Wooden play world

Largest indoor wooden playground in Tyrol at the JUFA Hotel Wipptal

Who hasn't experienced it? You're on vacation with the kids, look out of the window in the morning, and there's heavy rain falling from the sky. "Oh no, what are we going to do today?" is the question. We sent Ewelina, Matthias and their daughter Lena with friend Iva to the new indoor wooden playground in Steinach, which has been open since summer 2021, and then asked them what it was like.

The BBT Tunnel Worlds next to the JUFA Hotel Wipptal are already a well-known and frequently visited destination for the family in rainy weather. What they didn't know: during the Corona break, new exhibits and completely new themed worlds were created here, e.g. the train simulator. Here, children can playfully ride the S-Bahn between Innsbruck and Brenner. We therefore recommended that they stop by here briefly after the wooden playground. The two play worlds are "door to door", so to speak. 

Right next to the Tunnel Worlds, a new children's play area covering over 400 square meters and several levels was created as part of the 2020/21 redesign of the JUFA Hotel Wipptal. The theme of the adventure play world at the JUFA, which is made almost entirely of wood, is based on the themes of the tunnel worlds. Dad Matthias thinks the new playground is a great success as it is spacious and there are lots of different elements to discover. His daughter Lena particularly likes the fast "tunnel slides" and the climbing wall in the form of a tunnel boring machine. "The children can move around freely here and practise different skills on the elements. There is also a small climbing area with bouldering holds and large mats on the ground right next to the wooden playground. All in all, we were in very good hands for two hours. Afterwards, the children needed a break from romping around anyway," says mom Ewelina. There is a refreshment stop at the JUFA Hotel, where you can get drinks, cakes, snacks and ice cream. When the new "Trattoria" is open, there is also a choice of freshly baked pizza and other Italian dishes.

Of course, we also asked the Herzog family if they had missed anything. "Basically, the play area is very successful. But we also have an idea for further development. At the moment, the holds in the climbing area are randomly bolted to the wall. You could mount the holds according to colors and routes with different levels of difficulty and also write the levels of difficulty on them, then the children would have more incentive to improve," says Matthias. We think that's a really good idea and will make an effort to implement it.

The wooden playground with climbing area at the JUFA Hotel in Steinach is open to all families in the Wipptal Valley - not just those who are staying in the region on vacation. Entry is also free of charge. The project was supported by the market town of Steinach am Brenner and the Wipptal tourism association to make this possible. 

TIP: Visit the indoor wooden playground at the JUFA Hotel Wipptal, Huebenweg 25, in Steinach. Access is best via the JUFA entrance and then ask at reception for the play area. The playground is open daily during hotel opening hours. The adjacent Tunnel Worlds are open daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 17:00 with free admission.

Copyright pictures: Ewelina Herzog