The Best Things To Do In Adelaide With Kids To Keep Your Sanity This Autumn (2026 Edition)
From wild nature playgrounds and hands-on museums to foodie fun, mini golf, and trampoline chaos, Adelaide is packed with ways to keep kids entertained—no matter their age, energy level, or weather conditions.
Whether you’re planning a full day out, a quick after‑school adventure, or a rainy‑day rescue mission (we've all been there), here are the best things to do with kids in Adelaide in 2026.
Morialta Conservation Park & Nature Playground
Morialta Falls Road, Woodforde
Image Credit: Play Australia | Website
If you want a guaranteed crowd‑pleaser, Morialta is it. This enormous nature playground is packed with climbing towers, giant boulders, rope bridges and hidden nooks that spark imagination and burn energy in equal measure. Add in waterfalls, short bushwalks, koala spotting and shaded picnic spots, and you’ve got a full‑day adventure that feels like a mini‑holiday without leaving the suburbs.
You might also like:
- Belair National Park. There’s a great playground, places to ride and tennis courts for hire.
- The Waterfall Gully Hike. It’s a great challenge for older kids who love a climb.
South Australian Museum
North Terrace, Adelaide
Image Credit: SA Museum | Website
Dinosaurs, fossils, meteorites, mummies – the SA Museum is a treasure trove for curious kids. It’s the perfect mix of hands‑on learning and wide‑eyed wonder, and you can easily pair it with a tram ride, a MOD visit and/or a wander through the Botanic Gardens. Best of all, it’s free, making it one of the easiest and most rewarding days out in the city.
You can even nip next door for some art. The Studio is the Art Gallery of South Australia’s free hands-on activities space for art lovers of all ages. And on the other side of the museum is the State Library of South Australia. Take the kiddos into the stunning Mortlock Chamber, and they’ll think they’re at Hogwarts!
FYI, MOD is Australia's leading future-focused museum, provoking new ideas at the intersection of science, art and innovation. It’s interactive, futuristic and perfect for curious tweens and teens.
Adelaide Zoo
Frome Road, Adelaide
Image Credit: Adelaide Zoo | Website
Home to pandas, giraffes, meerkats and hundreds of other creatures, Adelaide Zoo is a classic for a reason. Kids can get up close with animals, explore leafy pathways, and enjoy keeper talks that bring the whole place to life. It’s an easy, stroller‑friendly day out with plenty of shady spots and places to refuel. Tickets available here.
And if your crew is up for a bigger adventure, hit the freeway and head to Monarto Safari Park—an open‑range wildlife experience where kids can see lions, giraffes and rhinos roaming across vast plains.
You might also like these more intimate options:
For some free animal spotting, try:
- Koala spotting on Chambers Gully Trail. They are plentiful.
- And the friendly dolphins at Garden Island. Wander nearby or take a kayak through the mangroves.
TreeClimb Adelaide
Cnr Greenhill Road & Unley Road, Adelaide
Image Credit: TreeClimb | Website
For kids who love a challenge, TreeClimb is pure adrenaline. With ropes courses, flying foxes and elevated obstacles set high in the treetops, it’s the perfect confidence‑builder for little climbers and thrill-seeking teens. The parklands setting makes it feel like a proper outdoor adventure right in the middle of the city.
For a double-activity day, bring your bikes and bust some berms at the nearby bike track in the southern parklands.
And if the thrill-seeking itch is still there, you might like to schedule in a trip to West Beach Adventure’s MegaClimb, a sky‑high ropes course for brave tweens and teens.
Big Rocking Horse & Toy Factory
452 Torrens Valley Road, Gumeracha
Image Credit:The Big Rocking Horse | Website
Affordable, nostalgic and surprisingly full of charm, the Big Rocking Horse is a Hills favourite. Kids can climb the giant structure, wander through the wildlife park feeding friendly animals, and explore the toy factory packed with wooden treasures. It’s wholesome, low‑stress fun that works for all ages.
Take care on the roads later in the day, we’ve been told by the locals that there’s a peacock who doesn’t mind a wander. Tickets available here.
Plant 4 Bowden Water Play
5 Third Street, Bowden
Image Credit: LCS Landscapes
On warm afternoons, Plant 4 becomes a family paradise. Kids splash in the water play area and run wild on the lawn while parents enjoy a cold drink from Bowden Brewing or grab something delicious from the market stalls. It’s relaxed, easy and perfect for that after‑school or weekend sweet spot. Come to think of it, on hot days it can be busy in the mornings too, when coffee is more the order of choice.
