Ready to turn 2026 into an epic year of intentional family adventures? Here’s 26 family bucket list ideas for adventures, activities, places to visit and things to do in 2026.
No need for the usual ‘what should we do this weekend’, we have you covered. These ideas are anything but boring and the great news is, lots of them are cheap or free, or perhaps just require a bit of fuel for the car and a picnic basket of snacks (because we always need snacks!) Our bucket list will have you experiencing things here in Adelaide and around South Australia that you maybe didn’t even know existed, so why not make it a year like no other to reflect back on? How many of these you can tick off over the next 12 months? We would love to be tagged in your adventures!
Ride an eBike in McLaren Vale
Try one of Adelaide’s Best Babyccinos
Warm frothy milk, tiny cups, chocolate dusting and sometimes even a marshmallow on the side (total win with the under-5 crowd). Adelaide is packed with child-friendly cafés that go the extra mile with cute cups, colourful sprinkles and cosy spaces for parents to relax. Add a Babyccino Crawl to your family bucket list and explore a new café each weekend — it’s cheap, fun, delicious and the perfect excuse for coffee for you, foam moustaches for them!
A Blooming Good Day Out
We’ve loved exploring some of S.A’s flower fields this year. Let the kids run through fields bursting with blooms, pick their own bunches, and come home with a beautiful bouquet they created. Whether you’re after bright sunflowers in summer, lavender waves in summer, or springtime tulips and ranunculus, there’s almost always something in bloom for every season. It’s simple, budget‑friendly and perfect for a laid‑back family outing where kids can connect with nature.
Book a Safari style Sleepover
Definitely on our bucket list for 2026 is a night at Monarto Safari Resort. The ultimate family sleepover for animal-loving adventurers, this brand-new luxury stay lets guests wake up to giraffes, rhinos and zebras wandering across the plains right outside the window. We can’t wait to tick this one off.
Redwing Farm Stay
Monarto isn’t the only place you can have a sleep over with animals. We loved our recent stay at Redwing Farm, a 460-acre working property just outside Moonta on the stunning Yorke Peninsula. If you’re after a getaway that’s wholesome, hands-on, and full of fresh air and animal encounters, this place is well worth a spot on your list.
Jump off the water trampoline into Lake Bonney at Discovery Parks Lake Bonney.
Whether you’re staying for a weekend or a week, Discovery Parks – Lake Bonney is fun, easy, and impossible not to love. We can’t wait to go again! The easy drive from Adelaide will take you around two and a half hours.
Visit Humbug Scrub
Hand‑feeding friendly kangaroos and emus, wandering among peacocks, geese, cockatoos and swans, meandering walking paths around lakes and bushland, and the peaceful vibe of a place run by passionate volunteers since 1905. It’s not about flashy shows or cafes, it’s fresh air, open skies, a picnic under shady trees and a slow day exploring. Oh and it’s just a few dollars to get in.
Find some FREE fun waterplay!
How much fun is waterplay? Perfect on a hot day, or in fact any day if you are a kid right? Here’s a list of spots around Adelaide and South Australia that are completely FREE and open to the public! So whether you are in Adelaide’s East or West, staying on the Yorke Peninsula, visiting the Riverland for the day or perhaps road tripping the Eyre Peninsula you can visit for hours of water fun, some even include waterslides!
Drive on a beach!
Did you know that there are a whole handful of beautiful beaches across South Australia that you can responsibly drive on? It’s a thrilling experience for kids, and an excellent way to avoid lugging all of the towels, toys and a beach shade from the car park to the shoreline, just pull up and you are sorted. Some of them are right here in Adelaide, and of course there’s options on Yorkes, in the South East and on Eyre Peninsula too. Often a 4WD is recommended, and we suggest doing a bit of research as sand conditions can change seasonally, with tides and also with increased summer traffic. Road rules including walking pace speed limits apply.
See something completely new at the Adelaide Fringe
There are tons of kids shows & family friendly activities at Adelaide Fringe, right across South Australia, but especially here in Adelaide. Bubble shows, dancing, magic, circus, sing-alongs, classic fairytales….there is something to suit everyone. If you don’t want to spend money on a show, you can just soak up the atmosphere across the city during the four weeks the Fringe is in town.
Check out our family friendly Fringe picks by clicking here
Find Barton’s Forrest Ruins
Not far from the epic Ingalla Falls (these are amazing after a decent rain) is this magical place called Barton’s Forest Ruins on Hay Flat Road at Torrens Vale….which looks just like a magical slice of Narnia plucked from the books and dropped down the Fleurieu Peninsula. There isn’t any signage which makes it easy to drive straight past but we have all of the details on how to find it, just a short trip from Adelaide and achievable as a full day or half day trip. Highly reccommend in the cooler, wetter, greener months!
Kids Foodie Trail at the Adelaide Central Market
Kids can be a bit boring when it comes to food can’t they? Pasta, fruit, nuggets & hot chips, pasta, fruit, nuggets & hot chips, pasta, fruit, nug- ok we think you get it. If you want to mix it up a bit, take them to the Adelaide Central Markets, and do it on a day they offer the kids foodie trail! They will be enticed by the delicious smells & will love being able to try something new. They also often run kids cooking workshops.
