Adelaide and South Australia offer plenty of activities for children and their parents. Families can enjoy time at the beach, of which there are lots to choose from. There are adventure parks and educational, interactive museums. There’s also chocolate to taste and an excellent zoo to visit, as well as miles and miles of lanes that can best be enjoyed on a bicycle.

Adelaide Zoo
Just a few minutes walk from the centre of Adelaide, you’ll find one of the most interesting and historic zoos in the country. Not only does Adelaide Zoo make for a great family outing, the zoo is a fascinating and attractive site that boasts over 1,300 native and exotic species including birds, mammals and reptiles. October is National Zoo Month, also known as ‘Zootober,' when you can enjoy a number of special events. If you’re not in the mood for walking, you can take a pleasant ride on the Popeye ferry along the Torrens River from Elder Park. Website: www.zoossa.com.au/.

Adventure Parks and Theme Parks
Visitors will find a number of venues offering opportunities for fun and healthy exercise in Adelaide. The Greenhills Adventure Park, for example, offers up fun activities that the whole family can enjoy, including aqua-biking, archery, canoeing and go-karting as well as climbing walls and waterslides. The park is located at Victor Harbour and is a great spot for barbeques, with picnic areas found throughout the park. The Adelaide Aquatic Centre is a good option if you’re looking for healthy fun in the water, family fitness challenges or just a pleasant swim.

Beach Fun
The Adelaide area features a number of beaches that are popular with families and safe for children to swim at. The coastline drops off gradually, meaning that the water remains shallow for some distance. The gradual drop and the many sand bars create plenty of shallow pools for children to play in, particularly when the tides are out. The sandy coastline continues for miles north and south of the city. Some of the most-frequented swimming beaches include Brighton, Glenelg, Grange, Henley, Seacliff, Semaphore and West beaches. These beaches are all easily reached by public transportation, which also contributes to their popularity.

Boating
Boating in the ocean and area’s rivers provides another popular family activity that kids are sure to enjoy. There are sail, power and peddle boats for rent, which are a fun way to make your way along at a leisurely pace. Paddle boats can be hired from a number of operators such as Captain Jolley’s. If you’d like to have someone else do all the work, there are river cruises on offer as well.

Chocolate Tasting
If your kids are chocolate lovers, a visit to Haigh's Chocolates is in order. There’s a visitor centre attached to the factory, which is located in Parkside, a short five minute drive from the centre of Adelaide. The tasting room is not to be missed. Phone: +61 8 8372 7070.

Cycling
Whether you and the kids prefer general cycling or mountain biking, Adelaide offers up lots of cycling opportunities and hire companies to cater to your needs. Tandem bikes are also available for hire and can make for an enjoyable ride on the path that follows along the River Torrens, and runs from the hills to the sea. The path is also ideal for walking or jogging in addition to cycling.

Educational Fun
Your children can have fun and learn about Australian culture and history at the same time. The Museum of Childhood in Adelaide was established to show the children of Australia the diverse backgrounds of the many cultures represented in the nation. You’ll see displays of toys from as early as the 1890s and also periodic trends and fads that have occurred since that time.

The cultural riches of South Australia derive from the many immigrant groups that have settled here and from the original inhabitants who lived here for centuries in advance of the waves of immigration. The Germans were the first of the new European immigrants to Adelaide, arriving in 1838 and bringing along their grape vines and wine-production knowledge with them. Asian immigrants arrived here following the Vietnam War, and further added to the mix. You’ll find festivals celebrating aboriginal and immigrant culture, art galleries, cultural institutes and an interesting variety of museums.

Adelaide Festival Centre
Built over a period of several years in the 1970s, the Festival Centre is located on King William road and houses the State Theatre Company. There are several theatres on site at which plays, operas and other forms of performance art are staged. On Sundays, a market is held at the plaza. Phone: +61 8 8216 8600.

Art Gallery of South Australia
Originally opened in 1881, the gallery’s collection is now organised into four areas: Australian decorative arts; Asian and European decorative arts; drawings and prints; and paintings and sculpture. Some of the highlights include 18^th century South Australian works of art; and British and European art from the 16^th century to the present. Phone: +61 8 8207 7000.

Migration Museum
The history and cultures of the many immigrant groups that have populated South Australia are celebrated at the Migration Museum. The museum’s main galleries guide visitors through a chronological tour of the history of Adelaide and South Australia’s population growth and diversity. Phone +61 8 8207 7580.

National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
The National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, located in Tandanya, is actually within the city of Adelaide. Tandanya is the name for Adelaide in the aboriginal language. The institute is unique in its scope and size, and is in fact the only complex in the country that combines galleries, performance areas and workshop spaces devoted to aboriginal art and culture. Phone: +61 8 8223 2467.

Old Treasury Building Museum
Parts of the building housing the museum date to 1839, which is located at the corner of King William and Flinders streets. The museum houses an unusual collection of instruments used in exploring and excavation, as well as artefacts. The main the collection is the history of land settlement in South Australia since the 1830s. Phone: +61 8 8226 4133.

