Vellamo for families

Welcome, children and families! Vellamo has activities for families with children year round. Admission is always free for visitors under the age of 18!

To make your day run smoother

*The entrance and exhibition spaces have automatic doors. You can use the lift to access the lobby on the second floor where you can buy tickets. You can also use the lift to move between exhibition floors.

*The childcare room is located by the entrance lobby.

*We have two pushchairs our visitors can borrow. They can be found in the cloakroom.

*Free admittance for people aged under 18.

Read more about our accessibility here.

Engaging experiences

Permission to play!

Never Never Town is a joyful and colourful exhibition for children and their adults. The coolest place by far.

At the Never Never Town exhibition, Kotka cityscape and local identity come to life through shared play and activities, exciting the imagination and creativity of the whole family.

You can build colourful block houses, visit a neighbour, hang out in the nearby forest or even sit down for a ‘posso‘ at the market. Oh, and there is a super fun slide at the exhibition!

Permission to touch!
The exhibition spaces have several activity points where you are encouraged to touch and try things out.

*The favourite spots of our mascot Ship Dog Vellu are marked with his image. Raise your anchor, relax on the cabin bed or play a game of ship sinking. In the Boat Hall you can send messages with flags and learn how to tie knots.

*The digital elements of the Fateful Svensksund exhibition are sure to impress visitors of all ages.

A pike swimming on the wall leads visitors below the surface and to the artifacts found in a shipwreck. Can you find the same artifacts in the Battles section of the exhibition?

You may get your teen interested in visiting our museum by telling them about the Smoke on the Waves virtual presentation; link to the trailer is here. The performance by Zoan Oy is suitable for people aged 12 and over.

The interactive scale model of the Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress shows what lies below our feet when we walk around in Kotkansaari, the centre of modern Kotka. The scale showcases the residents and daily life of the sea fortress during its short-lived period of prosperity.

When hunger strikes

In the Maritime Centre Vellamo, hunger is vanquished by the restaurant Laakonki that is open in accordance with the opening hours of the museums. Café products are available all day, on weekdays there is a delicious lunch buffet. At the weekends and on holidays, the restaurant offers a plentiful brunch. For children the price for lunch and brunch is about half of the normal price.

You can access the webpage for the restaurant Laakonki here.