Are you looking for fun things to do in Brisbane with kids? Look no further.
The capital of the Sunshine State enjoys idyllic weather year-long and has a calendar jam-packed with events.
You’ll find activities and attractions for kids of any age on our Brisbane hit list.
The kids will get a real kick out of seeing Brisbane from the sky on The Wheel of Brisbane.
You’ll find it in the heart of Brisbane’s entertainment precinct, South Bank.
Rising 60 metres above the ground in the safety and comfort of a fully enclosed, air-conditioned gondola that seats up to 8 people (maximum 6 adults).
This is one of our favourite things to do with the kids in Brisbane.
Calling all family detectives! If you love doing challenging things as a family, solving mysteries and consider yourself a ‘super sleuth’, then The Escape Hunt Experience is just what you’re after!
Teams of up to five people are locked in a room for 60 minutes and must find clues, crack puzzles and solve the crime before time runs out! It’s non-stop, adrenaline-pumping, brain activity at its best!
Brisbane’s favourite native animal sanctuary, Lone Pine is the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary. Here you can meet more than 130 koalas, hand-feed kangaroos without barriers, watch a sheepdog show, get up close to Tasmanian devils and encounter over 70 species of other native Australian animals.
Let the kids experience a taste of life on the farm at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm and Farmstay.
It’s an authentic sixth-generation working dairy farm offering guests a genuine farm holiday adventure in a beautiful setting.
The kids can find out what it’s really like to work hard by helping to milk cows and feed the pigs, sheep, calves and goats.
While they’re doing that parents can enjoy meat, cheese and eggs straight from the farm while staying in your rustic country cottage accommodation.
The Lyell Deer Sanctuary at Mt Samson, Queensland, is home to a small herd of Red, Rusa and Fallow Deer.
This peaceful little hideaway in the beautiful Samford Valley, just thirty minutes north of Brisbane, is a popular destination for groups, adults and children alike.
It offers education, serenity, good food, crafts and a truly unique experience.
The Workshops Rail Museum is an award-winning interactive heritage and cultural experience located at Australia’s oldest operating railway workshop.
Tour the active heritage workshops in Ipswich and see the state’s steam fleet being restored.
Ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Here’s your chance!
Flipside Circus offers a year-round program of circus classes and school holiday workshops for ages 12 months to adult, with all skill levels and abilities catered to. Learn to swing on the trapeze, juggle, spin plates, and more!
Just 10 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD you will find the European style indoor kart track at Slideways Go Karting.
It features 425 metres of adrenalin pumping action, with an all-weather outdoor loop.
The unique track surface is designed by Slideways Go Karting Australia and is like no other in the southern hemisphere, allowing the karts to drift and get Slideways!
Set your eyes to the skies at The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium: the perfect place for the whole family to learn about stars, planets and all things space.
Check out recreations of the night sky in the cosmic skydome, see fragments of asteroids and spacecraft models, and watch educational and entertaining feature shows.
With its pristine powder-white sand and accessible location in the South Bank Parklands, Streets Beach is Australia’s only inner-city, man-made beach.
The sparkling lagoon is free to use and is patrolled by qualified lifeguards all year round.
Take the kids for a splash around either at the beach or at the Boat Pool and Aquativity, an interactive water-play park for children.
Not only can kids aged 10 and over (minimum height 130 centimetres) climb in harnesses across the top of Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge, but they can also abseil 30 metres down the southern pylon into Captain Burke Park, Spider-Man style.
A one-stop-shop for wannabe wizards, The Store of Requirement is a cornucopia of wizarding gear – think wands, cloaks and hats.
Kids can knock back freshly brewed butterbeer and a selection of wizard-themed cakes at the wizards’ cafe.
Don’t let the word museum fool you. The Queensland Museum might just be the coolest thing to do with kids in Brisbane.
The museum is home to the tiny plane in which Queenslander Bert Hinkler made the first England-to-Australia solo flight in 1928. Be sure to head to the Science Bar to watch daily live experiments and find other hands-on entertainment.
It’s got a free dinosaur exhibition where kids can see ginormous dinosaur skeletons then uncover fossils and bones at a dig site.
To keep the theme running, there’s a kid-friendly cafe next door that serves up dinosaur chicken nuggets.
The Queensland Museum also has SparkLab Sciencecentre. Here your little bright sparks can question and investigate all things science, technology, engineering and maths.
Tickets are only $10 and can be bought here.
Little historians will love exploring Fort Lytton. And parents will enjoy the history behind the significant building.
It’s open every Sunday and most public holidays with free entry, and its regular re-enactments and cannon-firing.
The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is a regional recreation trail in south-east Queensland. You can explore it on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.
This 161-kilometre trail follows the old Brisbane Valley rail line from Ipswich to Yarraman.
Follow the trail and take in the history and rural landscape of the Brisbane Valley River.
It makes for a great outing for fitness families, and you can hire bikes on arrival.
