Neo-futuristic building along the water in Aarhus, its an amazing community space as well as one of…read morethe best libraries I have ever been to. It's the largest library in all 4 Scandinavian countries and even won library of the year in 2016, a year after it opened. The lighting and thoughtfully designed interior is so welcoming, even though my wife had reservations about "going to a library" it ended up being one of the coolest places we stopped at and we were here way longer than we thought we would be. You head up the stairs to the main entrance, on the left is a playground with one of the steepest and most painful slides I have ever tried, but the eagle is fun to climb on and you get great views of the city. Besides books there are cool exhibitions inside. When we went they had a "future farming" exhibit right in front with plants growing from clear plastic bags and a "CNC" machine that watered and plants crops. On another floor we found a lego play area and a section on recycling with fantastic art and free postcards. We wanted to head to another area before most of the shops closed so it felt like we didn't spend enough time here. You should set aside at least an hour to come to this amazing library, we could have easily did two hours.

This building is not only clean and beautiful, but also offers a variety of great amenities. It…read morefeatures a well-stocked library, engaging workshops (many of which are free--check their website for details), and rotating mini exhibits. The on-site café provides a relaxing spot with a lovely waterfront view. Computer access is seamless, and the staff is always helpful and friendly. A fantastic place to visit for learning, working, or just unwinding.

I'm always a bit conflicted about animal parks and zoos. On one hand, if they're done well,…read moreethically sound, and are involved in the protection of wildlife, they can do a lot of good. I believe that you protect what you love, and if those parks and zoos can give people a love of wild animals, it is all the more likely that they will involve themselves in their protection. On the other hand, another part of me can't help but think that wild animals belong in the wild. Skandinavisk Dyrepark does seem to be quite ethically run, with a reasonable amount of space for each animal, and they are involved in the protection of, among other species, polar bears in the wild. So far, so good. I do like that this park is themed, rather than just "let's get a bunch of cool animals together and watch the crowds roll in". Instead, all animals here live in the wild somewhere in Scandinavia, from the ferrets to the bears. That lends a unique opportunity to learn about the animals that you can find in particular part of the world, and to realise just how diverse Scandinavian nature really is. The area is well laid out, with the original landscape preserved, rather than turning it into a theme park, making you feel more like you're walking in a wooded area, rather than an animal park. The whole thing is quite low-key, with the ticket office and gift shop located in a small log cabin, and with limited "stuff" around the park. A very distinct lack of Disney feel to this, bonus points for that. There's a really excellent playground, where you can let the kiddies run free and burn off what energy they have left after the park visit. Bonus for that, too. What's less great is the amenities of the park. These are kept very low-key, too, with only two cafés in the park, and neither of these offering much more than the selection of your average hot dog stand: hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn and chips. So not much chance of having an actual meal, unless you brought your own. Second, the park isn't very big, and we (4 adults, one child) managed to cover the entire park in less that two hours, including seeing all the animals, having lunch, and a few assorted breaks along the way. Considering the predator feedings that are the park's main attraction are spaced more than four hours apart, you'll probably find yourself needing to kill a lot of time if you want to catch them all. Add to this that the cover charge is quite steep (180 DKK per adult), and the whole value-for-money thing just doesn't really add up. Which is a shame, because as animal parks go, this is one of the better ones.