I have had quite a few people ask me about what to do while visiting Adelaide and while hosting friends and family, I started making lists of fun things to do in Adelaide. Here it is! From bars and dining to day trips, wine tours and festivals, let me know if you would add anything!
Eating / Restaurants:
- Africola
- Kazumi ramen in Norwood
- Shobosho (Leigh street)
- Fish bank in the city
- Roxies beer garden / midnight spaghetti – Roxies Wednesday $10 woodfire pizza
- Fugazzi
- Ferment Asia Tanunda – Viet fusion with paired wines
- Gaja by sashi
- Parwana Henley beach road (Afghan)
- 2KW rooftop restaurant / bar
- Fino Vino
- Restaurant botanic (botanic gardens)
- Nido
- Peel st
- Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant
- Noi
- Polk
- The uraidla hotel
- The Stirling hotel
- Golden boy
- Allegra Dining Room (Vegetarian) – You can read about the benefits of a Plant-Based Diet HERE.
You can read my article HERE on how to save money while still being social.
The South Australia website has a list of the best restaurants in Adelaide you might want to check out HERE.
Bars:
- Harvest table kitchen (Barossa)
- Ebenezer place (multiple wine bars, craft beer, and cafes)
- Big shed brewing co
- Mother vine
- Crowne plaza bar
- Pink moon saloon
- Haines and co
- Paloma bar
- Clever little tailor
- Merrymaker
- Imperial measures distillery, great gins and burgers
- Memphis slims blues bar (weekdays)
- Cry baby
- Lot 100
- Never never distilling
- Maybe Mae
- Hindley street (nightclubs)
Check out The Urban List’s list of the best Adelaide bars HERE.
You can read my article HERE on how I brew my own beers and other beverages
Wineries and wine tours:
- Barossa Valley wine tour: Penfolds in nuri for a taste of Grange, Hentley farm for 2 Michelin star cooking
- McLaren vale wine tour: Woodstock winery, D’arenburg cube, chalk hill wines
- Clare valley wine tour – great white wines
- Coonawarra wine tour – great red wines DeGeiorgio winery for platter and tasting, Wynns for black label cab Sauvignon
- Adelaide hills: Ashton Hills, Nepenthe winery, Tenafeate winery, Uleybury wines
Check out the list of wineries and cellar doors on the Visit Adelaide Hills website HERE.
Adelaide local area activities:
- Adelaide Central Market – food and cafes
- Adelaide Botanic Garden (North Terrace) – walk and cafe
- Adelaide parklands walking
- Adelaide street art tours
- Glenelg Bay, night life and great for a swim
- Footy or cricket match at Adelaide oval
- Roof climb of Adelaide Oval
- Concert, or a Basketball or netball game at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
- Show / Musical at Adelaide Festival Theatre
- Adelaide museum or South Australian museum
- Adelaide art gallery
- Adelaide Zoo
- Adelaide festival centre
- Adelaide tree climb treetop walk and zip line in the parklands south east of the city
- Rundle Mall shopping and cafes (in Adelaide city centre)
- Kayaking in the dolphin sanctuary near the power station (dolphins and sting rays)
- Blue swimmer crab fishing off jetty (Oct to Jan)
- Game of golf or tee off at the driving range
- Tour of the Adelaide old Gaol
- Hallet cove reserve and walkway
- One and All Tallship sailing
- Port Adelaide markets
- Belair National Park
- Haighs chocolate (several locations in the Adelaide central business district)
- West Beach and West Beach adventure
You can visit the Experience Adelaide website HERE.
Adelaide Hills stuff:
- Hike Mount Lofty or Morialta Falls
- Rock climbing at Morialta falls
- ParaWirra conservation park
- Gorge wildlife park (Cudlee creek)
- Gorge road scenic drive
- Gumercha big rocking horse
- Birdwood motor museum
- Handorf for lunch (German arms)
- Strawberry picking at Beerenburg Hahndorf
- Handorf farm barn
- Bike ride along Amy Gillet bikeway Woodside to mt Torrens
- Cherry picking (seasonal – Nov to Jan)
- Prancing Pony brewery
- Melba’s chocolate factory
- Udder Delights cheese factory
- Mushroom picking amongst the pine forests at Kuitpo or Mt. Crawford forests
- Warrawong native animal sanctuary
- Cleland wildlife park
- Mount lofty botanic gardens
- Second valley bushwalking / hiking
- Happy Valley reservoir (hike, cycle, kayak)
There’s more info on the Adelaide Hills site HERE.
Day trips with a bit of a drive:
- Adelaide biplanes – book a short flight with Martin in the Waco Biplane for a flight over the beaches
- ‘The bend’ Motorsport park – hot laps in Supercars
- Stand up paddle boarding in Aldinga
- Monarto plains open zoo
- Mannum for Murray river steamboat, ferry, old style pubs
- Victor harbour – beautiful drive, nice beaches and cafes (mums beard cafe), granite island walk, cockle train between Victor harbour and goolwa
- Skydiving – Goolwa or Lower Light
- Snorkelling port Noarlunga reef
- Visit pink salt lakes (several to pick from)
I have enjoyed many a day trip, some in my car and some on my motorbike, but you can read HERE about Why I sold my motorcycle.
Overnight trips with a decent drive:
- Kangaroo Island (via ferry)
- Naracoorte caves and lagoon pool
- Robe, Kingston for amazing beaches
- Mount Gambier – cave gardens, sink holes, camping, umpherston cave, Shelly beach, mount shank, blue lake (and blue lake lemonade!), port McDonnell, crayfish, red wine and cheese, tantanoola caves, snorkel/SCUBA Euwens ponds
- Swim with cuttlefish in Whyalla
- Port Lincoln shark cage diving and swim with sea lions
- Streaky bay – oysters (and fishing)
- Flinders ranges inc. Wilpena Pound crater
- Coober Pedy opal noodling and underground hotels
Seasonal / festivals:
- Cycling – tour down under (Jan)
- Fringe Festival (Feb/Mar)
- Womadelaide (Mar)
- Adelaide Festival of Arts (AF) (Mar)
- Tasting Australia (Apr/May)
- The Adelaide cabaret festival (Jun)
- Illuminate (Jun)
- Beer and BBQ festival (Jun)
- Sala Festival (Aug)
- Royal Adelaide show (Sep)
- Adelaide film festival (Oct)
- Cheese festival (Oct)
- Ozasia festival (Oct/Nov)
- Feast Festival (Nov)
- ADL500 supercar racing (Nov/Dec)
Check out the Festival City Adelaide website HERE for more info on the various festivals.
Summary
Whether you’re from South Australia or you have visited Adelaide and made a note of worthwhile Adelaide tourist attractions, please chime in with any other suggestions you may have, as I plan to keep adding to this list!
Adelaide, South Australia’s capital city is really one of the most beautiful places in the country to live, or to visit. I may be biased as I’ve lived here for most of my life, but there are many Adelaide attractions for locals or tourists and it’s always good to keep a list like this as a dynamic reference that can be added to on a regular basis.
Captain FI is a Retired Pilot who lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He is passionate about Financial Independence and writes about Personal Finance and his journey to reach FI at 29, allowing him to retire at 30.
