Oxígeno, a ‘human playground’ opened in San José, Costa Rica, in the early days of December. The concept is the first in the world to combine shopping and physical activities for adults and kids.
The human playground opened last December. Photo by Oxigeno
It includes capacity for over 1000 people with restaurants and activities designed for kids, young adults, families and more across 200,000 square feet. The human playground is divided in five ‘worlds’, made to stimulate the mind and body. The first world is called Live and here people can find local franchises like Pops, Sublime and La Estación, a traditional ice cream store and some international restaurants. The others focus on themes like inspiration and wellness.
There is plenty of shopping nearby for the adults too. Photo by Oxigeno
Josué Chacón went with his little brother to Oxígeno because he thought that, since his brother is eight years old, he would enjoy it, but in the end he enjoyed it more. “I had the chance to scale an eleven-metre-high wall”, he told Lonely Planet, “to try the Roll glider, ice skating and to enjoy a high ropes trail as if I was a kid”. Chacón says that one of the greatest things about Oxígeno is that the experiences make people feel that they can be kids again. For younger visitors, there is Luckey Climbers Play, a structure full of adventures and experiences, a playground and a dedicated outdoors park.
The mini-theme park allows children to roleplay as lots of different professions. Photo by Oxigeno
One of the biggest draws at Oxígeno is Kidzania, a theme park that recreates a city for children from four to fourteen years old. Here they can role-play 50 different activities and professions, including doctors. engineers, farmers, firefighters, nurses, police officers, chefs, pilots and many other jobs. The children must work to earn the money that will allow them to play other roles and buy things inside Kidzania.
Just outside Oxígeno, there’s a running trail and space for picnics that are free for visitors to enjoy concerts and holiday activities. Although not all the activities are free, tickets can be found at the playground’s website.
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