Visiting Adelaide with kids
Adelaide with kids is compact. The zoo, botanic garden, museum and gallery sit together on North Terrace, the tram runs to Glenelg beach, and the hills and wildlife parks are under an hour away. Most of these days need no car.
Pick a day
Each plan is five or six stops in a sensible order, with the photo, price, ages and hours pulled from the listing itself. Mix and match: a rainy-day stop fits any day.
Your first day
Your first day in Adelaide with kids
A first day in Adelaide with kids: Adelaide Central Market, the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Botanic Garden and Adelaide Zoo.
5 stops · starts at Adelaide Central Market
A rainy day
A rainy day in Adelaide with kids
A rainy day in Adelaide with kids: South Australian Museum, Mindshift Escape Rooms, Hijinx Hotel, BOUNCE Marleston and Kingpin Norwood.
5 stops · starts at South Australian Museum
A beach day
A beach day in Adelaide with kids
A beach day in Adelaide with kids: West Beach, Glenelg Beach and Seacliff Beach, with Wigley Reserve and Angus Neill Reserve playgrounds.
5 stops · starts at Wigley Reserve
A free day out
A free day out in Adelaide with kids
A free day in Adelaide with kids: Adelaide Central Market, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Botanic Garden and Botanic Park.
5 stops · starts at Adelaide Central Market
With toddlers
Adelaide with toddlers and under-5s
Adelaide with toddlers: Bonython Park, Adelaide Zoo, Funtopia Prospect and The ARC Campbelltown pool, with prices from the listings.
4 stops · starts at Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli
With teenagers
Adelaide with teenagers
Adelaide with teenagers: Zero Latency VR, Escape Hunt, BOUNCE Marleston, Kingpin Norwood and Popeye River Cruises, with prices.
5 stops · starts at BOUNCE Marleston
Adelaide with kids at a glance
| Best for | Families who want an easy, walkable city with calm beaches and wildlife close by |
|---|---|
| How long | 3 to 4 days (city and museum day, Glenelg beach day, hills and wildlife day, a day trip to the Fleurieu or the Barossa) |
| Best time | March to May for warm beaches and golden hills; spring for the gardens; summer is hot but the beaches are calm |
| Budget tip | The museum, gallery, botanic garden, beaches and the tram are free; the zoo or a wildlife park is the usual paid day |
| Rainy day backup | The museum and gallery on North Terrace, the central market, an escape room or trampoline park |
| Getting around | The free city tram to Glenelg and walking in the grid; a car for the hills, the wildlife parks and the Fleurieu |
When to go: seasons and busy times in Adelaide
The next school holidays run 12 Dec 2026 to 26 Jan 2027 (SA Department for Education); that is when the big-name places are busiest and accommodation costs most.
| Season | Months | Best for | How busy | Parent tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Dec–Feb | Calm gulf beaches, splash parks, the hills on cooler days | Busy | Heatwaves run for days. Beach before 10am, shade and water play after, and the hills are ten degrees cooler. |
| Autumn | Mar–May | Beaches still warm, Adelaide Hills walks, the gardens | Steady | Settled and golden. March is the best beach month; the hills turn colour in April. |
| Winter | Jun–Aug | Waterfalls in the hills after rain, free museums, bush walks | Quiet | Cool and occasionally wet, with the waterfalls at their best. Short, flat walks suit small legs. |
| Spring | Sep–Nov | Botanic gardens, parklands, river walks, early beach days | Steady | Mild and green. The spring holidays are busy in the city; the hills stay quiet. |
Worth the trip: what families rate highest in Adelaide
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Adelaide Central Market Adelaide
Adelaide Central Market is an undercover produce market in the city with over 70 traders under one roof, between Gouger and Grote Streets.
★ 4.6 (13,542)
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Adelaide Botanic Garden Adelaide
Adelaide Botanic Garden is a free public garden covering 50 hectares in the east end of the city, open every day of the year.
★ 4.7 (10,862)
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Adelaide Zoo Adelaide
Adelaide Zoo, run by the conservation charity Zoos SA, is on Frome Road next to the Adelaide Botanic Garden, with entry via Frome Road or Plane Tree Drive.
★ 4.4 (9,786)
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Monarto Safari Park Monarto
Monarto Safari Park at 63 Monarto Road, Monarto, about 70km (60 minutes) from Adelaide, is run by the conservation charity Zoos SA.
★ 4.6 (6,399)
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South Australian Museum Adelaide
The South Australian Museum on North Terrace, Adelaide has five floors of natural history and cultural galleries, including what it describes as the world's most…
★ 4.6 (5,225)
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Art Gallery of South Australia Adelaide
The Art Gallery of South Australia at 490 North Terrace, Adelaide, holds a collection of almost 47,000 works, including Aboriginal, South Australian, contemporary,…
★ 4.7 (4,353)
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Mount Lofty Summit Crafers
Mount Lofty Summit is the peak of the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills, about 15km east of Adelaide, rising more than 710 metres above sea level.
★ 4.6 (4,550)
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Gorge Wildlife Park Cudlee Creek
Gorge Wildlife Park is a family-run wildlife park on 14 acres at 30 Redden Drive, Cudlee Creek, in the Adelaide Hills, open since 1965.
★ 4.7 (3,646)
The free days
Six free places parents rate highest. All free things to do in Adelaide.
