Brrrrr… baby it’s cold outside! But that doesn’t mean there aren’t HEAPS of different ways you can have fun with your kids in Adelaide. There’s roughly 13 weeks of Winter for us to enjoy and below are plenty of indoor play ideas, winter events and warm spots to hide from the weather. Head to a museum such as MOD., find out what is happening during the Illuminate Adelaide event this year, or visit one of our favourite indoor play centres such as Funtopia or Bounce!
Illuminate Adelaide
July is lit thanks to Illuminate Adelaide.
From the 4 – 21 July, Adelaide is transformed into a beacon of awesome, challenging you to break free from the winter blues and rediscover your sense of wonder. This festival is for everyone, with both free and ticketed events featuring local and international artists. With a whole new program for 2024, Illuminate Adelaide really is incredible!
It’s definitely worth keeping the kids up late one night to wander the city & see what the fuss is about!
Base Camp at Illuminate
Base Camp is back for 2024, this time at Lot Fourteen on North Terrace!
Enjoy food, firepits, and entertainment nestled between Fire Gardens and City Lights. Explore hidden installations and cocktail gardens, with top drinks from Alpha Box and Dice, 23rd Street Distillery, and Bowden Brewing.
Plus, it’s FREE entry for everyone! Don’t miss out from July 4th to July 21st.
Winter Whalefest at Victor Harbor
Winter Whalefest is a month-long celebration of the annual whale migration to the Fleurieu Peninsula.
With over 25 events, it’s a chance to learn from marine conservation leaders, experience marine wonders, and enjoy educational and cultural activities.
Perfect for the whole family!
Do an escape room at Escape Hunt
There’s no better way to keep warm over winter than literally being stuck inside a room with adrenaline pumping!
The whole family will love trying to crack the codes and solve puzzles to be released from one of Escape Hunt’s many themed escape room. They are in the heart of the city so make a day of it and have a meal in the city too.
Adelaide Aquatic Centre
Heated to a balmy 27 degrees, the Leisure Pool has been designed for families with little ones to enjoy with play spaces, fountains, and shallow water. Waterslides also operate at specific times throughout the day so make sure you check them out during your stay. Little kids will have no problems in this pool either, which has a maximum depth of 0.9m. We love that the pool also has accessible lifts to ensure safe access for all.
A bit of an iconic spot this one, and still well worth a visit. If the weather isn’t too bad, a ripper of a fully fenced playground lies right next to the car park. Read all about Bush Magic Playground here.
Check out all the info on Adelaide’s Iconic Swimming centre here.
Harlem Globetrotters
Get ready for some basketball magic!
The Harlem Globetrotters are back on their 2024 World Tour, bringing their signature trick shots, dunks, and jaw-dropping plays to Australia and New Zealand. Watch as they take on their rivals, the Washington Generals, in a show like no other this winter!
Catch them at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday, July 5.
Brixpo
BRIXPO, Adelaide’s fan-built LEGO® model exhibition, returns in 2024 for an affordable family day out during the July school holidays.
Held at the St Clair Recreation Centre on July 6 & 7, this event features over 100 incredible fan-built LEGO® displays, including creations from LEGO® Masters contestants. Enjoy free parking, indoor exhibits, a playground, and an onsite café. Don’t miss the interactive “Yellow BRIXPO Road” activity for a chance to create your own exclusive LEGO® set to take home.
This is a super popular events so grab your tickets here now!
Winter Craft at Home
Stay cosy at home and create some Winter craft! We’ve added a few ideas for you to try here
Woodhouse Adventure Park
There are only two types of days that aren’t fun at Woodhouse – when it is 40 degrees in summer or when it is torrential rain in winter. Every other day is 10/10 fun for the whole family! Thankfully, the days of torrential rain are far & few between, making Woodhouse Adventure Park the perfect place to visit over the cooler months. The kids won’t be complaining they are cold for long, once they are having a blast on the tube slides or climbing, crawling and navigating their way around Challenge Hill!
And if they are still cold, have a campfire in one of their firepits! Even better if you choose to camp the night and do it all again the next day!
