Welcome to Satakunta: what to do once you’ve arrived in Pori and want to have a day out

This is the second part of a series of texts inspired by my dear friend Vibeke and her daughter, who will pay us back a visit next summer. The focus will be on laid-back family travelling, but some of the ideas are applicable to other kinds of people as well. Welcome to Satakunta!

I do realise the wording of the subject of this post is somewhat stupid. Nevertheless I had fun writing it, touching the innermost idea of the sense of humour a native Pori person is well socialized to from the earliest moments of their life. Now I will ruin the superbness of it all and explain why: the people of Pori love their town so much they don’t care if you like it or not; better yet, they’ll dismiss it to outsiders so they won’t bother to come in at all, which is great, since Pori folks like to keep the town all to themselves – except that the crooked proudness they feel will eventually force them to tell you they were actually just joking. Come on then. Come and enjoy the town.

(The home grown Porispere festival has entertained the whole country with its genious slogans, but it’s too bad they’re too difficult to translate as brilliantly on the go. So you’re bound to miss out. At least until they hire me to take care of the translations properly.)

But we’re not that far just yet. Or actually there’s just quite a lot of stuff to do in Pori once you get here, and I presume it’s going to be more work to describe the most fun downtown activities than make a list of nice day trip ideas.

Destinations outside of satakunta

1. Muumimaailma / Muminvärlden / Moominworld is a two-hour drive away from Pori, so, the phenomenon it is, it does qualify as a day trip destination. The one-day ticket, for all visitors over 2 years of age, is naturally more expensive (1 day 27€ / 2 days 37€) but does not include board or food, of course. The theme park can be crowded in July when the Finns have their summer holidays, but hey, if you’re in the country for a given amount of time, you’ll have to make your visit then. Husband and daughter were there once on a rainy day and told me it was lovely: no crowds, no lines.
2. Särkänniemi amusement park is located in Tampere, and it takes a good hour to drive there, and closer to two by train or coach and bus or taxi. There are rides and attractions for all ages, children who measure under a metre get in free, and although the prices for next summer have not been published yet, I believe the universal day pass will cost around 35€ per person. Shorter people pay less, because some of the rides aren’t safe if you don’t fit the seats properly.
3. Herra Hakkaraisen talo / The House of Mr. Clutterbuck (wow, I wasn’t aware of the English name for the sleep-walking goat!) is beautiful. It is literally a house in Sastamala (1 hour by car / train & foot from Pori) with scenes from children’s books by Mauri Kunnas, a local writer who was born when Sastamala was still part of Satakunta (the town decided to switch over to Pirkanmaa region in 1993). Even if you or your (maybe most likely under 10-year-old) kids haven’t read Kunnas’s fun books you will enjoy your visit because of the wonderful interiors. In the summer there is also a Fun on Wheels Yard where you all get to drive pedal cars! The House is a very budget-friendly option with an entrance fee of 8€ (over 2-year olds) with permission to leave and return the house in case of hunger or nap time.

Destinations within Satakunta

1. Koivuniemen Herran MuuMaa is a ’Living Farm for Children’. Prepare to stay for the whole day. It’s another one of those home made, unpretentious places to enjoy: a farm with animals and tractors and games and chances to swim or row a boat or milk a cow or ride a horse or a carriage drawn by a horse or a dog or a tractor, and did I mention animals and tractors? You can bring your own snacks or buy them at the café, and go sleep somewhere else or book a stay at the farm. Everything is low key and real, but the owners have the best imagination and a wonderful sense of fun. There’s a 25-year, pirate-themed anniversary this year! 45 kilometres or a little less than an hour by car from Pori at 12,50€ per over-2-year-old person.
2. Naurava lohikäärme, ’the Laughing Dragon’ is the name for a visitors’ centre that explains the Viking connections of Eura, a municipality that is quite close to the centre of the Finnish history (that is, the written stories). This little museum is a great destination for anyone who would like to try what a prehistoric (before written recordings, yes?) sword feels like or time travel in their own brain. Under 7-year-olds wander free, 7-17-year-olds for 2€, adults for 4€ each. 50 kilometres or a little less than an hour by car from Pori.
3. Old Rauma, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is also situated 50 kilometres from Pori, and you can reach it also by coach if you’re already sick of driving. Rauma is the second largest town in Satakunta, and if you’re into ice hockey and live in Satakunta you’ll have to take sides. Either it’s Porin Ässät (Pori Aces) or Rauman Lukko (Rauma Lock). If you’re not into ice hockey you’ll have to take sides anyway, or resist very hard. Anyway, Old Rauma is the original town centre that was there before the town of Pori was really founded, and it is the largest unified historical wooden town in the Nordic countries, so there. Worth visiting, very cute, very inspiring. May prove costly if you’re into shopping. 

Please find the first part of this series here.