It can be tricky finding affordable school holiday activities in Adelaide. Lucky we have you covered!
There are a number of free activities to do in and around Adelaide, including workshops, day trips, exhibitions and adventures.
If you’re interested in art and history, the State Library, South Australian Museum and Art Gallery, and the Migration Museum all have free exhibitions and galleries (plus they’re pretty amazing buildings to visit). The Art Gallery of South Australia even has a special school holidays program! Urrbrae House also offers free school holiday tours.
If you love nature, there are a number of beautiful parks close to the city. Here’s a list of some within an hour’s drive:
- Shepards Hill Recreation Park is great for a walk or a bike ride. It’s 25 minutes (drive) south of Adelaide CBD.
- Hallet Cove Conservation Park has nice boardwalks, rocky cliffs and views of the waves. It’s 35 minutes (drive) south of Adelaide CBD.
- Belair National Park has great bikes tracks and beautiful bushwalking. It’s 20 minutes (drive) south from Adelaide CBD, or you can catch the train to Belair Railway Station. Note: there is a parking fee ($12.00 full price, $9.50 concession) to drive into the national park, however, there is the option to park before the gates and walk-in.
- Morialta Conservation Park has beautiful waterfalls, giant rocky cliffs and a range of walks and hikes to do. It’s 25 minutes (drive) east of Adelaide CBD.
- Onkaparinga River National Park has a gorge with plenty of swimming holes for the brave, and walking for the fit. It’s 45 minutes (drive) south of Adelaide CBD.
There always the option of going to the beach for the day, with the weather warming up! Or to visit the Adelaide Botanic Gardens or the parklands for a picnic. There are also some great playgrounds, if your kids are little, like the Dunstan Adventure Playground and the St. Kilda Adventure Playground.
There’s plenty of free workshops and groups held around Adelaide in school holidays, too. Here are a few that we’ve found:
- STREAM IT Cosplay Costume Making Workshop
- AFL Grand Final Warm-up
- Space Forum for Public School Kids
- Robogals Robotics Workshop for Girls
- Acoustic Guitar Workshop
- Games Afternoons
- Board Game Challenge
- Lego Club
One way to find great free or cheap activities is visiting your local library or council website. For instance, Charles Sturt, Campbelltown, Unley and Salisbury all have lots of activities to choose from.
If you don’t mind spending a little money, there’s plenty of great activities that are under $20 per child. Here’s some that caught our eye:
- Coding Around the Block
- Come and Try Micro:Bit
- Cookie Baking
- Tie-Dye Workshop
- All Ages Craft and Drawing
- Printmaking Workshop
- 2-5 Year Old Dance Fun
- Makeup Workshop for Teens
- Illustration Workshop
- Mini Master Chef Workshop
- Wildlife Workshop
- School Holiday Trail
Whatever you do, the school holidays are a great opportunity to spend quality time with your kids, regardless of whether you get out and about, or make your own fun at home. Happy holidays!