[Family Travel]Essential Guide to Tainan Attractions & Sliding-Tube Family-Friendly Homestays

The first installment of our family trip with our little "Puff" — a relaxing four-generation journey in Tainan. Before departure, I looked up many destinations to visit, drawing from my experience traveling while pregnant in Hualien last year.

With our five-month-old baby joining us this time, I didn’t plan too many activities — just one major attraction per day — sticking to our usual laid-back travel style. But as always, things didn’t go entirely as planned. Read on for the full story~

(Original Plan): Puli → Lunch: Taichung’s Dajia Tianhou Temple → Tainan’s Beimen Visitor Center → Check-in at Good Luck Homestay → Dinner: Dadong Night Market / Haian Road

(Actual Plan): Puli → Lunch: Family Meal Gathering → Taichung’s Dajia Tianhou Temple → (Stop at Gukeng Service Area) → Check-in at Good Luck Homestay → Dinner: Itadakiman Italian Sharing Concept Restaurant

During the Lunar New Year, our family tradition is to go on “spring visits” and pray. After the holiday, we finally had a break and arranged our annual pilgrimage to Dajia Tianhou Temple. With our new family member, we also prayed for little Puff’s health and safety.

Little did we know… plans never catch up with changes, and changes never catch up with what my father-in-law says. During the holidays, my parents (my father-in-law and my mother-in-law) decided to have a post-holiday gathering. As a result, the entire itinerary was completely thrown off!! That’s why the above plans are split into the original version and the actual one.

We met up for lunch first, then headed to Tianhou Temple to pray. After finishing the prayers, we planned to head south. We originally intended to drive along the coastal highway and snap some photos at the Beimen Visitor Center, but by the time we left Tianhou Temple, it was already afternoon. So we rushed straight to check in at the homestay.

On the way, we stopped at Gukeng Service Area so little Puff could get out of her car seat to nurse and relax a bit. We happened to see the super-popular yellow bell trees after the holiday. Though not super lush, it was still satisfying to catch a glimpse.

The nursing room at Gukeng Service Area is usually locked. To use it, press the button outside the door and a cleaner will come unlock it for moms. It has air conditioning and is quite spacious — besides mom and baby, it can fit about 2–3 more people (for what, XD). It provides a fridge, water dispenser, and diapers in various sizes (though the patterns were unfamiliar, brand unknown).

After a short rest, we headed straight to Good Luck Homestay to check in. We still arrived past their official check-in time — really sorry about that. For families traveling with kids, Good Luck is an excellent choice. In addition to the currently super popular indoor sliding tube, they also offer plenty of fun facilities for both kids and adults, and have thoughtfully provided daily necessities for little ones.

It was already 8 PM by the time we got our luggage settled. We had originally wanted to check out one of Tainan’s three major night markets, Dadong Night Market, but considering it wasn’t ideal to take little Puff to a crowded public place, my college senior kindly treated us to dinner at Itadakiman, where we dined with giraffes. However, since it was close to Puff’s usual bedtime, we ate quickly. Yep — not a single photo was taken. So regretful!! Hoping for another chance to visit next time.

(Original Plan): Breakfast: Provided by homestay → Lunch: Stroll around Anping Old Street → Hucouzhao Painted Village → Check-in at Jingda Resort Manor (includes dinner)

(Actual Plan): Breakfast: Provided by homestay → Chimei Museum → Beimen Visitor Center → Check-in at Jingda Resort Manor (includes dinner)

Speaking of this year’s hottest attractions, the Chimei Museum definitely ranks in the top three. So we ditched Anping Old Street and Hucouzhao Painted Village and went to join the crowd at Chimei Museum.

The Chimei Museum is actually better suited for slightly older children. If you do plan to visit, it’s recommended to book tickets in advance. But with our 70-year-old great-grandma and 5-month-old baby, we just planned to take some photos and stroll around.

Aside from the exhibits, the Chimei Museum is truly vast, beautiful, and very photogenic. According to my local university-senior friend, his friends often spend an entire afternoon here taking pictures. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great that day — aside from being unexpectedly cold, there was also light rain on and off. We ended up using the museum as a shelter from the rain, nursing while admiring the scenery from a nearby bench. It’s definitely on our list to revisit. XD.

Phone: (06)2660808
Address: No. 66, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Renhe District, Tainan City
Opening Hours: 09:30 a.m. – 05:30 p.m. (Closed every Monday)
Official Website: http://www.chimeimuseum.org/

The Beimen Visitor Center is another spot that’s hard to write a full article about XDDD!! We finally made it to this long-dreamed-of wedding photo hotspot, only to be defeated by bad weather again!! And there were tons of tour buses!! Just taking a photo at the Crystal Chapel took forever finding the right angle!!

We managed to take five group photos with different family members at the Crystal Chapel, stayed for fifteen minutes, and then quickly left. We didn’t want to bake under the scorching sun, but the bitter cold wasn’t any better either. Hope next time we can get a nice shot with everyone’s eyes open.

Phone: (06)7861017
Address: No. 200, Beimen Li, Beimen District, Tainan City
Visitor Center Opening Hours: 09:00 a.m. – 05:30 p.m. (Closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and the first Monday of each month) (Photo spots remain open)
Official Website: http://bvc.swcoast-nsa.gov.tw/center.html

Jingda Resort Manor was probably one of the two best decisions of this trip. With the freezing cold weather, soaking in the hot springs was absolutely the ultimate treat.

After a good soak and a solid sleep, we hit the road again Up!! On the way back, we took National Highway 3 with little Puff to visit her great-grandpa in Jiji, and stopped by Zinan Temple to pray. Then we headed home to let our exhausted little Puff, who had been on the go for three days, get some proper rest Up!! After three days of constant travel, she barely napped in the car, but the moment we got home, she slept!! THROUGH!! THE!! NIGHT!! Mom was moved to tears. Probably the biggest win of the trip. Conclusion: trading a trip for one good night’s sleep for the kid? Totally worth it.

Although little Puff doesn’t yet understand the joy of a slide-themed homestay, can’t comprehend the magnificence of the Chi Mei Museum, and certainly doesn’t enjoy the hot springs that leave mom and dad feeling completely relaxed, we still feel incredibly happy and fulfilled every time we take her out — watching her curiously look around and explore the world!

Many people say that kids don’t remember much before the age of 3, or even 6, and that taking them out to travel usually just adds more trouble for the adults. But we really don’t feel that way (though to be fair, we’re not traveling to any super faraway places either), every group photo is the most beautiful and precious memory to us. We’re going to keep taking little Puff to travel all over the world.

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