Adelaide for kids: top 5 free things to do

Experience the best of Adelaide with budget-friendly fun for all the family.

Family collecting cockles at Goolwa Beach, South Australia. Image credit: SATC

Jetstar
October 2020

Adelaide opens in new window is packed with family-friendly attractions for kids big and small. Here are some of our favourites, that also happen to be absolutely free!

Start with art

The Art Gallery of South Australia opens in new window offers free admission for the whole family, so everyone can fill up on their favourite artworks. For little kids who aren’t quite into Impressionism just yet, there’s START at the Gallery. Held on the first Sunday of the month, START offers a free introduction to visual art for children and families. It’s a super-fun event with art activities, tours, live performance and entertainment. Check the gallery’s event calendar opens in new window for dates and times.

Eat free chocolate!

Yes, you read that right. Heritage-listed, historic Melba’s Chocolate Factory opens in new window is a ‘working’ tourism factory that uses 1940s-era chocolate and confectionery-making equipment to recreate yummy, old-school treats. There are six rooms in the complex that showcase six different processes in the manufacturing and packing of chocolate. You can see up close how they’re made and handled, and you’ll get yummy samples too!

Want more chocolate? (Who doesn’t?) You can also tour South Australia’s famous Haigh’s chocolate factory, where you can watch chocolatiers hand-craft Haigh’s gorgeous chocolates and truffles. There are samples along the way and free tea and coffee at the end.

Close up of a chocolate ball being dipped in melted chocolate, chocolates in background, Haigh’s, Adelaide. — Haigh’s chocolates

Supersize your science

If you’ve got slightly older kids who love their tech, bring them along to MOD opens in new window. at the University of South Australia. With a focus on science, technology and futuristic innovations, MOD. is a brilliant attraction, with intriguing, creative and interactive exhibitions, activities and events across its seven different gallery spaces. It’s off the planet!

Back view of three people interacting with a display and screen that reads “Luca’s Marina” at MOD., University of South Australia, Adelaide. — MOD. at the University of South Australia

Go free-wheeling

Adelaide’s a scenic city and it’s easy to get around, so why not hire free bikes for the whole family and see it on two wheels? Adelaide FREE Bikes opens in new window is a council initiative offering free bike hire, including a helmet and bike lock, so you can cycle around town at your leisure and take in the sights. Good option for tiring kids out too! You can hire the bikes from multiple locations, so ride on!

Hire a free bike for a family bike ride.

Play to your Hart’s content

Head to Port Adelaide for a playground with a difference. Hart’s Mill opens in new window is a lively new precinct rejuvenating an industrial port with pop-up events, the Wonderwall opens in new window outdoor art pieces, Folklore Café opens in new window and, using the area’s industrial history as inspiration, the Hart’s Mill Playground opens in new window. This enormous, interactive playground’s design riffs on the area’s milling history and is loaded with swings, slides, hamster wheels, flying foxes, climbing frames and sand pits. There is also a walking track opens in new window that loops around the port for a scenic walk or bike ride.