Already too cool for a beach vacation? Even in autumn there are many exciting destinations for families at Lake Constance. We present four of them here:

1

Mainau Island - One day vacation

Experience nature over and over again, enjoy the uniqueness of each season and let your soul dangle: To this end, Mainau Island would like to welcome you. Spring, summer, autumn and winter: Mainau Island is always worth a visit. 

Whether parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren or all together - make Mainau Island your family experience. In addition to those interested in nature, gardens and recreation, many families also come to the island. Tricky questions, exciting stations, hidden clues: Embark on a treasure hunt all together. To find the legendary Mainau treasure, you have to help the Mainau mascot Blumi to solve all six riddles. Whoever figures out the correct solution word at the end will receive a small treasure in the Mainau Service Center. But beware the treasure is only hidden from March to mid-October. 

Other highlights for the whole family include the butterfly house and the arboretum, where various sequoia trees live and can be admired. The little ones can let off steam on the three adventure playgrounds in Mainau-Kinderland and get to know the animal inhabitants of the island in the farm. The insect garden right next door provides information about the pollination services of wild and honey bees. The most beautiful sideline remains on the way almost throughout the Lake Constance. It flashes turquoise here and there through the large, old trees. In some places you can also take a break directly on the shore. www.mainau.de

2

Ravensburger Spieleland - classic games in 3D

How about this, Move a few walls in the Crazy Maze, but for real, not just on the game board? Join in a few rounds of squeaky duck racing? Set sail together with Hein Blöd and Käpt'n Blaubär? Try white-water rafting, change tires, drive an excavator and meet the orange mouse in the flesh? At Ravensburger Spieleland north of the Lake Constance families can experience all this and much more together in small adventures - with over 70 attractions in 8 themed worlds. The amusement park with vacation village is suitable for parents with children aged from about 2 to 12 years.

More than 20 years ago, Ravensburger AG launched the amusement park with the quality standards and philosophy of the Ravensburger "Blue Triangle", which stands for good entertainment, education and knowledge worldwide. Decades of experience with games, puzzles and books went into the conception. The hands-on park was successful right from the start - and has attracted more than 7.5 million visitors to date.

A lot of things are certainly already somehow familiar to the smaller ones, for example also the novelty 2020: The cockroach game was realized among other things by a giant swing. Since there are a wide variety of accommodation options (from cottages to campsites), you can also stay for longer than a day trip to savor the theme park. Tickets must currently be booked in advance online. www.spieleland.de

3

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen - The dream of weightlessness

The two girls are supposed to navigate the zeppelin through a vortex, Dad rather intervenes briefly: "Right," he calls, and then: "Great, but now a little more straight ahead!" In the end, the flight simulator nevertheless sends a smiley face with the corners of its mouth pulled down onto the screen: Game over. Doesn't matter. The family moves on. At the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen - the world's largest collection of airships - there is still plenty to discover for young and old alike. The central exhibit is a walk-through partial reconstruction of the legendary airship LZ 129 Hindenburg, which caught fire and crashed in Lakehurst in the USA in May 1937. You can see parts of the outer shell, climb a ladder to get inside as you once did. The view into the sleeping cabins and through the large windows of the Zeppelin is fun even for elementary school children.

Silently the two girls stand shortly after in the room where original parts from the Hindenburg can be seen: Crew uniforms with burn marks, a half-destroyed bench seat, technical equipment. Particularly impressive, of course, is the fact that through the windows of the Zeppelin Museum one can occasionally observe one of the successor models in the sky, flying excursions over the Lake Constance make. This is fitting for a museum that wants to inspire people with the idea of daring the impossible and thus helping to shape the future. A second permanent exhibition at the Zeppelin Museum is dedicated to innovative art since the Middle Ages. www.zeppelin-museum.de

4

Hohentwiel Fortress - castle ruins with a view

In stone window cavities grass grows. The view goes beyond the foundation walls of the outer castle into the hilly volcanic landscape of the Hegau. Wow, it didn't look that huge from below! But the Hohentwiel fortress ruins near Singen are huge, the largest fortress ruins in Germany. A family strolls along the outer walls and looks up at the fortress, which is about ten kilometers away. Lake Constancewhich sparkles in the evening sun. A few children play tag in the castle, whose roof has been the blue sky for centuries and whose floors are covered with carpets of flowers. The mysterious walls, cellars, gates, vaults and hiding places are a wonderful adventure land for children (only climbing is forbidden up here, of course!).

The Hohentwiel Fortress Ruin is located near Singen on a prominent volcanic rock. And the impressive masonry and the views in all four directions make your heart leap for joy. That's why you actually only see happy faces up here - Hohentwiel is simply a blast on such a bright autumn afternoon. You walk through the foundation walls of this nine-hectare castle ruin, which has been so many things - a monastery, a medieval seat of nobility, a robber baron's castle, a Württemberg fortress, a prison, a place of refuge for the citizens of Singen in 1945 during the liberation of Germany. And during the tour, one wonders again and again what this castle may have seen and experienced. By the way, a listening tour explains the volcanic background: On the "Volcano Trail" around Hohentwiel, you can learn a lot about ancient volcanic vents, lava bombs and the flora and fauna of this largest of all Hegau volcanoes via audio guide. www.festungsruine-hohentwiel.de

Cover photo: Treasure hunt on the flower island Mainau - fun for the whole family © Dietmar Denger

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