Zuiderzeemuseum In Enkhuizen

The Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is one of the best open air museums in the Netherlands. We've been exploring one museum after the other on weekends and when a friend heard about it, he suggested adding it to our list. I have to say that we weren't disappointed.

Zuiderzee translates into 'Southern Sea' which is essentially what this museum is about. It covers all the different stories, buildings, traditions, clothing etc. that surround the cities that surround the Zuiderzee. Hence the name 'Zuiderzeemuseum'.

The museum is divided into an indoor and outdoor section which means that you can visit the museum even during bad weather. The outdoor part of the museum however is where most people spend their time.

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The Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is a museum that allows you to walk through history in real time. The museum is divided into two separate parts. An indoor section and an outdoor section. The indoor section is at the T'Schathuys'. Not many people know explore this section but we found it extremely interesting. The outdoor part of the museum is has over 140 buildings that you can explore. I'll talk about it each section in a bit.

Tickets To The Zuiderzeemuseum

The open air museum part of the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is open during the summer months. From the end of October, the outdoor part of the museum closes and only the T'Schathuys remains open. The ticket price are halved during this season.

Note: The entrance to the museum is free if you have the museum card. I highly recommend getting one if you live in the Netherlands.

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Parking At The Zuiderzeemuseum In Enkhuizen

There are two parking spots that you can use when visiting the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen. The one that we used was the Parkeerplaats compagnies haven. It was a short walk to the museum from there. The other parking spot is called the Parkeerterrein Zuiderzeemuseum. This is an interesting way to head to museum beause from here, you get to take a boat across. Its an interesting activity to do. We missed this one when we went.

How To Get To The Zuiderzeemuseum In Enkhuizen

How you get to the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is really dependent on how you are traveling. We drove down from Groningen. If you are traveling using public transport, you can take a train to the Enkhuizen station and walk from there. You could also rent an OV fiets if you don't want to walk.

If you don't have your own car and want to rent a car, I suggest checking out Discover cars. It runs an easy comparison between the rental companies so you get the best deal.

Where To Stay In Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen is one of the smaller cities in the Netherlands and it has a surprising number of things to do especially if you travel with kids. It makes sense to stay overnight if you are in the area. Here are some great options if you are considering a longer stay.

Cozy beach cottage Enkhuizen (Near the lake, Luxury)
Herberg de Compagnie (Central, Mid-Range)
Tante roosje (Mid Range)

Things To Do In The Zuiderzeemusuem

The things to do in the Zuiderzeemuseum can be divided into the T'Schathuys (indoor activities) and the Open Air Museum. I'm going to cover them as separate sections so that you know what you can do in the colder months when the outdoor part of the museum is closed.

1. T'Schathuys

The Treasure house or T'Schathuys is the indoor part of the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen and is open all year round. It is situated in one of the historic buildngs in the city and it talks about the history of the area. Here you can see ships and boats that were used to sail in the sea. You can also learn about the different clothing. We had a lot of fun trying on some of the historic clothing.

For The Children: There is a talking stork that takes the children on a trip through the T'Schathuys. It makes it such an immersive learning experience for young children. Highly recommend doing this!

There are lots of activities and craft work that is set up for the children. It is worth asking what time the activities will be conducted at when you are at the reception. That way you can plan your trip accordingly.

T'Zuiderzeedorp

T'Zuiderzeedorp is the open air part of the Zuiderzeemuseum. It was constructed between 1968 and 1983. There were no houses in this area prior to the construction. The design of the village however was based off many of the villages and cities nearby. This is why T'Zuiderzeedorp feels like an extension of Enkhuizen. It was designed to be a mirror into the past.

Today there are about 140 buildings that stand in the area. Each one is dedicated to a different part of the areas surrounding the Zuiderzee. While you can probably breeze through the area in a couple of hours, to truly enjoy and immerse yourself in the area, you would need a whole day. In a way it is very similar to the Openluchtmuseum in Arnhem.

Here are some really cool activities that you should do. It is fun if you have kids with you or if you are traveling as a group of adults.

2. Check Out The Crafts In The Village

Fish being smoked at the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen

One of the fun things to do is to check out the traditional crafts. Here you can see people actually working at the anvil or weaving a basket or smoking fish. There are people who will talk about the how the craft was done and will demonstrate it live. Here are a couple that we really enjoyed.

Basket weaving
The Blacksmith shop
The fish smoke house

3. Try Old Dutch Games

There are a lot of Dutch games that you can try out. I know hat many people will say that they are old Dutch games but honestly I don't think they are really outdated because my kids play with these at the school gym. Some of them include balancing things on a rope, hopscotch, skipping etc. You will find them all over the campus which is nice because there is always something to entertain the children with.

4. Hoist A Sail On A Sailboat

This was by far one of the most entertaining things to do in the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen (according to my children). Immediately after you enter the open air museum, you will see a sailboat on the ground. This sailboat is interactive. The children can climb in and hoist the sail, they can explore around, drop an anchor etc. It was a lot of fun and we spent a lot of time here.

5. Enter The Boats

There are a number of real boats that you can enter. You can see how fishing was done back in the day and how fish were preserved using a hatch where water from the sea kept alive. You can even go down and see how the fishermen lived while at sea. There's a boat where you can see how goods were transported back in the day with audio stories of how people kept themselves entertained.

6. Benches That Tell A Story

Keep an eye out for benches that are out doors. They have a sign on them and when you sit on them, a narrative begins to play about the landscape in front of you. This was definitely one of the things the children loved doing. It was a great break from walking around too.

7. Craft Room For Kids

There's a craft room right next to the restaurant where children can choose what craft they want to do. This is a paid activity.

My kids decided to decorate wooden clogs that they could take home. They were given a cute bag with all knickknacks in which they could use.

This is an indoor activity which is great if the weather is bad or if has suddenly got a bit wet. It is also a great place for everyone to sit down and unwind.

8. Chill At The Restaurant

There's a large restaurant with an indoor and outdoor seating area. It serves a variety of different things including cakes, coffee, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, hamburgers, fries and healthy sandwiches. It is nice to stop here and pause for a bit with a coffee. It allows you to take in the landscape around.

I've heard people say that the Zuiderzeemuseum takes a couple of hours at most. Honestly that's true if you breeze through the museum. It can be done. It is so much nicer however to spend the day there. Not hurry through. To take part in all the activities and shows. Its also a great place for a leisurely walk. We spent a whole day here and weren't bored.