Things to do in Pattaya

Pattaya has a good selection of attractions, although its fair to say that there is something of a lack of traditional Thai buildings and ancient constructions that are characteristic of many of the country’s other popular tourist towns. Here you’ll find manmade attractions such as Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Mini Siam alongside others where the wonder and beauty of Mother Nature presides.

Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm

Take a 15-minute drive from the town centre and you’ll arrive at this 100-rai (160,000 square-metres) park, in which a wealth of interesting flora and fauna await your perusal. Breeding pens are home to over 1,000 crocodiles, giving visitors plenty of opportunity to see these fearsome beasts in action. A zoo with a variety of indigenous creatures is also on-site, while a bonsai garden illustrates the fascinating results that can occur when man gives Mother Nature a little assistance.

Ripleys Believe It or Not

This fascinating museum is situated on the third floor of Royal Garden Plaza Building in Central Pattaya and is home to an interesting collection of exhibits where the emphasis is on the weird, wonderful and downright mind boggling. Attractions include the Haunted Museum, Infinity Maze and the Motion Master. The Ripley’s Believe It or Not is a must for anyone with an interest in natural, hard-to-explain or totally unexplained, earthly phenomena.

Sriracha Tiger Zoo

The Siracha Tiger Zoo is situated north of Pattaya City, off Route 3241 in Si Racha County, just 30 minutes drive from the town centre and is a must for anyone with an interest in nature’s grandest feline species. Visitors can get up close and personal with baby tigers, getting the opportunity to administer milk at feeding times and to have their photographs taken with them. A variety of other animals are also resident at the zoo, while a number of shows such as those with scorpions, crocodiles and elephants are popular with visitors.

Mini Siam

Mini Siam is a highly popular, if not somewhat tacky, attraction that draws visitors in their thousands throughout the year. The facility is home to a miniature recreation of some of Thailand’s most significant historic constructions as well as many of its major tourist attractions. Scaled down replicas of Don Muang Airport, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Temple of Phimai in Nakorn Ratchisima are among those exhibits on display. Mini Siam is situated near Central Pattaya on Sukhumwit Road.

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

Six hundred acres of scenic landscaped park comprise the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, one of Pattaya’s finest locations for appreciating indigenous tropical flora. Attractions at the garden include orchid nurseries and a cactus garden as well as an artificial waterfall and a lake that is large enough for canoeing. An arts centre in the park gives daily presentations of traditional Thai dancing as well as martial arts, cockfighting and an elephant show. Bungalows and cottages provide opportunities for visitors to stay overnight in the garden.

Pattaya Elephant Village

Thailand’s much-cherished national animal is given the tourist treatment at this popular attraction situated on Sukhumwit Road in Central Pattaya. Visitors get to see pachyderms engaging in a variety of activities such as playing football, displaying forestry skills and re-enacting elements of ancient battles from Siamese history. Elephant rides are available, taking visitors into the nearby woods to get a feel for how the locals once relied on these magnificent beasts for transportation.

Museums

Pattaya is somewhat lacking when it comes to museums, and aside from the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, the only other facility worthy of mention is the Bottle Art Museum. Visitors to this centre can marvel at over 300 examples of bottles containing a variety of typically Thai artefacts including Buddha icons and miniature temples.