AFL Max
AFL Max is Australia’s first indoor football skills, entertainment and education centre. The 5,500m2 indoor venue is all about getting kids active and having fun – with activities to keep both the footy-mad and not-so-mad entertained for hours! The venue is filled with trampolines, rock climbing walls, interactive screen games, inflatables, skill tests and challenges that keep the fun going until the final siren!
This place is outstanding fun, with a seemingly endless amout of space to explore and don’t forget to challenge the staff for a skill comp or two….they are always up for some fun!
For all the footy fun check them out here.
See a Movie
The smell of hot popcorn, the crunch of a cold choc top… Is there anything better than the movies? Perfect for the cold weather (and hot weather for that matter) the KiA team love a trip to the movies. If you are looking for some movie suggestions KiA Dad, Tim, does some ripper movie reviews which you can find here.
MOD.
MOD. is a place for kids who love hands on, interaction and all things STEM!
There’s a mix of diverse and sensory activities catering for a wide range of ages, knowledge and capabilities. These are spaces for doing, not just seeing and best of all it’s TOTALLY FREE!
Their current exhibition FLEX is on until November 2023.
Located on North Terrace in the city, with constantly changing exhibits this is a winter must-do!
For more info check them out here!
SA Museum
The South Australian Museum is a wonderful place for kids (and adults) of any age to visit. There’s so much to explore, learn and discover and the exhibitions are always informative, often interactive and sometimes we feel the need to visit the same exhibition more than once because they are THAT good! Keep an eye on our Kids in Adelaide website, and the museum’s website, for upcoming exhibitions. It is definitely a huge place, and once you have visited once or twice, you’ll get to know specifically what your kids would like to go back and see next time because its absolutely a place you could go every school holidays and see something new – FREE.
Check out all the museum info here.
Visit your Local Library
When did libraries get so cool?
Libraries have seriously stepped up their game at the hub of all things community and have moved way beyond just books and encyclopedias!
Libraries aren’t just bricks and books anymore. They are community hubs, they are a place to escape, a place for fun, a place to learn, a place to sit quietly and a place to sit not so quietly. There’s libraries with virtual reality, libraries with baby rhyme time, story telling, classes, school holiday programs, book clubs and SO MUCH MORE
For more library info check them out here.
Visit the Australian Space Discovery Centre
The Australian Space Discovery Centre at Lot 14 on North Terrace is one of Adelaide’s hidden gems! It is a fascinating look at our solar system, life in space and how scientists and astronauts work to discover more about the universe.
You will be able to have a turn on the interactive displays, speak to scientists and learn all about the amazing space discoveries and advances that are being made.
Mega Fast Karts
Vroom, vroom start your engines! Actually, Mega Fast Karts is so much more than just kart racing – yes the kids will love that but they also have laser tag, arcade games, a cafe & more!
They do some great deals – we recommend trying the Unlimited Package. They are open 7 days a week too, so perfect for a rainy day!
Mt Lofty to see snow
Snow in Mt Lofty? It happens. All. The. Time.
If you aren’t from the hills, you may not realise that the little patch of SA around Mt Lofty, Crafers and Stirling is cold. So cold. So next time you are listening to the weather report in the middle of winter, keep on ear out for the temp around those spots and if it gets low enough, race the kids up to the Lofty summit and they might be lucky enough to see some white powdery fun!
Make sure you rug up though!
Bounce Inc.
The BOUNCE SA venue is based in Adelaide in Marleston & Greenacres (formerly Latitude). It’s a massive indoor adventure park that provides an adrenaline rush for all ages. Imagine more than 50 interconnected trampolines with the Big Bag, Slam Dunk and Dodgeball courts rolled in. It’s also home to the famous BOUNCE X-Park obstacle course so you can get your ninja on! Taste the rush of extreme sports and freestyle gymnastics without the hard landing. Whether you’re practising your aerial tricks or just getting a killer workout while you warp the laws of gravity, it’ll be pure awesomeness every time. Unleash your free spirit!
Check out all the bounce info here.
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