It is always difficult to decide a place for picnics especially when you have small kids. One needs to consider lot of factors before zeroing on a place. There are lot of questions which pops up – is it a baby friendly spot? Can I take food inside? Can we carry baby bags? How much time will it take to reach the place Etc. etc.

Have listed two such places which are baby/kids friendly. And the best part is, this place is for everyone. There is something for everyone from elders to kids. No one will get bored here.

Both the places are based on the village theme. One represents Haryana & Punjab and the other is built on Rajasthan set up.

The idea is to provide real life experience and insight into rural India to the people having routine hectic life in the city. It provides a perfect short break from busy schedule.

Pratapgarh Farms – Jajjar

This village is based on Haryana and Punjab theme with a bit of modern/urban touch in terms of amenities & facilities. It is important to have these facilities/amenities which we are used to in cities. The overall look and feel is of a village. The games & activities available are majorly dominated by village/rural lifestyle.

The area is divided into 6 lawns for the activities/sports:

Rural activities:

• Games – Kanche Goli, Pithoo, Gulli Danda, Kite Flying, Matki Fod, Tug of War, Gulel.
• Rides – Camel Ride, Camel Cart Ride, Tractor, Bullock Cart Ride.
• Activities – Pottery, Charkha, Mehandi, Agri activities, Barma Bridge
• Other Village Activities – Herbal Garden, Nursery, Mud Bath, Tubewell Bath

Urban Activities:

• Sports like Cricket, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton, Carrom, Archery, Airgun, Darts. Trampoline, DJ Music are other activities which are available.

I found three activities/rides exceptionally good which made my day.

• The pottery activity was fun. I got hands on experience of creating a pot/glass of mud.
• Trampoline – It was a stress buster. I thoroughly enjoyed jumping like a mad. As we did this activity late at around 5 in the evening, we got unlimited time to jump and enjoy, else one gets only 2 mins. All my days’ exertion just went off after jumping.
• The Bullock Cart ride and Tractor ride were the 2 best activity/ride. I found this lawn the most interesting. It also has nursery with beautiful flowers and birds/animals like emu, goats. One should spend more time in this lawn compared to other lawns.

The food is good here. It has both Buffet system and sitting system. The food includes roti, rajam/dal/vegetables similar to available in restaurants. And also village food – Bajra and Makki Roti made on chulla.

There were manji and charpai kept to sit apart from chairs.

Timing: 0900-1730 hrs.

It is advisable to go in a pleasant season to enjoy more. One would feel very hot during peak summer season.

Cost: 1,050 per pax which includes unlimited food (breakfast,lunch & snacks) and limited rides and games on all available rides.

Chowki Dhani – Sonipat

Fun, Food, Entertainment as their tagline goes, so is the experience. It is based on a village from Rajasthan. One can say Jaipur in Delhi. This brings colorful life of Rajasthani culture.

It has a huge ground space for arrangements and the overall hospitality is also good.

The things/activities includes Village Bazaar, Folk Entertainment, Animal Ride, Jyotish, Mehandi, Games like Dart, Archery, Bowling, Puppet Show, Camel Ride, Bullock Cart Ride Camel Cart Ride.

I found Puppet Show and folk dance as the highlight of this place, especially the fire part performed by the men.

It has a wonderful village theme. Charpai and Manjis are available to sit and chit chat with friends/family. I had a good time here.

Timing: 1100-1500 hrs and 1700-2300hrs. It is advisable to go in the morning during winters to enjoy sun while, at evenings during summers as it will be cooler.

Cost: 650 per pax which includes unlimited food (lunch/dinner & snacks) and limited rides and games. Need to choose any 2-3 activities from the available list. The food quality is very average here (Jaipur chouki dhani is way better than this one if compared).

Although both the picnic spots have similar theme/set-ups of a village. But are unique in their own way. It will be difficult to say which one is better among the two.

Tip: One enjoy more in a group small/big instead of one couple/family.

*chouki dhani pic sourced from internet