Nan-t'ou Things to Do

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There are 2 cable car rides in the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village, which visitors get to ride for free, unlimited times, as long as they have bought the entrance tickets to the theme park.
One ride takes visitors from the bottom of the theme park to the other end which is located on top of a hill (the entire theme park is situated on a gradually sloping hill), and another ride called the Ropeway takes visitors from the top of the hill to Sun Moon Lake.

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While the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village is supposedly about aborigines, there is also a huge European-style garden called the European Palace Garden, and a huge Amusement Park with rides. I suppose this will attract the kids.
The European Palace Garden is a beautifully sculptured garden with a small cafe at the entrance and visitors can take a slow train ride around the garden. Good for a nice peaceful 1 to 2 hour stroll.
The Amusement area has outdoor rides and indoor rides, something like Universal Studios but smaller in size.

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The Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village is a very big theme park setup in 1986, showcasing the lifestyle and performances of several of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Within the 'aboriginal village' part of this theme park (there are other parts of this park such as the amusement center and a big European-style garden that has, in my opinion, nothing to do with aborigines) there are two theaters that allow the several aboriginal tribes to perform dances. Each tribe also has their own area to showcase their unique lifestyle and beliefs.

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Chung Tai Shan Monastery touts itself as the largest temple in Taiwan. It is completed in 2001 and headed by a certain Venerable Master Wei Chueh. The temple is large, very well kept, very clean and has a modern feel to it. Unfortunately not all parts of the temple are open to the public, and certain areas are opened to only those who booked (the guides) in advance. The front and main hall of the monastery is packed with camera-snapping tourists, but the back of the temple, including the sculpture garden is very quiet - good for a nice walk and quiet meditation.
While you're there, try the vegetarian restaurant on top of the museum. Vegetables have never tasted this good!!!!!!

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The Monster Village is a new attraction in the Lugu (lit. translated - deer valley) township of Nantou, Taiwan. There are many shops here with decorations of cute little monsters. It's not a very big place, possibly good for a 2-3 hour walk around.

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Kong Ming, also known as Zhuge Liang, is widely regarded as the most famous military strategist during the period of the Warring States in China. This temple is built in 1901 initially to worship other gods but lost its popularity in the 1970's until a statue of Kong Ming was built in 1981. Right now the temple also worships Guan Yu, the God Of War. The front of the temple has sculptures depicting the famous scene "Three Visits To The Thatched Cottage" where Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei visited Kong Ming's cottage 3 times to invite him to join them as their strategist.

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The Paper Dome is a church where its columns and benches are made up of paper, or rather, very thick cardboard. This church was originally built in Japan in 1995 when a certain Takatori Church collapsed during the Osaka-Kobe earthquake, and later moved to Puli town in Nantou, Taiwan as a show of support for the victims of the 1999 Taiwan Earthquake. Nowadays it serves more as a tourist spot rather than a church. There is even a souvenir shop selling goods made up of paper. And if you are here, try the restaurant - the food is fabulous, and the entrance fees can be used to offset NT$100 off the restaurant bills.

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This is an old railway station in the sleepy town of Jiji. Built in 1933, this station is still active and one can still get a train ride, but tourists have made this a tourist attraction although it really isn't crowded. Good for an hour of quiet and relaxing stroll.

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The town of Puli is famous for their good quality Shaoxing rice wine, as well as other brands of wine. This brewery has a long history dating back to 1911. The second floor is a museum as well as several 'wine tasting' places.

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A small temple built in 1955 to worship the Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang (sometimes called 'Tripitaka' in some literature) who journeyed to India from China to bring back and translate many of the Buddhist scriptures, a journey that took about 16 years. At the time of my visit (2013) the remains of Xuanzang are kept inside this temple. And even during the weekdays this temple is swarmed with tourists, many of them seemed more interest to take photographs with stones instead of the religious significance of this temple.
At the bottom of this temple - a 10-minute walk down a flight of steps - is the Xuanguang Pier and a very famous "tea leaf egg" stall.
[Note: there is another similar temple called Xuanzang Temple a short distance up the hill, also dedicated to the worship of Xuanzang, but is much more quiet and serene.]