Ready to turn 2025 into an epic year of intentional family adventures? Here’s 25 family bucket list ideas for outings and activities in 2025.
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!
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.
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!
Explore the FREE ‘City Lights’ trail after dark this Illuminate!
Back again in 2025, 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 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!
Eat something in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
Explore the gardens, watch the ducks, walk under the huge 150 year old fig trees & visit the Amazaon Waterlily Pavilion. See Chihuly Exhibition, attend an Illuminate event or just enjoy a good old game of hide and seek! Then find a shady spot to plonk down & enjoy a picnic from home or grab something from Evergreen Deli….ahhhh the serenity! Read all about Evergreen Deli here and more about the Adelaide Botanic Gardens here
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
Visit the BRAND NEW TreeClimb Salisbury!
Opening any day now…… you can plan a fun family day out and take on the high ropes course and extra long zip lines in Adelaides Northern suburbs at the highly anticipated, brand new, TreeClimb Salisbury. Not a convenient location? Dont forget about the stunning Kuipto Forest or TreeClimb in the Adelaide city parklands. All locations have a cafe onsite and plenty of room to spread out and watch the climbers or enjoy a picnic. We think the best bits are the ziplines.
Get hands on at the Aviation Museum
Gone are the days of boring Museums that you only visited on school excursions! Take your kids along to one of SA’s many fantasic Museums and join in with activities, interactive displays, workshops and more. We love the Aviation Museum at Port Adelaide.
Perhaps you mights prefer the SA Maritime Museum, Railway Museum, experience the latest in technological advances at MOD. (this one is free too!), or of course you can spend a day at the South Australian Museum strolling through their many floors and exhibits.
There are so many Museums in SA to visit – click here to find which one you’ll visit next!
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!
Pedal (or e-bike) the Riesling Trail
Explore the Clare Valley with kids BY BIKE! The Riesling trail is such a great adventure with kids, and yes you can hire bikes of all sizes, even little tow behind bike trailers for the smallest family members. Now, don’t be thinking the Clare valley is all about wine right! You can stop at playgrounds, for a bite to eat or yeah, make it about wine but pick a winery like O’Leary Walker who do fun grazing platters for kids. Of course you can take your own bikes too.
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
Complete a family walk
Ok we are not suggesting the full length of the Heysen Trail (unless that’s your jam?) Find a new pram walk, an easy family bushwalk, or simply walk over one of the newer suspension bridges or coastal walkways like the Witton Bluff Base Trails in Adelaide’s South. Did you know there is even a version of Mt Lofty that’s been made so easy you can do it with a pram? Yep, the Steub Trail. Circle a reservoir, the options are endless and you will keep every one active and outdoors with a little walking adventure, and make it as easy or challenging as you like.
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!
Sleep under the stars
Is there any thing more magical than picking the perfect calm, starry (mozzie free) night and camping out with the kids? Ok magical might be a stretch, but if they actually sleep and are warm and comfy, it’s pretty special. You could camp in your own back yard, maybe glamping is more your thing? Or with a bit of planning we have an excellent list of places to camp with in two hours of Adelaide.
Find a new Playground like Aurora Park Strathalbyn
Councils spend big bucks on playgrounds, and honestly we are here for it! Check out our interactive playground map and find something brand new like Aruroa Park in Strathalbyn, or even just somewhere brand new to you, with a few swift clicks on our interactive playground map here
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
Get around Dream Big 2025
The DreamBIG Children’s Festival is set to return from 7–17 May 2025, celebrating an extraordinary milestone – 50 years of sparking creativity, imagination, and wonder for children across South Australia. As the world’s oldest children’s festival, DreamBIG continues to inspire young minds with its inventive arts experiences. This year’s theme, ‘I Was, I Am, I Will Be’ we cant wait for the full program to drop.
For now, here’s what we know
Cool off at a secret water 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!
Find a waterfall
Best after a rain and with caution always required around creeks, rivers and streams, you can find some fantastic waterfalls here in South Australia. Sure it wont be Niagra Falls, but it is defininatley exciting all the same.
Have a look at our tried and tested favourites 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.
Get lost in the Adelaide Hills
Hands down one of our favourite close by regions to explore endless wineries, playgrounds, animal experiences, great places to eat, walk and more has to be the Adelaide Hills with kids.
We have popped the highlights of our favourite activities right here
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
Book a holiday at home in SA
Time poor? You don’t have to travel far to have a fun weekend or few nights away. This one might take a bit of planning and saving, but we really do have some exceptional accommodation experiences right here in our South Australian regions. Whether your flavor is a cabin in a caravan park right here in Adelaide, a farm stay just a stones throw from home, or maybe a large beachhouse or houseboat shared with friends, we have tried and tested some brilliant options.
Try a new ice cream flavour
Take the kids for ice cream. There’s a catch. No one is allowed to have a flavour they have ever tried before. Most places offer taste tests, so don’t worry, you won’t end up wasting your money. Honestly, check out our extensive list of Adelaides best icec ream shops and artisans, we bet you have never even hear of some of these
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