fun things to do with kids in the loire france    
  Travel for Kids
  | The Loire
     
    Nantes and around
  Jules Verne Museum (Nantes) – Jules Verne was born in Nantes and lived on an island in the middle of the Loire River. The Jules Verne Museum, is not the original Verne house, but has souvenirs from Jules Verne, as well as models of the futuristic machines described in his novels.
    "Blue Mine" (La Mine Bleue, Noyant-la-Gravoyere) – The Blue Mine was once a slate mine. Put on a blue hard hat, descend in an elevator deep into the mine, ride on a train that winds through tunnels and some very large caverns where the slate was mined. A second tour is themed to Jules Verne's "Voyage to the Center of the Earth" where you'll see prehistoric fossils, inventions and an underground laboratory.
    Grand Parc du Puy du Fou (near Cholet)Puy du Fou is a spectacular European history theme park. Watch gladiator games in a replica of the Roman Coliseum, see a Viking raid in action (with full size boats), cross over the drawbridge into a fortified medieval city, wander through an 18th century village, plus sword fights with the musketeers, live performances, medieval jousting, birds of prey and puppet shows, and a nighttime extravaganza. Don't miss a medieval lunch, drumsticks areserved on swords. Highly recommended by a family with five children, "this park literally took my family's breath away." Click here for more information.

kids books france
     
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea  
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (DK Classics)
Jules Verne, Ron Miller, Paul Wright

Illustrated retelling of the classic story, annotated with photographs of marine animals, drawing of the Nautilus, and map of the voyage around the world. A professor of natural history is marooned at sea, rescued by the elusive Captain Nemo, and taken on an amazing undersea adventure. (Illustrated chapter book)

 

     

Growing up in Nantes, Jules Verne dreamed of going to sea and traveling to distant lands. As a boy he snuck aboard a ship bound for the West Indies, but his parents hauled him back home. Jules Verne never stopped dreaming, and his writing took him far beyond the Loire River. (Chapter book, illustrations)

 

 
The Story of Jules Verne
(More children's books on other France pages)