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Waterfall Gully Hike Burnside
Waterfall Gully, in Cleland National Park about 8km east of Adelaide, is home to the largest of the park's seven waterfalls.
★ 4.8 (205)
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Mount Lofty Summit Crafers
Mount Lofty Summit is the peak of the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills, about 15km east of Adelaide, rising more than 710 metres above sea level.
★ 4.6 (4,550)
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Adelaide Botanic Garden Adelaide
Adelaide Botanic Garden is a free public garden covering 50 hectares in the east end of the city, open every day of the year.
★ 4.7 (10,862)
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Botanic Park / Tainmuntilla Adelaide
Botanic Park / Tainmuntilla is a 34-hectare park and tree arboretum directly north of Adelaide Botanic Garden and south of Adelaide Zoo, run by the Botanic Gardens and…
★ 4.7 (2,074)
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Mukanthi Nature Play Space Woodforde
Mukanthi Morialta Playground is a nature playspace at the Stradbroke Road picnic area in Morialta Conservation Park, about 10 km from the city.
★ 4.7 (1,128)
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Art Gallery of South Australia Adelaide
The Art Gallery of South Australia at 490 North Terrace, Adelaide, holds a collection of almost 47,000 works, including Aboriginal, South Australian, contemporary,…
★ 4.7 (4,353)
If it rains
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Adelaide Central Market Adelaide
Adelaide Central Market is an undercover produce market in the city with over 70 traders under one roof, between Gouger and Grote Streets.
★ 4.6 (13,542)
-
South Australian Museum Adelaide
The South Australian Museum on North Terrace, Adelaide has five floors of natural history and cultural galleries, including what it describes as the world's most…
★ 4.6 (5,225)
-
Art Gallery of South Australia Adelaide
The Art Gallery of South Australia at 490 North Terrace, Adelaide, holds a collection of almost 47,000 works, including Aboriginal, South Australian, contemporary,…
★ 4.7 (4,353)
-
Holey Moley Golf Club Adelaide Adelaide
Holey Moley Golf Club Adelaide is an indoor 18-hole mini golf venue on Level 1, 162-170 Pulteney Street, in the city.
★ 4.7 (3,216)
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Kingpin Norwood Norwood
Kingpin Norwood at 11 Osmond Terrace, Norwood, is an entertainment centre with ten-pin bowling lanes using Bes-X bowling technology, laser tag for groups of up to 16, a…
★ 4.7 (2,237)
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Mindshift Escape Rooms Adelaide Adelaide
Mindshift Escape Rooms at 246 Pulteney Street, Adelaide, runs 60-minute escape rooms for teams of 2 to 7, with larger groups split across rooms.
★ 4.9 (1,604)
Where families stay
Holiday parks and resorts listed on this site, with the pools, playgrounds and jumping pillows that matter to kids.
| Place | Kind | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Parks - West Beach Parks | Stay | West Beach |
| Discovery Parks - Hahndorf | Stay | Hahndorf |
| Belair National Park Holiday Park | Holiday park | Belair |
| Discovery Parks - Adelaide Beachfront | Stay | Semaphore Park |
| The Retreat - West Beach Parks | Stay | West Beach |
| Marion Holiday Park | Holiday park | Bedford Park |
Kids eat free in Adelaide: which night, where
28 pubs, clubs and restaurants in Adelaide give kids a free meal on set nights, each checked on the venue's own page. The full list is on the kids eat free in Adelaide page.
| Night | Where | When and who | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Marryatville Hotel (Marryatville) Angle Vale Tavern District Hotel (Nairne) | see listing Evenings · Under 13 From 5pm | 18 |
| Tuesday | Earl of Leicester Hotel (Parkside) Victoria Hotel Strathalbyn (Strathalbyn) Brighton Metro Hotel | 5pm-7pm · dine in From 5:30pm · with an adult main see listing | 7 |
| Wednesday | Gawler Arms Hotel TGI Fridays (Modbury (Tea Tree Plaza)) | Evenings All day · 12 and under · with $24.9+ adult spend, dine in | 2 |
| Thursday | Comida The Duke of Brunswick Hotel (Adelaide CBD) | Evenings From 5pm · Under 12 · with an adult main | 2 |
| Friday | Jimmy Deane's (Noarlunga Downs) Hampstead Hotel Hotel Enfield | Dinner only 5pm-8:30pm · 12 and under From 5:30pm | 3 |
| Saturday | Jimmy Deane's (Noarlunga Downs) | Dinner only | 1 |
| Sunday | Angle Vale Tavern Club Marion | Evenings · Under 13 Evenings | 2 |
| Every day | Kickin' Inn (Adelaide CBD, Gilles Plains) | All day · 8 and under · dine in | 1 |
Questions parents ask
- Where should a family stay in Adelaide?
- Glenelg for the beach, the tram and the jetty; the city for walking to North Terrace and the market; a holiday park at West Beach or Semaphore for a pool and the foreshore.
- Is Adelaide good with toddlers?
- Yes: calm beaches, the free museum, the botanic garden, the big adventure playgrounds and short drives. See the toddler day plan.
- Which day trip is best?
- Victor Harbor and the Fleurieu for the horse tram, the penguins and a surf beach; the Barossa for the big playground at the park and a lunch; Monarto for an open-range safari.
- What about the heat?
- Adelaide gets long hot spells in summer. Beach in the morning, the hills or indoors after lunch, and a park at dusk. The hills are often several degrees cooler.