South Australian Museum
This museum is well-known internationally for its Australian aboriginal collections and features exhibits on cultural history as well. Highlights include an exhibition on the aboriginal hero Ngurunderi and the Egyptian Room. There’s a shop and an information centre onsite. The museum is located at North Terrace in Adelaide. Phone: +61 8 8207 7500.

The Performing Arts Collection
The rich heritage of South Australia is represented by the Performing Arts Collection at this popular South Australia museum. The collection comprises over 40,000 items, such as masks, photographs, posters, programmes, puppets and video tapes from area ballet, circus, drama, opera, radio and vaudeville. Phone: +61 8 8216 8767.

Adelaide is said to feature more dining options per person than any other city in Australia. A wide variety of international cuisines are available, including Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Italian, as well as many German specialities that were brought to the area during the wave of German immigration. Fine dining options also abound. The city has attracted a number of expert chefs who preside over well-regarded restaurants throughout Adelaide.

There’s a café culture here that’s grown in recent years, and includes numerous sidewalk cafés, and coffee and wine bars. The wine production in the region is extensive, showcasing some fine varieties of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and shiraz. Streets that feature some of the most popular venues including some of the trendier restaurants include Gouger and Hutt streets, and Melbourne and O'Connell streets.

If you’re in search of good value in tasty fare, you might consider trying one of the many eateries you’ll find both in and around the city’s Central Market. From the fish cafés at the market to the Asian restaurants in Gouger and Grote streets, there’s plenty to choose form. Inexpensive and varied Asian fare is also on offer at the International Food Market and Hawker's Corner.

Shopping opportunities are plentiful here, as they are in most other urban areas in Australia. Whether you’re looking for souvenirs or electronic goods, fresh produce or designer fashion, you can find it in a shop in Adelaide. The area’s popular wines are also sold at many city outlets.

Most of the larger shops can be found at Rundle Mall, Adelaide's biggest shopping area where more than 500 retail outlets are located in 13 arcades. In addition to the shopping, there are loads of eateries and live entertainment daily.

Bargain hunters will enjoy searching through the city’s markets. Souvenirs, clothing, antiques, books and aboriginal craft items are all on offer. Adelaide is an important opal centre where you can find stones in beautiful colours including a variety known as ‘fire in the stone.’ The opals are mined in nearby desert towns, such as Andamooka, Coober Pedy and Mintabie.

Grote street is the headquarters for antique shopping, and home to three dozen of the city’s best dealers in antiques and collectibles – all under one immense roof. This is definitely a place worth wandering around to have a look at the furnishing and household items that filled homes in South Australia during the last century and before.

The variety of outdoor activities in the Adelaide area is staggering: you can climb cliffs and then sail off them or balloon over wine country. If you enjoy the water, you can swim, surf and dive in the warm waters off the coast. Alternatively, experience the Australian bush on a motorbike. There are tamer activities on offer as well, including fishing, golf and river cruises.

Absailing
If you’re in the mood for an adrenaline rush, then absailing off a cliff is bound to provide it. A climb to the top of the cliff will be the beginning of this adventure, with the culmination being the flight off the edge. A number of operators in the greater Adelaide area are set up to guide you through this incredible experience.

Ballooning
Even visitors who claim that they’re afraid of heights have enjoyed ballooning over South Australia. Most rides last for about an hour, taking guests over the countryside, particularly over the area’s vineyards. Phone: +61 3 5444 4841 (Adelaide Ballooning).

Fishing
Fishing off the jetties or piers at area beaches is permitted, with beaches such as Brighton, Glenelg, Grange, Henley, Seacliff and Semaphore being the most popular with local fishermen. Crabs can be caught using nets, and mullet are frequently found in the shallows when the tide turns. If you prefer freshwater fishing, you can head to the Hindmarsh River, which is best accessed by the footpath leading from the car park at Kleinigs Hill.

Golf
Some of the best city courses to be found in the country are here in Adelaide. There are in-city, suburban and coastal courses, and even one that’s less than five minutes drive from the airport. For more information on area courses, ask your hotel’s reception staff who will be able to provide you with contact details.

Motor Biking
Riding a motorbike along the Adelaide coastline and over the hills in the region is a wonderful way to experience the area’s natural beauty. The award-winning operator, Elite Harley Tours, will set you up with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for the ultimate tour. You’ll soak up the atmosphere of the countryside and the sea air as you ride the byways of South Australia. Phone: +61 8 8271 0722.

River Cruises
River cruises on offer include the popular Popeye and River Torrens cruises. Boats leave from the small wharf at Elder Park for the cruise up the Torrens River, which takes around 35 minutes to reach the Zoological Gardens and return to Lake Torrens. Paddle boats are available for hire as well, for those who prefer to cruise under their own power.