Hi there!
This post was born spontaneously by my decision to go to Holon’s traditional Purim Parade or ‘Adloyada’. I’d been to it before and knew that it was going to be spectacular. Aside from that, Holon has positioned itself as the “Children’s City” so you can count on it that the rest will be good as well. The latter can be visited year-round of course and since Holon is only about 15 min from Tel-Aviv, I’m sure you’ll find it useful.
I’m sharing a video in case you want to see what the parade was like:
Trip Itinerary Options
I’m not dividing them into trip anchors and additional options because you’ll choose the locations based on age. Starting from nursery school and up:
‘Gan Sipur’ that translates into ‘The Park of Stories’
The Puppet Museum - for Hebrew speakers only
The Israeli Children’s Museum
La Park
The Israeli Museum of Caricatures and Comics
Husmasa – the Haganah’s training location just outside Tel-Aviv
Design Museum Holon
Holon Mall
Site Descriptions
‘Gan Sipur’ that translates into ‘The Park of Stories’
Holon has a park that celebrates children’s books. The park has eight themed sections that have statues and landscape designs based on eight of the most beloved children’s books written by Israeli authors. You may not have read them or heard of them, but the themes are fun to investigate and make the park more beautiful than average. The park has a regular playground and café as well.
I’m afraid this item is for Hebrew speakers only, but since some of my followers do speak Hebrew, I didn’t want to give it up. The museum is open only on Wednesday afternoons and holidays so please schedule accordingly. The puppet museum is one of a few of its kind in the world and is worth planning for. The exhibit is adorable and displays various types of puppets from all over the world including a description of each play. At times, the visit includes a puppet show and a guided tour that includes a demonstration of the different techniques used by puppeteers. You should check in advance. Otherwise, it is self-guided. The accompanying adults will enjoy it too.
Tours in English need to be reserved especially in advance. Usually, they open tours for groups of 8 and above, but there is some flexibility for less. The museum offers a variety of themed exhibits. Each exhibit is purchased separately and takes between 1 hr 15 min – 2 hrs so you can visit time and again and see different things each time. The exhibit for the lowest age group is for children aged 2.5-4 yrs old. The exhibits for the highest age group are for children from the 4th grade or above.
‘La Park’ is a shopping and dining complex that is built around a huge pool that has boats for rent. It is right next to the Israeli Children’s Museum on one side and next to a football stadium on the other side, so if you’ve decided to go there, you’ll be able to fill in the rest of your day.
If you like reading the funnies in the newspaper or in comic books, you’ll love this museum. The exhibits are related to Israeli artists and even though most are in Hebrew, a lot are funny without much knowledge of the language. I registered my daughter for a one-hour workshop of caricature drawing and then joined her for a 45 min tour that discusses the characteristics of both and the artistic workflow. You can reserve the tour in English. What was nice on behalf of the museum, is that while waiting for the tour to begin, children on line (those who weren’t in the morning workshop) were give a drawing task that kept them busy.
‘Husmasa’ is the name of the building that used to serve the Haganah for training their young volunteers on the use of firearms, the morse code and other skills needed for paramilitary activities. At the time, the building stood on the edge of sand dunes and was a perfect location for training. Today, it is within the city, but the visit still manages to convey how things were run by the Haganah.
In general, the ‘Husamasa’ building is not open to the public on a daily basis, but is only available for reserved tours of groups of ten or above. If you need a guided tour in English, you need to specify that. On Independence Day it will be open for free to the public, but then I’m sure the guided tours will be in Hebrew.
In my photo you can see a ‘Davidka’, an Israeli mortar used in the Independence War that was invented by a teacher who worked at the agricultural school in Holon.
The museum is suitable for children aged 10 and above. The design museum in Holon is also quite unique in the world. Thought was given to every aspect of design, starting from the concept of the building to every object in each exhibit. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays a 45 min tour in Hebrew is included with the entrance fee.
When I visited, I saw the exhibit ‘Je T’aime Ronit Elkabetz’, named after the world famous Israeli actress, screenwriter, director, social activist and model who passed away in 2016. The exhibit is based on her wardrobe collection, testimony to her being a true designer at heart.
Holon Mall
There is nothing unique about the mall, but it’s good to know that it exists. It is located right across the street diagonally from the Design Museum on 7 Golda Meir St. so you can go there for some shopping or refreshments afterwards, if you wish.
Food
Restaurants near the Israeli’s Children Museum include: ‘Silo’, ‘Saida Park’, ‘Biga – La Park’ and ‘Gordos’.
Restaurants near the Design Museum include: ‘Balena’ and in the Holon Mall. There is also ‘Café Gan Sipur’ in the park of stories that is nearby.
Accomodation
Nearby hotels include: ‘Leonardo Suite Tel-Aviv Bat-Yam’, ‘Margosa Hotel’, ‘Market House Tel-Aviv-Jaffa’, ‘Andromeda Hill Holiday Suites’, ‘The Setai Tel-Aviv’, ‘NYX Tel-Aviv Hotel’ and ‘Lily and Bloom Boutique Hotel’.
My timeline
This trip can provide you with a day of activities since it is adjustable for various age groups.
This is what it looks like on the map:
Passover is nearly upon us and all the museums above have planned activities so you should definitely follow up.
Have you any other recommendations about Holon that you want to share? Feel free to add by commenting.
Best,
Talma
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