Vigan with kids

Sightseeing Vigan with kids is so great because you hire a kalesa and take it everywhere you go. So the sights are broken up with kalesa ride (= shade, breeze, rest and a ride!) and kids don't even realize they are sightseeing. Kalesa rental is 150 php/hour from Called Crisologo (the main old, Spanish street). We did 4 hours. Things we enjoyed seeing with kids:

1) Bantay Belfry and St. Augustine Church. Climb up belfry and see views of the hills surrounding Vigan - beautiful. There's even a cemetery perched on the hill faraway. I loved the grounds of St. Augustine Church, particularly the quiet, Chapel by the Ruins garden. Along the exterior walls of it, you can light a candle here with a prayer for peace.

2) Ilocos Sur National Museum (now in the provincial jail where Pres. Quirino was born). This was a good break for kids because indoors and air-conditioned. Shows important parts of Ilocos Sur livelihood like agricultural tools and pottery. I loved this tapestry of embroidery showing local life on a woven blanket. Large paintings showing Ilocos Sur's history. There is also a series of paintings showing Ilocos Sur's history. 

 3) Jar factory (Type of pottery is called Burnay). I think there are a lot around but the one we went to was RG jar factory. They had tons of very big, decorative jars on display. Kids got to try throwing their own jars on a big wheel (for a tip) and see the huge kiln the pottery is fired in  (I want to say 30 metres long). Look at these miniature cooking jars that would be fun for a kids play kitchen if they weren't so breakable.

4) Abel weaving
Ask Kalesa driver to take you to see the weavers. The ones we saw were Cristy's and Rowilda's (in the same countryside neighborhood outside of Vigan). Both were great and had people working at the looms when we visited so kids could see and watch. Both had cool products to buy. (But if you can only do one, I would choose Rowilda's only bc products were a bit cooler and seemed more unique to Vigan. Christy's products I felt you could find in Manila).

 Rowilda's

 Cristy's 

Cristy's

5) Crisologo Street
The earlier in the day to walk here the better. We walked there at dusk and it was much more crowded than in the morning. Look at these fun wooden products for kids' dollhouses. And we tried Vigan empanadas at Irene's on Calle Crisologo (one of the famous empanada places).

6) Lights and music fountain show on Plaza Salcedo in the evening. You watch from bleachers (or standing) around the fountain. But there is also a section of fountains coming out of the ground where kids can run around. On the ground, there is also a map of the Philippines projected with lights that is fun for the kids to run on.