my daughter has just finished the 7th grade, at least parts of it were new to her and in general it was a good recap on what she already knew. Both girls enjoyed it.
The Hebrew Music Museum in Jerusalem holds a collection of about 250 rare and unique musical instruments from around the world, separated into 7 exhibit halls.
During July and August, the museum will be conducting musical tours for the whole family, with costumes and figures from the countries of the Diaspora and demonstrations of songs and melodies coupled with fascinating stories. Throughout our tour we learnt about the different musical styles that influenced the melodies and singing that were prevalent in the Diaspora in which the Jewish people lived. The tour guide was very sweet with the children and let them try out the musical instruments. I also loved how the décor of the museum was designed to represent the atmosphere of each region.
In addition, visitors are invited to conduct independent tours with the help of the Virtual Guide "Grandpa Levi" who will get to know the visitors through the tablet at the entrance to the museum and take them through interactive game stations. For example: In the ‘Central Asia’ section, visitors will play a game of ‘Guitar Hero’ enjoying the experience of ancient instruments such as Kurdish Zorna, Persian Zarb, Bokhara Rubab and Caucasian Pandoor. In the ‘Africa and Yemen’ space, visitors will be able to experience electronic percussion instruments themselves by actually playing on African instruments such as the Don Don bell, Guinea drum, Ethiopian harp and Yemenite shofars. Tablets will be provided to children from age 10 and up.
In the museum's main highlight, the ‘Hebrew’ space, dedicated to the multicultural society in Israel, visitors can enjoy a model of the Temple with virtual reality glasses (16 positions).
For the summer months the museum's opening hours have been extended towards the weekend.
Open: Sun-Wed 9:30-20:00, Thursday 09:30-21:00 & Friday 09:30-14:00.
Phone: 02-5406505
Iceland
The "Iceland" complex, is located in the Pais Arena Stadium in Jerusalem, which during the year hosts concerts, competitive sports events, conferences and more.
The ice-skating rink was brought especially from Austria for the summer months and is the largest and most modern in Israel. The complex covers an area of 1800 square meters with real ice and is equipped with professional high-level modern equipment offering a fun and enjoyable experience for a wide range of ages from age 5 onwards.
For the sake of the younger children, elephant dolls were brought to Iceland this year for the first time, allowing two children to sit together and slide while one of the parents can navigate from the back. This in addition to the seals and penguins that can be used for stabilization of new learners.
My two girls were new to ice-skating, but the 45-minute session was sufficient to move from the penguins to regular ice-skating and they both had a good time. I enjoyed refreshing my memory. I took a fall, but otherwise skated without mishap.
Since it’s a limited experience, I’m including pricing information.
Cost: 30 NIS from age 5 to 18 / 40 NIS from age 18. Skating accessories cost 5 NIS based on availability. Tickets can only be purchased on the spot.
Duration: 45 minutes per session.
Phone: 02-6424040
Food
There aren’t any food stands in the stadium that are active during the daily ice-skating activity. Therefore, it is preferable to eat near one of the other attractions.
Near ‘Mamilla mall’ you have the ‘Happy Fish’, ‘Rooftop’, ‘Café Rimon’, ‘Caffit Mamilla’, ‘Café Greg’, ‘Kedma Brasserie’, ‘Luciana’ and ‘Satya Restaurant’.
There are also several restaurants surrounding The Hebrew Music Museum such as: ‘Piccolino’, ‘Gourmandises’, ‘Kinor Bakikar’ and ‘Blue Hall Music’.
Accomodation
A few suggestions include: ‘Hotel Prima Kings’,‘Gloria Hotel’, ‘Dan Boutique Jerusalem’, ‘David Citadel Hotel’, ‘Mamilla Hotel’, ‘National Hotel Jerusalem’, ‘Eldan Hotel’, ‘Leonardo Plaza Hotel’, ‘Montefiore Hotel’, ‘King David Hotel’ and ‘Inbal Jerusalem Hotel’.
My Timeline
Jerusalem is about an hour’s drive from Tel-Aviv. Visiting the three attractions filled up a day.
This is what it looks like on the map:
Have a great summerֱֱֱ!
Talma
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Credits: I used the photo provided by Marom PR for the Iceland Rink.
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