The playground of the rich and famous has become a hot spot for global tourism. It is the fourth-most visited city in the world and for good reason — the location is not only exotic and beautiful, but jam-packed with thrills and frills that will create an extraordinary vacation for the whole family.
If you are planning a trip to the United Arab Emirates to visit this desert city, check out some of these family-friendly activities to make sure your family vacation is one to remember.
If you want to get out of the desert sun for awhile, head to the world’s largest indoor theme park, IMG Worlds of Adventure. Open year-round, this thrilling fun zone features superhero and cartoon themed rides, shows, restaurants, shops and more. With four themed zones to choose from, there is something to entertain everyone. The Marvel zone bursts with superhero rides like the Thor Thunder Spin and the Avengers Flight of the Quinjets, while the Cartoon Network entertains with rides featuring the Powerpuff Girls and Ben 10. The Lost Valley is crawling with dinosaurs and exhilarating roller coaster rides like the Velociraptor and the Predator. Do your kids love Spiderman or Thor? This is their chance to meet them! The Meet and Greet Zone let’s them get up close and personal with their superhero favorites.
Dubai is surrounded by an ever-changing landscape of majestic sand dunes that offer endless entertainment for the off-road enthusiast in the family. Ammar tours offers a variety of excursions that let you experience riding the dunes firsthand, like the Dune Bashing with Quad Bike and Sandboarding Tour. This adventure lets you choose from a quad or dune buggy to tear up the dunes and burn off some serious energy. The three-hour excursion will pick you up at your hotel and provide you with all the equipment necessary for riding. This tour is great for everyone over the age of 12.

© Kjersti Joergensen | Dreamstime.com
Teens have been addicted to gaming since the video game was invented, but take them away from home and gaming consoles and you just might have a seriously unhappy teen on your hands. Hub Zero, an immersive virtual reality theme park located at the popular City Walk, is one way to help ease the withdrawal from the virtual world they love so much. Enter The Void, where you can become part of the Ghostbusters team, or visit The Virtual Arena for a wireless virtual experience fighting zombies.
A visitor visa is required to enter the UAE, but citizens of many countries, including the United States, are not required to obtain one prior to their visit — it can easily be obtained upon arrival. VisitDubai.com has helpful information and tools to help you determine what kind of visa you need and how to obtain one.
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