Hellendoorn: Leisure, culture and trails along the Regge

Hellendoorn combines leisure activities with regional cultural history and trails along the Regge. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip, these different highlights can help you choose your destination: Would you like to enjoy rides and play areas, visit museums or spend time outdoors?

Leisure activities and play areas

Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is located in the green heart of the Hellendoorn forests. It offers more than 45 rides, slides and shows; the offering may change over time. At Aquaventura Slidepark, 11 slides and a water play area for small children take centre stage. The two attractions therefore offer different options for a stay focused on leisure activities.

Speelbos Sallandse Heuvelrug has climbing and balancing features, swings, tunnels and bridges, as well as trails through the trees and space to build huts. The play forest is open year-round between sunrise and sunset and is free to access. As access rules may change, check them before your visit. The Cool Nature Koemaste nature playground is aimed at children up to 14 years old. Seven fitness stations can be used by children and adults; the available equipment may change.

Cultural history and local traditions

Museum Erve Hofman focuses on regional costumes and Dutch national costumes. Having expanded the farmstead with various historic buildings, it has grown into a small open-air museum. Talks, workshops and exhibitions complement the offering; individual dates vary.

About 125 gravestones and burial vaults at Oale Karkhof bear witness to life and death in the 19th century. Between 1829 and 1897, the site was a central place of remembrance for Hellendoorn. It is designated as a municipal monument and has benches for walkers and cyclists. Around Easter, Hellendoorn also holds a Palmpasen procession: children take part carrying handmade Palmpasen sticks and bread roosters. Exact dates vary from year to year.

Gerrit Valk’s Bakkerij- & IJsmuseum covers almost 1,000 m². Its collection includes tools, objects and machinery from former bakeries, as well as from the early days of ice cream making. Bakers regularly use the original oil-fired oven to bake various treats. During school holidays, guided tours include a baking demonstration; check the dates before your visit.

You can also discover the local culture on the Gedichten Fietsroute. It connects village centres and hamlets in the municipality through poems along the route. In total, the route features poems by 15 local poets.

Trails, river scenery and nature

The municipality of Hellendoorn lies in the Sallandse Heuvelrug and Twents Reggedal area, which includes De Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park. The national park is one of the largest contiguous heathland areas in Europe. The municipality offers opportunities for walking and cycling, as well as experiencing nature and the water.

The purple Boksloot walking route starts at the Eelerberg trailhead and is 7.4 kilometres long. A shorter signposted route is the 3.2-kilometre Toegankelijke route Hellendoorn: this accessible walking trail passes through the De Koemaste nature area and runs alongside the Regge. It was designed for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, buggies and prams. Check trail conditions before setting out. For a longer cycling route, the 35.4-kilometre Hellendoornse Waterroute is another option; it runs alongside the Regge, the Overijssels Kanaal and the Boksloot. Check the route information before setting off.

In De Koemaste, large sections of the canalised Regge were filled in and old river bends were excavated again. Paths for walkers and cyclists were created as part of the area’s development in 2013. The Boksloot walking route and Toegankelijke route Hellendoorn are walking trails; the Hellendoornse Waterroute is a cycling route.

Buitencentrum Sallandse Heuvelrug in Nijverdal is a starting point for activities and walking routes, and has a restaurant and an observatory. You can reach it by public transport via Nijverdal railway station; free parking is also available. As transport connections may change, check the latest travel information before setting off. Hellendoorn Observatory has two telescopes, a solar telescope, a radio telescope, the Sky-Walk viewing platform and a planetarium.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Hellendoorn, Nijverdal, Haarle Gem Hellendoorn, Haarle, Daarle, Losser, Ommen, Almelo.

For the main travel overview: Overijssel.