The first thing that came to my mind after reading the description for this current topic is; "this is going to be tough". Why? First of all, I live in Benin City which does not have a lot of fun recreational centers. Secondly (this is the most important reason), I don't go out 😅. So if there are fun spots in my city, I don't know about a lot of them or maybe I do.
I know a couple of interesting spots in my city and I also have friends that have visited fun places and told me about them as well. A lot of these places are fast-food joints and restaurants but it wouldn't make sense to just take my guest from one restaurant to another, right? So, one restaurant or lounge should be enough, then other recreational centers will be there in my itinerary as well. On that note, let's begin!
Ogba zoo and park
This place is very special because my mom used to take me and my siblings there every Christmas. Aside from the animal attraction which can take up to an hour to see most of the really cool ones like the chimpanzees, lions, and peacocks, there are also lots of activities going on such as games, parties, picnics, and so on. A friend that went there recently told me that they have added a paintball game.
Y'all know paintball, right? It's a game where two teams dress in different uniforms, and try to take each other down using a paint gun. The paint-gun simply shoots paints and if you get tagged by the enemy's paint, you're out. It will definitely be a fun game that my guest and I will take part in. From the zoo which is located at Airport Road, our next stop will be G.R.A
Ruch snails restaurant and lounge
No, they don't serve only snails 😅 I am still wondering why they picked that name. Anyway, I have visited this place once and before you even start eating, you will fall in love with how beautiful this restaurant is. I was in awe the first time I went there (probably because I rarely go out) and I want my guest to be in awe too. We will order jollof rice, gizzards, peppered snails (of course), beef kebab and milkshakes. Next, let's go see some artwork.
Igun street
Igun Street is home to the guild of Benin bronze casters. The binis (indigenes of Benin) are known for their bronze and metal casting skills and the sculptures they make are showcased in Igun Street. They are so good at this that in the late 1800s when the British invaded, they stole many of the sculptures which they displayed in. British museums. I am very sure my guest is going to enjoy looking at these sculptures as I found them very intriguing the first time I saw them, and I'm not even a lover of art.
Mat ice and games
This place opened just last year December and some of my friends have visited it and all of them kept saying it's amazing. I haven't visited it yet even though it's just about 20 minutes away from my university. I planned on visiting it in January on New Year's Day but when I saw the crowd there, I changed my mind and went somewhere else. This place has lots of fun games, both digital (car race, soccer, virtual reality, etc) and physical (snooker and table soccer).
One of my friends visited it a few weeks ago and posted the video on his WhatsApp status, so I took a screenshot of the price list for the games. Me and my guest will play a few laps of car race, then play a couple of virtual reality games and then we will head to the restaurant section to grab a few snacks and drinks. I am definitely going to visit this place this December whether my guest shows up or not 😅.
That's it!
Well, that is it for the day coz I am pretty sure it will already be evening by the time we are done with those games. There are still some other places I can take my guest such as the Benin Museum which have lots of historical artifacts and stories, Kada Plaza which is a mixture of different fun and relaxation centers (game center, spa, restaurant, and even cinema are in this huge Plaza) but for the sake of this article getting too long, I won't be saying much on this places 😁.
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Edited with Canva
First image: screenshoted from WhatsApp