Adelaide Aquatic Centre (New)
Jeffcott Road, North Adelaide
Image Credit: Department for Infrastructure and Transport
The newly revamped Aquatic Centre is a dream for families—think big slides, diving boards, warm shallow pools and plenty of space to splash. Whether you’ve got a toddler who loves water play or a teen who wants to launch themselves off something high, this place delivers.
Holey Moley Mini Golf
162-170 Pulteney St, Adelaide
Image Credit: Holey Moley | Website
Bright, bold and brilliantly silly, Holey Moley is mini golf turned up to eleven. Each hole is themed, chaotic and guaranteed to get kids giggling, and adults too. It’s the perfect rainy‑day rescue or birthday outing, especially when paired with snacks and a post‑game debrief. Book a session here.
For those with sport-loving offspring, the Ice Arena is a fail-safe energy burner – ice skating for all ages, and Ingle Farm Recreation Centre offers retro feels with roller skating sessions for tweens and teens.
Bounce Trampoline Park
13-15 Fosters Rd, Adelaide and 164-168 Richmond Rd, Adelaide
Image Credit: Bounce | Website
If your kids have energy to burn, Bounce is the answer. With trampolines, dodgeball courts, foam pits and parkour zones, it’s the kind of place where they can go absolutely wild in a safe, supervised environment. Great for rainy days, school holidays or long weekends when everyone needs to move. Book a spot here.
South Australian Aviation Museum
66 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide
Image Credit: South Australian Aviation Museum | Website
This place surprises everyone. At the SAAM, kids can climb into real aircraft, sit in cockpits, flick switches and pretend to fly. It’s hands‑on, fascinating and perfectly paired with the nearby museums for a full day of transport‑themed fun. The National Railway Museum offers huge sheds of trains and interactive exhibits, and the South Australian Maritime Museum stores, among other things, a full-size replica ketch. There’s so much to learn about.
SAAM is also close to Pirate Life Brewery, which is great for lunch (and a sneaky beverage) in between the various museums.
St Kilda Adventure Playground
470 St Kilda Road, St Kilda
Image Credit: City of Salisbury | Website
One of Adelaide’s most iconic playgrounds (many parents remember burning their bottoms on the hot metal slides of years gone by), St Kilda is enormous, free and endlessly entertaining. Giant modern slides, pirate ships, climbing towers and open spaces make it a full‑day destination. Bring snacks, sunscreen and a sense of adventure. The kids won’t want to leave.
If this is your jam, you might also like:
- Thorndon Park (It’s won awards for a reason…)
- Port Noarlunga Jubilee Park Adventure Playground
- Dunstan Adventure Playground (the giant slide here is an institution!)
Moonlight Cinema (Seasonal)
Botanic Park (Adjacent to Adelaide Botanic Garden), Hackney Road, Adelaide
Image Credit: Moonlight Cinema Adelaide | Website
Warm nights, picnic rugs, fairy lights, and a movie under the stars—outdoor cinema season is pure magic. It’s one of those rare activities that works for toddlers, tweens and teens alike. Just check the movie rating. Moonlight Cinema is now closed for the cooler months, so head to the website for details of the next season, sessions and available tickets. Click here.
Adelaide Central Market
44–60 Gouger Street, Adelaide
Image Credit: Adelaide Central Market | Instagram
Beerenberg Farm
Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf
Image Credit: Beerenberg Farm | Instagram
This is a sweet seasonal outing in the Hills that everyone remembers and usually wants to do again. Armed with a punnet and a sunhat, little ones (and big ones) can wander through rows of bright red strawberries, hunting for the juiciest picks and proudly filling their own containers. It’s hands‑on, outdoors and wonderfully low‑tech. After picking, you can explore the farm shop, taste-test jams and relishes, and stock up.
Still on food, if you don’t mind a splurge, a floating picnic with the family is another experience you won’t forget in a hurry. Courtesy of BBQ Buoys, your ride leaves from Pinky Flat in the city.
Carrick Hill Storybook Trail
46 Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield
Image Credit: Carrick Hill | Website
There’s a chance you might love this one even more than your kids. A wander along the Storybook Trail feels like stepping straight into the pages of your childhood favourites. Kids can follow winding paths past whimsical sculptures, hidden characters and interactive story stops, all set against the backdrop of Carrick Hill’s beautiful gardens.
Adelaide Festival Centre – Kids’ Theatre & Musicals
King William Road, Adelaide
Image Credit: Adelaide Festival Centre | Website
Hijinx Hotel
77-91 Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Image Credit: Hijinx | Website
Got some budding problem solvers in the family? Head to Hijinx Hotel for team‑based puzzle rooms that are chaotic in the best way.
Most families are better at collaboration than they think (agreeing whose turn it is to take the bin out doesn’t count), so chuck “escape room” into your search engine to locate several businesses offering challenges of their own.
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