As one of the more developed cities in Malaysia, Petaling Jaya has everything you need to keep you entertained during your visit. Furthermore, it is a short drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, and has various public transportation options, including LRT stations and Rapid KL buses, making it a blessing for commuters. Check out these exciting activities and sights in Petaling Jaya.
At the 80-acre Sunway Lagoon Theme Park, you can find quite many things to do, from water rides to a small zoo. Water slides that whirl and twirl, a constructed ‘river’ ride, surf beach, wave pool, and even 360 degrees revolving pirate ship are among Petaling Jaya’s most well-known attractions. The park is split into five zones: a water park boasting the world’s largest constructed surf beach, a Scream Park, an Amusement Park, an Extreme Park, and a Wildlife Park.
The Grand Canyon Rapid Falls, a 350m-long ‘river,’ is a great place to relax; however, adrenaline junkies will love the Congo Challenge, a six-lane water slide that reaches speeds of up to 40kph, and the Cameroon Climb, where two tube riders swoop down from a height of 15m in double tubes and oscillate until they come to a halt.
You awaken in a dark, frigid industrial apartment that appears abandoned. You have no idea how you got there, and as you look around, you notice something even more terrifying: a cassette recording with the bloodcurdling voice of Dr Malcolm, a serial killer who has imprisoned you for nefarious reasons, and you only have 45 minutes to ESCAPE. This is the premise of one of the ‘escape rooms’ at Escape Room at The Curve, in which players must solve the mystery of a purpose-built room and escape by solving a series of clues.
There are six chambers in this attraction to try out, the mummy’s tomb, prison cell, pirate ship, abandoned factory, slaughterhouse, and mystery room, which is essentially a jigsaw game brought to life. Each game begins with a single clue, and as the enormous electronic wall clock ticks down, you must find an answer and discover the keys to escape each room.
You should try your hand at scaling cliffs and mountains if you’ve ever desired to experience intense activity in a convenient area while straining your physical and mental boundaries. Beginners may find the prospect of outdoor rock climbing intimidating, especially when they must search for climbing equipment and consider the risk of personal damage. This is why indoor climbing gyms have grown popular, particularly among city inhabitants interested in learning the activity.
The state-of-the-art Camp 5, Asia’s largest climbing gym, is one such indoor location, with ‘400 boulder, toprope, and lead routes’ catering to both beginners and experienced climbers. The 24m-high and completely air-conditioned glass-domed centre is located on the fifth level of the One Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya. Visitors who manage to reach the higher wall heights will be treated to 270-degree vistas of the city.
Jump Street is a trampoline park with a difference, where you and your kids may spend hours bouncing off the walls. It’s an excellent site, with certain sections boasting slanted trampolines that allow you to bounce off the walls. It’s an indoor air-conditioned facility with super safe jumping areas (think, padded edges).
Jump Street offers eight different trampoline jumping experiences, including a 9,000-square-foot free jumping area for people of all ages, a sunken trampoline pit filled with thousands of soft foam cubes ideal for trying high-risk jumps, and even a trampoline basketball ‘court’ where anyone can slam dunk. Furthermore, if you’ve ever seen the film Dodgeball (with Ben Stiller), you’ll love this venue because you can gather a group of friends and bust out your sweetest moves to outlast everyone and be proclaimed Trampoline-Dodgeball Champion (just among your friends, of course).
Paintballing is a game in which players use airguns to imitate military engagements by shooting colourful paint-filled capsules at each other. It is a favourite sport among adrenaline junkies. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at paintballing like a pro, head over to Canyon Paintball in Bukit Utama, which is only a ten-minute drive from One Utama.
This park features four jungle-battlefield pitches and a professional speedball arena to create a genuine ‘guerrilla-war’ experience. The main drawback is that they only operate on weekends, but if you can get a group of 20 or more people, you can reserve a pitch on a weekday and set your paintball guns and pellets loose.
This softball practice facility, located on the rooftop of the One Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, is the way to go for softball practice, with an outdoor-like vibe and reasonably priced fees (RM18 for 45 balls). Each batting cage is rather substantial, making them ideal for beginners wishing to try out their softball swing, as well as softball professionals looking to recapture their glory days. However, unless you choose the slow-pitch softball setting, it’s recommended that you bring batting gloves because pitches are quick (one ball every nine seconds) and can injure your hands when you make contact.
If you’re in the mood for a spin on an ice rink, there are two possibilities in Petaling Jaya: the first is Malaysia’s largest ice skating rink, which is located in Sunway Pyramid mall, although it lacks romantic appeal due to its location within a typically packed mall. The Royale Chulan Damansara Ice Skating Rink, on the other hand, is ideal for skating hand-in-hand figure eights while admiring the gorgeous scenery of shimmering fairy lights on trees outside the hotel.
The Royale Chulan Damansara Ice Skating Rink charges only RM25 for admission, and while ice skating is generally a winter sport only available when temperatures drop below freezing, synthetic ice allows for year-round gliding at The Royale Chulan Damansara Ice Skating Rink. This quaint, quiet ice skating rink is the place to go if you want to add a little romance to a first date or want some thrills and spills on the ice with the family.
The 80,000 square feet Kidzania KL is a memorable edutainment centre meant to show and inspire kids to ‘work’ in professional jobs, taking the ‘let’s pretend game’ to a whole new level. It teaches kids about numerous career options by using miniature-sized models of office buildings and cars inside this mini-metropolis, giving role-playing a whole new meaning.
There are approximately 90 various types of grown-up professions available, like posing as a surgeon, judge, mechanic, or hairdresser. Each job a child performs at the two-story facility earns them Kidzania currency, which is a terrific method to teach youngsters the value of money. KidZos are a type of ‘money’ that they can use at the end of the day to redeem products from the centre’s gift shop or purchase a meal at one of the indoor fast food or sushi restaurants.
The Secret Garden, located in Petaling Jaya’s 1 Utama Shopping Centre, is considered one of the world’s most extensive rooftop gardens. This garden covers over 30,000 square feet and has approximately 600 plant species. The garden is separated into different zones based on the different types of plants. The Rainforest Zone and the Victoria Amazonica Zone are two of the Secret Garden’s most appealing zones.
The meandering pathways that go amongst the plant beds are particularly appealing. The Secret Garden’s splendour is further enhanced by the artificial ponds and waterfalls. On the first weekend of each month, guided tours are also available.
This city has a knack for delivering unusual entertainment options for everything it offers. With a proper mix of historical and adrenaline spiked Petaling Jaya attractions, a trip here will surely be memorable with friends or family.