Portugal's Porto District is synonymous with wine, and travellers looking to take a deep dive into the region's oenological traditions and products might want to put WOW, a new cultural district on their radar.

Located in the heart of Vila Nova de Guia's historic port warehouse district in Porto, WOW features a collection of seven immersive museums, 12 restaurants from fine dining to casual, bars and cafes, retail outlets and a wine school.

But despite being built from restored wine cellars, WOW offers more to visitors than the obligatory wine tastings — although, of course, that is abundantly available as well.

Barbies and bonbons

Porto visitors can jump on the Barbie trend at the 11-room Pink Palace, where they can pose for selfies in the hotel’s pink Cadillac or jump in a magenta ball pit. Photo Credit: WOW, The New Cultural Distric

For example, travellers can jump on the Barbie trend at the 11-room Pink Palace, where they can pose for selfies in the hotel's pink Cadillac, jump into a magenta ball pit and sample a variety of rose wines, including Quinta do Vale do Bragao Rose and Croft Pink Rose Port.

Got kids? How about timing your visit to coincide with the second annual Chocolate Festival Portugal, set to take place 19 to 22 October?

Taste chocolates from different countries, take in shows on the Cacao Stage and talks at the Cacao Forum and engage in interactive exhibitions and culinary demonstrations.

Work off that sugar energy at the Escape Room "Mission: Save The Museum," part of the Bridge Collection.

Participants navigate a web of puzzles, cryptic clues and mysterious artifacts while racing against the clock to find a missing artifact.

Eye for art

For a dose of culture, take in the Tate Collection at WOW through Sept. 30 at the Atkinson Museum in collaboration with London's Tate Museum.

The "The Dynamic Eye" exhibition will showcase more than 100 rarely exhibited artworks from 63 international artists.

Comprising paintings, sculptures, works on paper, films and installations, the immersive exhibition features the largest number of works to travel from the Tate to Portugal.

The Atkinson Museum, in collaboration with London's Tate Museum, will feature 100 rarely exhibited artworks in the "Dynamic Eye" exhibition.

Going to wine school

For travellers for whom the region's wine culture is top of mind, the Wine School at WOW offers Wine & Spirit Education Trust courses for visitors.

Designed for a range of oenophiles, from those looking for a career in the industry to lay enthusiasts, the courses focus on international as well as Portuguese wines.

Finally, Mira Mira, a fine dining restaurant under the direction of two-Michelin-starred chef Ricardo Costa, features Portuguese gastronomy using organic produce, along with a robust wine selection from major wine producers and port wine houses as well as smaller wine producers.

Source: Travel Weekly