One of Brisbane’s oldest and largest parks, New Farm Park has something for everyone.
It fronts the Brisbane River so a visit to New Farm Park might also be your chance to hop aboard a ferry or CityCat.
Little ones will run wild on the massive playground. It’s complete with swings, rides, a fort and a huge climbing frame.
The park has plenty of space for open games and is great for family picnics. It’s been decked out with electric barbecues and shaded picnic shelters.
Kangaroo Point
If your kids are looking to burn a little excess energy Riverlife Adventure Centre is the place to go.
You will find it at Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point. Here the whole family can enjoy an outdoor adventure by abseiling, rock climbing or kayaking the Brisbane River.
Even if your kids are too young to read there are activities for them at The Corner or The Parlour.
Staff run playtime, rhyme time and storytime activities for babies and children 0-8.
As part of the library’s COVID safe plan, these activities must be booked in advance. Book here.
Pique the interest of your young creatives at the QAGOMA Children’s Art Centre.
They are constantly working with artists to create interactive installations, face-to-face workshops and online activities.
Their face-to-face programs are targeted at children from 4 months to 5 years old.
Entry to the Children’s Art Centre is free.
You won’t need to drag the kids around with this fun mode of transport.
Brisbane’s CityHopper is a free inner-city service for the Brisbane River.
You can use the CityHopper to get from point A to B or just to have a casual gander at Brisbane’s waters.
Hop on and hop off the CityHopper at six stops between North Quay and Sydney Street, New Farm.
The service runs every 25 minutes between 5.30am and midnight, seven days a week.
Mount Coot-Tha offers the best views in town and is home to the city’s stunning Botanic Gardens.
It’s complete with an interactive and educational Hide ‘n’ Seek Children’s Trail and the out-of-this-world Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium.
Every night as the sun sets over beautiful Moreton Bay, something magical happens – a pod of dolphins swims into the jetty at Tangalooma Island Resort.
Don’t miss your chance to see the dolphin magic – it’s an experience your children will remember forever.
The dolphins show up punctually and play around in the shadows of the jetty. Guests are invited down to feed fish to the pod.
Guests at the resort can also spend time with marine scientists at the Marine Education and Conservation Centre and learn about whales, dugongs and dolphins that make the pristine waters of the bay their home.
If your kids are itching to go to Hogwarts you won’t have to take them any further than Bray Farm Park.
The bewitching park is tucked away in the quiet Riverbreeze Estate of Griffin.
Kids can play on the climbing nets, fireman’s pole, slides or swings.
Concreted pathways make the park accessible for those with prams, wheelchairs or little wizards that want to bring their bikes or scooters along.
Your kids can be the captain of this ship. Just under the Story Bridge at Howard Smith Wharves is a huge timber boat that doubles as a playground for kids.
The surrounding area is generous, so there’s plenty of room for a scooter, bike ride or family walk along the river.
The ship playground is right by the Howard Smith Wharves beer garden. So grab a beer and a pizza at Felons Brewery while you watch the bridge light up.
On weekends the bring out a petting zoo, food trucks and music for a fun-filled family affair.
Summer crowds in Brisbane love to flock to Wynnum Wading Pool. The large pool fills with seawater so it is an ideal spot for kids to splash around without venturing into open water.
The pool can be entered via tiered stairs. This is a great access point for kids new to the water and doubles as a childminding spot for parents.
You can make a day of it by bringing along a picnic spread or food to barbecue. Just a few metres away from the pool is a park with lots of picnic tables and electric barbecues.
You can read our comprehensive guide to a family holiday in Queensland here.
Main image: © The Wheel of Brisbane
Teenagers will love this putt-putt golf course in Herston. The 18 hole course waves around rocky terrain while offering incredible views of the Brisbane CBD. If you fancy hitting the ball a little further, you can let off some steam at the driving range.
If your kids love to skateboard or scooter, head to RampAttak in Geebung. The indoor skate park has loads of timber obstacles and that cater to everyone from beginner through to advanced. RampAttak does have a small canteen and parking.
Conquer your fears and abseil down the 20-meter Kangaroo Point Cliffs with the help of an experienced abseiling instructor. You don’t need any experience, just a lot of guts. Kids must be aged over eight to do this one.
It’s easy to lose a day or two at South Bank, a 17.5-hectare park overlooking the city centre. A self-guided walk through the main attractions takes just over two kilometres and passes by The Arbour, the Wheel of Brisbane and Streets Beach.
Beenleigh
Journey from the Dreamtime to 1800s Australia with Spirits of the Red Sand, a cultural theatre show unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. Based on true events that occurred at the turn of the 20th century, the Evening Experience includes a three-course dinner.
Northshore
Drawing hungry crowds since launching in 2016, Eat Street has become one of Brisbane’s hottest foodie destinations. The concept is pretty simple: an abandoned docking site was transformed into 70-plus shipping containers fitted out with food stalls serving everything from dumplings to pizzas.
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