More than 2,500 animals from 250 species live at the zoo. Free keeper talks run through the day, and the list includes the giant pandas. It opens 9.30am to 5pm every day; a child ticket was $27 in October 2026 and under-4s are free.

The Tramway Museum lets visitors ride historic trams from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat. It is on St Kilda Road, about 45 minutes' drive north of the city. The St Kilda Adventure Playground is about 1.5 km down the road.

Henley Square sits right behind the jetty at Henley Beach, with cafés and outdoor dining looking over the sand. Kids can cool off at the square's water feature. Toilets, a beach shower and shaded seating are all on the square.

Glenelg's wide beach runs either side of the jetty, with shops, cafés and ice cream close by. The Glenelg Foreshore Playground and Moseley Square are busy with family activities through the warmer months. The Bay Discovery Centre is on the square, about 50m from the sand.

Popeye's 45-minute sightseeing cruise leaves from Elder Park Landing, with live commentary as it passes the Festival Centre. Fares start at $18. Captain Jolley's paddleboats open from 11am on weekends, school holidays and public holidays, weather permitting.

The Kites and Kestrels adventure playground in Cobbler Creek Recreation Park has climbing towers built like raptors' nests, sandpits and a flying fox. Barbecues, picnic shelters, toilets and a bike pump track sit beside it. The main gate at Bridge and Smith Roads, Salisbury East, opens daily from 6.30am.

Semaphore has white sand, family-friendly shallows and a long green foreshore, about 14km from the city. The vintage carousel there was built in 1928, and a miniature steam train runs along the foreshore. From the end of the jetty you can often spot dolphins and seals.

A cliff-top boardwalk and the Glacier Hike, 3km return in about two hours, pass glacial pavements around 280 million years old. Kids can hunt for sea stars, urchins and crabs in the rock pools, then count the steps back up. Entry is free, but National Parks warns that strong currents and rips can make swimming dangerous here.

Five floors on North Terrace cover whales and dolphins, fossils, minerals and Aboriginal cultures. In the Discovery Centre, kids can handle a real fossil, use a microscope and watch a working beehive. The museum opens 10am to 5pm daily; the Discovery Centre opens 10.30am to 2.30pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Emus wander through Para Wirra's picnic grounds and will try to steal food, so keep lunches close and don't feed them. The short Lake Discovery Walk circles the lake, with waterbirds and bush birds along the way. Swimming in the lake is unsafe because of submerged objects.

The National Railway Museum on Lipson Street has more than 100 locomotives, carriages and other exhibits. A small train ride around the grounds from Callington Station is included with entry. It opens 10am to 4.30pm daily.

The Wood Duck Walk is a 1km loop of about 30 minutes around Playford Lake, popular with young children. Free barbecues and picnic tables sit beside the lake. Look for kangaroos and emus early and late in the day; vehicle entry to Belair National Park is $14.40.