{"id":1305,"date":"2012-02-21T10:35:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-21T10:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/explore-cancun-with-kids\/"},"modified":"2016-04-13T08:01:20","modified_gmt":"2016-04-13T08:01:20","slug":"explore-cancun-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/explore-cancun-with-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore Cancun with Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Explore<\/div>\n

Visitors Splash in the Waves B<\/strong>elow the Mayan Ruins at Tulum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mexico is known for its family-centric culture, where children are not just tolerated, but welcomed with genuine enthusiasm. For your next family vacation<\/strong><\/a>, consider Cancun, home to powdery sand beaches, turquoise ocean waves, fun kid-friendly attractions, and nearby historic Mayan ruins.
\nXcaret: World-traveling mom, Jennifer Miller of EdventureProject.com, recommends the 200-acre Xcaret ecopark as \u201ca wonderful way to introduce kids and adults to the history, culture and ecology of Mexico.\u201d Children of all ages will enjoy wandering through the park\u2019s animal exhibits featuring jaguars, lions, monkeys, and more. There\u2019s also a Butterfly Pavilion, Bat Cave, and Coral Reef Aquarium. You can book a stingray encounter, dolphin swim, or underground river snorkeling adventure at the Water Activities Center.
\nThe Xcaret Night Show gives insight to the proud people of Mexico. A three-course meal is available during the show. While the food is not spectacular, it adds to the fun of the evening. The show begins with the glow of candles and the scent of burning sage. The sunken stage bursts to life with a reenactment of the ancient ball game of Pok ta\u2019pok, a mythical sport that dates back to 1000 BC. You might want to take young children for a walk during the potentially frightening war scene between Spanish settlers and Mexico\u2019s native people. Kids will enjoy the show\u2019s dance, music, and colorful costumes representing different regions of Mexico.
\nXel-Ha:<\/strong> Xcaret\u2019s sister property\u2019s name, Xel-Ha means \u201cwhere water is born.\u201d Water is central to this park, which covers 35 acres in bodies of water plus 173 acres of dry land. Kara Williams of TheVacationGals.com recommends this park to families with young children for its miniature train through the jungle, children\u2019s playground, and plentiful hammocks perfect for a daytime siesta. She says, \u201cI have a fond memory of my then one-year-old daughter sleeping on my chest on one of the Xel-Ha hammocks in the shade.\u201d
\nWatery Adventures:<\/strong> Water lovers can book a snorkeling excursion, deep sea fishing trip, or Sub-See Explorers Yellow Submarine cruise with Aquaworld. Children as young as three can pet dolphins and even get a kiss from these friendly ocean mammals in their Dolphin Interactive Experience, while those five and older can swim with the dolphins.
\nWater park lovers should check out Wet n\u2019 Wild for waterslides, a lazy river, bumper boats, wave pool and more. The on-site Kids Park offers a pool and miniature slides for children seven and younger.
\nMayan Ruins:<\/strong> Your trip wouldn\u2019t be complete without exploring one of two significant Mayan ruin sites located near Cancun – Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1 and Tulum. Both can be quite hot, especially if visiting during summer so dress the family in light, breathable clothing and slather on the sunscreen.
\nChich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1 is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and was once the ceremonial center of the Yucatan. These ruins may have been built as early as 600 AD. The most famous and impressive pyramid, Kukulkan Pyramid, is over 75-feet-tall.
\nBuilt in the 13th Century AD, Tulum is smaller in size but closer to Cancun (81 versus 126 miles away). Kids will be more impressed by the huge iguanas sunning themselves amongst the ruins than the history of the ancient stone temples and former Mayan residences. Reward children for good behavior during your tour of the ruins by marching down a wooden staircase to take a well-deserved dip in the warm ocean waves.
\nWith affordable flights from the U.S. and Canada, Cancun makes for an easy tropical retreat sure to please every member of the family.
\nDon’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook<\/a><\/strong> for exclusive travel deals! <\/em><\/p>\n

Photo: Travel Mamas<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visitors Splash in the Waves Below the Mayan Ruins at Tulum Mexico is known for its family-centric culture, where children are not just tolerated, but welcomed with genuine enthusiasm. For your next family vacation, consider Cancun, home to powdery sand beaches, turquoise ocean waves, fun kid-friendly attractions, and nearby historic Mayan ruins. Xcaret: World-traveling mom, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97176045,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions\/97176045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}