There is a good diversity of things to do in Udon Thani. Udon Thani province is full of nature, ancient history, and culture. With 2 UNESCO world heritage sites in one province alone, it is definitely worth a visit. But taking the extra step to travel with kids, you want your time to be worth it. So, here are our top 6 things to do in Udon Thani with families that we recommend.
These are listed in order from closest to the city to farther away and not in order of popularity. As our family has lived in the province for 4 years, we have visited each of these places many times. We recommend a visit to all 6 of these attractions with your kids if you are taking the time to come visit Udon Thani.
1. Nong Prajak Park
A main attraction in the city, Nong Prajak Park hosts the city’s mascots – the ducks! These ducks sit in one corner of the Nong Prajak lake, and they are worth a visit with the kids! They are often decorated for holidays!
Nong Prajak has many activities for children. You can rent bikes in a couple places and ride around the perimeter of the lake. You can explore the grounds and find different playgrounds to try out! Our family favorite is the Dino Park near the Popniyom Road entrance. You can also find snack vendors around the park for a quick pick me up or a bottle of water.
With kids, this is definitely our top choice for visiting while in the city. The park is where the residents come to exercise, play, and meet up and you can glimpse into their lives when you come visit! It’s also such a fun place for the kids. A definite hit with the whole family.
2. UD Town and Night Market
The center of the city definitely revolves around the area between Central Plaza Udon Thani and the area aptly called UD Town. If you are looking for things to do in Udon Thani a trip here is worth it. UD Town is full of shops and restaurants; some that are chains and some unique. In the evening the whole stretch of street becomes a night market. Stalls are set up right before sunset. Unlike other markets around Thailand, such as the Chiang Mai night market, the Udon Thani night market is where locals shop. This means that the majority of stalls are selling clothes and accessories and lots of food. If your family loves shopping for a bargain, by all means check out the clothes because prices are great.
Our family goes to UD Town for the food! Along the entire stretch of road – across from Bangkok Hospital all the way to Villa Market – you will find food. If you are feeling adventurous, this is your place! From bugs to durian, live shrimp salad to mango sticky rice, this market will have everything you want to try in Thailand! Read our post on Adventurous Food to Try in Thailand.
The market runs from around 5 pm to 10 pm, but with kids we always try to get there right at opening around 5 and go until everyone is tired.
3. Natural Park (Monkey Park)
We highly recommend this park as a place to see monkeys in Udon Thani. It is farther out of town and probably not worth the trip by itself (unless your kids REALLY want to see monkeys!). We attach it on to our trips to or from Red Lotus Lake (see below).
Monkey Park is exactly as the name denotes. There is a small parking lot, basketball court, and playground. The monkeys roam through all of these. They appreciate food. Our kids like to play on the small playground while we watch the monkeys run through the trees, the playground, and sometimes jump on our car!
You can find the of Natural Park at this location.
We have been many times and always seen many monkeys.
4. Red Lotus Lake
Red Lotus Lake is by far the most popular Udon Thani attraction for families. It is about an hour southeast of Udon Thani town. We have a whole post you can read about visiting the lake here.
A few important notes:
- Red Lotus Lake is called Talay Bua Daeng in Thai.
- The red lotuses are best viewed during cool season (November through February).
- The early morning is the best time for viewing the red lotuses.
- Visitors take a boat out on the lake to view the red lotuses. There are large and small boats. Our family of 6 easily fits in a large boat.
- There are life jackets for the kids to wear on the boat.
We love the experience of riding through the lake on the boat viewing the lotuses, enjoy the crisp morning air of cool season, and watching for wildlife. A visit to Red Lotus Lake will definitely be a highlight to your time in Udon Thani.
5. Ban Chiang National Museum
These next two Udon Thani attractions for families are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. They both give a glimpse into ancient historical cultures and practices.
First up is Ban Chiang National Museum. This was given the UNESCO title back in the 90’s so the museum and archeological site are well taken care of and very informative.
Ban Chiang is synonymous with brown pottery with red inlay. It has become another symbol (along with the ducks, see above) of Udon Thani province. The pottery was found in the area and is calculated to be thousands of years old.
The history and excavation of the area is fascinating. For a more detailed guide to visiting Ban Chiang National Museum, go to this post.
6. Phu Phrabat Historical Park
The second UNESCO World Heritage site in Udon Thani province is found to the northwest of the city. Phu Phrabat Historical Park was just awarded the UNESCO title this past year. We are excited to see this! Phu Phrabat has amazing rock formations and cave paintings from ancient civilization.
We have a guide here for Phu Phrabat Historical Park. Our family’s favorite activity is to hike and enjoy the nature of Phu Phrabat, but at the same time search for cave paintings. They are found on many boulders on the trails, but many are not labeled with a sign! So it is a family scavenger hunt!
We recommend #4, 5, and 6 to be day trips from Udon Thani town. We recommend spending at least 2 days in Udon Thani itself. So, if you have the time, we recommend no less than a 5-day visit to see these 5 Udon Thani attractions for families.
If you have MORE time than that, our next recommendation would be to visit the national parks in the area. Two we would recommend would be Nong Sam-Na Yong National Park and Phu Pha Lek National Park. To learn more about how to visit national parks in Thailand, you can read our post here and tips for camping at national parks here.
While you visit in Udon Thani you need to stay at 9D Sports Resort if you have children. So, are you ready to visit our top 6 Udon Thani attractions for families?