Booking is advised, read more here
Take the kids Karting at The Bend
Such a thrilling activity, and with tandem karts on offer for those under 14 years, every one can experience the exhilarating joy at Shell V-Motor Sport Park’s Kartdrome. Time it with one of their regular track events, stop and take the time to look at the completely free visitor centre while you are there or go all out and book a stay at the Big 4 Holiday Park.
Visit a winery the kids will love as much as you will!
Wineries don’t have to be an adult only experience, more and more of them are offering exciting meals, tasting planks, grazing options and tonnes of lawn games and entertainment for kids. You can even feed animals or literally swing on ropes from trees at some of them. Where was this level of effort for the kids when we were young? No ipads required for these outings!
Find our favourite family friendly wineries here
Go on a picnic
Seriously, when is the last time you set out on a picnic? I don’t mean you packed lunch and ate it on the fly either. A purposeful, intentional picnic. We LOVE putting a bit of effort into the food and location for a fun day on the picnic rug. Why not invite another family and pack the footy or the kite!
Slide into a new playground
Everyone loves a slide, so we put together a bucket list of Adelaide’s best slides for you to tick off for the school holidays and beyond, and with all the amazing new playgrounds popping up all over the place at the moment you don’t have to drive too far out of the CBD to find one.
Illuminate 2026
Back again in 2026, Illuminate Adelaide wows crowds with their stunning light displays across the city. There are ticketed events in all sorts of places such as the Botanic Gardens & the Adelaide Zoo, however there are also a bunch of free events & installations, including the ever popuar ‘City Lights’ trail that you can enjoy with the family. In 2025 there will be new events and installations which promise to be fantastic.
For all the info on family friendy Illuminate, click here
Find a secret swimming spot
Well, maybe not so secret anymore, but Adelaide and South Australia have some fantastic hidden little rockpools, lakes, tidal pools and swimming enclosures to enjoy when the weather heats up.
Be sure to check out this page when you are travelling or planning travel – don’t forget your bathers!
Pick and then Eat Your Own Fruit
Nothing bought from a shop will ever compare to a freshly picked strawberry, a cherry just plucked from the tree or a bite into an apple that’s just been picked.
PYO is fun and yum, and that’s a combo that’s hard to beat with kids.
Eat Spaghetti Ice Cream
One of our biggest posts on Instagram for 2025 was our trip to Eis Haus in Hahndorf to try spaghetti ice cream. Wondering what on earth that is…
Eat a meal at the beach!
Adelaide is spoilt for coastline, and nothing works up an appetite faster than salty sea air. This summer we have done the hard yards to find our favourite beachside eats for kids (and adults). There is tapas with a beach front playground, an ice cream themed playground with a nineties kiosk, fish and chips, coffee, juice acai and some stand out kids menu’s in the fold.
Summer or winter, view the best here
Slide into Roonka
Roonka is definitely up there as one of our favourite and most fun family holidays for 2025. A hidden Riverland gem where adventure meets nature.
All Aboard for A Train Adventure
Visit a MUST SEE Landmark (or two!)
From silo art to sink holes, lighthouses to look outs, the big lobster to well…… you get the idea! Visit one of our states ‘big things’. Here’s a whole list, pack the snacks and start the car pick from these fantastic iconic attractions
Challenge the kids to mini golf!
Known for being one of the more affordable activities, and loved by all ages (yes even wild swinging toddlers can play) Adelaide has more mini golf options than you can swing a putter at. Play at a brewery, in a caravan park, indoors, at a simulator or step the professionalism up a notch with the likes of Shanx in two locations. Don’t let the kids win what ever you do, this one is great for the competitive family!
Challenge the kids to mini golf!
Known for being one of the more affordable activities, and loved by all ages (yes even wild swinging toddlers can play) Adelaide has more mini golf options than you can swing a putter at. Play at a brewery, in a caravan park, indoors, at a simulator or step the professionalism up a notch with the likes of Shanx in two locations. Don’t let the kids win what ever you do, this one is great for the competitive family!
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We are SO lucky to have access to a world of resources. Literally. Here are some resources that may be beneficial. We’ll be updating this post regularly as we find more online resources, YouTube channels, apps and links to help you find educational ideas to fill your day.
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FISH AND CHIPS. Who doesn't love it? Whether it's fish & chips at the beach on a hot night, something to warm you up in winter or a lazy school holiday dinner, you really can't go past a great local fish & chip shop. Battered, crumbed or grilled, we are pretty spoilt for quality options in South Australia and there's just something about unwrapping the paper to reveal a delicious piece of fresh fish, being gently hugged by crispy hot chips (with chicken salt obviously). Fish & chip shops are so much more that just fish & chip shops nowadays! Across Adelaide, fish & chip joints have gotten quite fancy! You'll find burgers, chicken, pizza, even the occasional yiros! They really are a one stop shop for the whole family no matter what you're all in the mood for. Bonus - hot chips are one of those foods that nearly all kids will eat, so at least you'll know they have had SOMETHING for dinner! We have done the hard work of finding Adelaide's best fish & chip shops. Have a look below & tell us if you think we've missed any great ones!
