Family Fun: The Best Things to Do in Adelaide with Kids

So, you need some inspiration to keep your little ones entertained, right? We totally get it – there’s a limit to how many playgrounds and indoor play centres one can handle.

When the holidays hit or the kids need a little extra stimulation over the weekend, you’ve come to the right place to find an activity the kids will love. Oh, and don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you – most of these activities are great for grown-ups, too!

We’re taking it up a notch from a day at the beach or lunch at a kid-friendly pub. We’re talking adventure parks, wildlife encounters, chocolate factories and museums.

Pack up the car and the fam as we explore the best things to do in Adelaide with kids.

Spend the Day in Hahndorf

It’s not all Bratwurst and steins in wholesome Hahndorf. From vintage lolly shops and heritage-listed ice cream parlours to captivating souvenir shops filled with Nutcrackers and wooden toys, the kids won’t know which way to look! If your little ones are animal lovers, treat them to a day out at Hahndorf Farm Barn – and get a cuteness overload while you’re at it. Despite the name, this ‘farm barn’ isn’t only a place to play and interact with farm animals; it’s also a wildlife park! So, you can experience a cosy hay day and a wildlife safari. Bring a picnic blanket and stay for lunch, as there’s an undercover picnic and barbecue area.

If you’re visiting Hahndorf from November to April, you could make a sweet stop at Beerenberg Farm for strawberry picking. Head to the Farm Shop and collect your pick-and-weigh containers, then head out to the patch and look for the juiciest strawberries to pick. They will be the perfect addition to your picnic, made even sweeter when the kids have picked them fresh.

Sitchu Tip: Be sure to check the Beerenberg website before jumping in the car, as sometimes the strawberry patch is closed due to being ‘picked out’ or bad weather.

Hahndorf, Adelaide Hills

Australian Space Discovery Centre

It’s to infinity and beyond at the Australian Space Discovery Centre. Delight budding astronauts with interactive exhibits, the latest innovations in space exploration and developments in aerospace technology. You’ll all walk away with profound knowledge of Australia’s direct involvement in space study, and perhaps some inspiration to explore space long after your visit comes to an end. It’s bound to wow the little ones, and yourself.

Lot Fourteen, Ground Floor, North Terrace, Adelaide

Tree Climb Adelaide

For an adventure that will get the heart pulsing, buckle up for a treetop TreeClimb. Easily one of our favourite picks on this list for family fun (plus a great way to limit that pesky screen time) you’ll be harnessed in and given a safety briefing, then walking amongst the treetops, ziplining through the forest and completing course challenges in no time.

With three locations – one in the heart of Adelaide Parklands for convenience, a larger location in the Kuitpo Forest and a new spot in Salisbury – this activity will tire everyone out, and you’ll all leave with a little more knowledge of the environment and conservation. With Tarzan swings, zip-loops, giant nets and rock-climbing walls, you’ll be challenged as you jump, swing and climb through the trees.

Adelaide, Kuitpo & Salisbury

Urth Clay Studio

Take the kids to a class where they are not only allowed but greatly encouraged to get their hands dirty… in a controlled creative environment, that is. Urth Clay Studio is offering something a little messy, but also a little zen. Several classes and programs cater to smaller humans, with Muddy Hands, Big Brains Tiny Hands, Social Clay and school holiday programs all suitable for kids aged 7 and older. The team at Urth also host kids’ parties, teaching friends to create pottery or clay pieces, and seeing their imaginations run wild as they get to work.

3A Hubbe Court, Burnside

7/89 Goodwood Road, Goodwood

Hijinx Hotel

Get the kids working together and running amok inside the Hijinx Hotel! The latest addition to Rundle Mall’s entertainment offering, this is not your regular hotel.

Challenge rooms are filled with ball pits, giant floor pianos, neon lights and topsy-turvy walls, filled with challenges to earn team points and hit the top of the leaderboard. Perfect for the older kids starting to outgrow the playground, they can solve puzzles, play memory games and burn through the sugar rush from the fab food offering with reaction games. Once they’ve cracked the code, you’re well placed for more fun with Strike Bowling and Archie Brothers arcade games sharing the floor. 

Rundle Place, 77/91 Rundle Mall, Adelaide

Adelaide Botanic Gardens

If you want to get the kids outdoors, explore the beauty in our backyard at Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Stroll through the endless stretches of manicured gardens and admire the historic buildings including Palm House, the Santos Museum of Economic Botany, the Goodman Building and the State Herbarium. Bring a picnic blanket and set up on a stretch of grass to enjoy lunch as a family.

Don’t miss the enchanting Chihuly in the Botanic Garden! Open to the public up to the 29th of April 2025, immerse yourself in a dazzling outdoor exhibition showcasing the breathtaking glass artworks of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Stick around until dark for ‘Chihuly Nights’ from Thursday to Sunday for a magical evening under the stars, where the sculptures glow with stunning illumination.

