Although nothing beats a bright summer’s day out, we don’t mind a rainy spell here in Hong Kong once in a while. Our subtropical city is no stranger to precipitation, and with the majority of Hongkongers (save for street sweepers) in constant anticipation for a typhoon, as a city, we’ve managed to come up with a good variety of wet weather activities. Here’s a list of our top five for a rainy day, whether it be household pets falling from the sky, a light drizzle, or anything in between.
Ryze Up
Dying to burn some calories but not feeling the gym? Hit up Hong Kong’s first trampoline park, Ryze, where you can spend an hour (or two, if you can handle it) doing an intense workout by bouncing around a giant trampoline field (Mario-style) for only HKD150. Other activities include dodgeball and hoops shooting, with bounce boards available for rent at HKD50 an hour. There’s surely no better way to wait out the rain than by diving into a pit of foam blocks!
Monday-Friday (10am – 9pm), Saturday-Sunday (9am – 9pm)
Ryze Ultimate Trampoline Park, 3/F, 321 Java Road, Quarry Bay.
The latest addition to Hong Kong’s freejumping revolution is Bounce, a new indoor trampoline park at the Kowloon International Trade and Exhibition Centre. Like Ryze, Bounce’s main stage consists of around 80 connected trampolines for your freejumping pleasure. With plentiful high aerial platforms and performance trampolines, the setup will also surely appeal to aerobics enthusiasts. Bounce away the rainy blues for HKD150 an hour!
Sunday-Thursday (9am – 9pm), Friday-Saturday (9am – 12am)
Bounce, G/F, EMAX, KITEC, No. 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay.
Don’t Know Much About History…
Turn a rainy day into a fun, educational experience at the Hong Kong Museum of History, which is actually totally not boring! Encompassing the entirety of our city’s history from prehistoric times to the handover in 1997 (quite a bit has happened in between, FYI), the museum’s main exhibit, the Hong Kong Story, consists of a wide range of fascinating artefacts, from Ming porcelain to the table on which Japanese officials signed their surrender to British and Chinese authorities after the occupation in 1945. For a tiny HKD10 entry fee (or free entry on Wednesdays for total cheapskates), the museum should make you appreciate our historically rich city a bit more.
Monday & Wednesday-Saturday (10am – 6pm), Sunday (10am – 7pm)
Hong Kong Museum of History, 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Tsa Tsui.
Photo: Leo Li via Flickr
Need for Speed
Driving a car in the rain isn’t too much fun, but driving a race car simulator indoors in the rain is another story. Since 2004, Sideways has been the city’s coolest driving simulator venue, offering a realistic driving experience that’s as close to F1 racing as you’re probably ever going to get. Pick and choose from a wide range of cars, and enjoy the novelty of being at the only place in the city where you’re encouraged to drink and drive. A bar is located conveniently beside the simulators, and they’ll even order pizza in if you’re peckish. Prices start from HKD300 for an hour of Fast and Furious-style fun.
Monday-Sunday (12pm – 8pm)
Sideways Driving Club, LG/F, 1-2 Chancery Lane, Central.
Break Free
Hong Kong’s obsession with room escape games hasn’t abated since they started popping up all over the city a couple years ago. Head over to one of the six branches of Freeing HK, the original room escape company, and you’ll be guaranteed 45 minutes of nonstop Crystal Maze-esque franticness. Some of their themed rooms include “The Unforeseeable Pyramid,” in which you try to make your way out of a pharaoh’s tomb, and Dark Souls, where you have to retrieve your soul from the captain of a pirate ship (A+ for creativity). Weekday tickets are HKD128 per person, while weekends cost HKD168. Paying to get locked inside of a room has never been so fun!
Check the website for the opening hours for each branch.
Six branches, including 10/F, Richmond Plaza, 496 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay.
Have a Ball
As the well-known Hong Kong commercial goes, there’s nothing sadder than having to cancel a football game because of the rain. Kwun Tong party venue Ball Room has the answer to your woes. Behold the latest hybrid sport to arrive in Hong Kong: Pool Soccer! It’s basically pool, but instead of billiard balls and cue sticks, it’s played with soccer balls and your feet. For only HKD35 per hour for entry and an additional fee for equipment, you get to play a game of pool soccer with your mates AND grab a free drink. For the athletically challenged who don’t want to kick balls into holes, there’s also normal pool tables available, among other games. And if you decide to give up completely, you can just kick back in the lounge and watch the real pros on TV.
12pm – 12am, Monday-Sunday
Ball Room, Room C1, 12/F Wing Hing Industrial Building, 14 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong.
Photo Screenshot via YouTube
Header Image: Ioannis Lelakis via Flickr
