Perhaps the easiest amusement/outside park to get to in the world. If you forgo driving (although there is a lot), Madurodam has its own tram stop between the train stations and the beach. It is "conveniently" the first stop in the next zone from the stations, so you have to pay the extra strip. Once you get off the tram and look at the gates three things are noticeable. One is the model of the boy with his finger in the dike, another is a mileage sign to various cities around the world (think of the signpost in MASH) and then there's the lighthouse on the grassy knoll, which looks to me like the set of "Teletubbies."
Once you've gone through the gates, you are in The Netherlands, but its 1:25 the size of The Netherlands you've just "left." Many of the famous sites of the country are represented here, from the canals and buildings of Amsterdam to the cube houses and ports of Rotterdam to train station and neo-modern museum of Eindhoven. The place isn't set out geographically as the country is, but sites from specific cities seem to be fairly close to one another.
The park is always a buzz, and not from the visitors. Many of the roads and almost all the rail tracks are busy. The model of Schipol has planes getting ready for takeoff, while a fireboat extinguishes a fire on a tanker heading towards port. Some things, such as a fair rollercoaster or the cars running through a test track, are activated by spectators pressing a button. Some of the attractions are coin-operated, but visitors are rewarded for their money: For instance if you put a coin into the candy factory, the truck at the loading dock will take a tootsie roll from the museum to the visitor.
Madurodam takes great pride in their models. The detail is pretty amazing, especially considering the size of the models. The models have a life-expectancy of 30 years, and when they are retired, the models are destroyed, rather than to give away the artists' works.
Along the outer walls of the park are a few areas of interest. To the left of the entrance is a gallery, with rotating exhibits. During one winter trip, I saw an ice sculpture display, while a spring trip brought me to an exhibition of award-winning news photos. To the right upon entry to the park is the gift shop and restaurant. The food is pretty good, and you can take a seat at the large windows looking out at the park.
Madurodam will be enjoyed more by children - after all, some adults may prefer to see the real Den Haag sites than models of them. It is still charming though for people of all ages.