North Terrace, Adelaide

Adelaide Gaol

Ready to get spooky? Adelaide Gaol has a rich history filled with fascinating (and a little grisly) stories of inmates who lived in the cells until its closure in the 1980s. From a mugshot exhibition and archaeological dig site to the Cell 19 art installation created from archival materials, this is a step back to the harrowed past of South Australia’s criminals. Take a self-guided day tour to keep it light, or take the bigger and braver kids on a ghost crime tour after dark. Be warned – Adelaide Gaol is considered one of Australia’s most haunted buildings, with ghost sightings not unheard of.

18 Gaol Road, Adelaide

Meet the Animals of Adelaide

A strong choice for kids of all ages – animals! The Adelaide Zoo is in a prime location on the outskirts of the CBD, home to animals from across the globe, including African lions, Giant pandas, giraffes and meerkats, plus all the Aussie natives – including the adorable quokka. There are animal encounters for the kids who are brave enough to get up close and have a go at feeding a giraffe or having a cheeky meerkat climbing along their shoulders. A little further east, the kids can cuddle a koala and hold reptiles in the privately owned animal sanctuary at Gorge Wildlife Park.

To visit the biggest Safari park outside of Adelaide, a day at Monarto Safari Park is one you won’t soon forget, with more than 50 species of exotic and native animals roaming the open-range park. Climb aboard the Safari Landcruiser, drive through the Wild Africa precinct and grab the binoculars to spot rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, giraffes and lemurs roaming about.

The Beachouse

Make a splash at The Beachouse, a family amusement centre where it doesn’t matter if it’s a warm summer’s day or the middle of winter – there is always plenty of fun to be had. Known by most Adelaideans given its long-standing residence and a beachfront location in Glenelg that is hard to miss, there are endless activities within these vibrant walls for the whole family to enjoy.

Big kids will love a go on the dodgem cars, mini golf course, arcade games, water slides and bumper boats, while there is a mini indoor play centre, classic carousel and train rides for the little kids. And let’s not forget the café with snacks and most importantly – the barista made coffee for Mum and Dad.

Colley Terrace, Glenelg

Haigh’s Chocolate Factory

Remember how we said the grown-ups would be able to enjoy some of these activities too? Enter: The Haigh’s Chocolate Factory Tour. Live out your Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dreams and take the little ones to where it all started for Haigh’s. This well-loved South Australian company is over 100 years old and still operating out of their original factory on the fringe of the Adelaide Parklands – so these guys know a thing or two about great chocolate.

The tours are completely free and operate 6 days a week, and you’ll see the expert chocolatiers at work creating delicious little bites. Once your tour is over, you’ll be spoilt for choice at the iconic (and huge) Haigh’s retail store on site. A great experience for those with a sweet tooth!

154 Greenhill Road, Parkside

Play a round of Mini Golf

Mini golf, putt-putt, putting, peewee golf – whatever you call it, there are no two ways about it – an afternoon of mini golf is one of the best things to do in Adelaide with kids and is fun for the ‘hole’ family. Not only does it kill quite a bit of time as your group makes its way around the course, but it also teaches the little ones a thing or two about patience and control, all while being in a fabulously fun environment.

Adelaide has a few standout places to play, so find the adventure that best suits you. Holey Moley is great for rainy days, with an entirely indoor course featuring a new theme and photo ops at each hole a little different to your standard mini golf windmills – think Monopoly boards, The Simpsons couch and Forrest Gump’s infamous park bench.

West Beach Mini Golf features 18 holes on a classic outdoor mini golf course near the beach making it perfect when the sun is shining, while Shanx gives the term ‘mini golf’ a whole new meaning. There are no amusement concepts here, just rolling green hills, sand banks and a course mimicking the real thing…just in miniature. Cute!

Holey Moley: 170 Pulteney Road, Adelaide

West Beach Mini Golf: 1 Hamra Avenue, West Beach

Shanx: Regency Park & Little Para

South Australian Museum

For the days when a slow stroll amongst ancient artifacts and interactive exhibits calls, take the family for an afternoon at the South Australian Museum. This isn’t your basic, run-of-the-mill museum either. Showcasing Australian history across 5 levels, with a vibrant calendar of events and exhibitions that will have curiosity running wild. You can take a self-guided tour and go at your own pace or join a tour for all the fascinating information you might have missed.

North Terrace, Adelaide

Has our list of the best things to do in Adelaide with kids got you itching to get out and explore more of Adelaide and beyond? Why not take some time for yourself with a luxurious pamper sesh, or sip your way through some of the best wineries in South Australia?