When the heavens open and the rain pours down, many Brisbane families who live for the outdoors are lost for ideas. Don’t let a little wet weather dampen your day, though. If you live on the south side of Brisbane, there is a treasure trove of fun activities you can do with the kids regardless of the weather. Rain, hail or shine, here are some rainy day ideas for things to do in South Brisbane.
Visit the Queensland Museum and Sciencentre
With three massive levels of indoor discovery to explore, the Queensland Museum is the perfect rainy day escape for families looking for fun, education, and intrigue. With extensive collections and feature exhibitions, kids can marvel at dinosaurs, learn about our history, and delve into the unique ecosystems and wildlife that make up our Queensland state all under one roof. The Sciencentre, which provides plenty of STEM projects, interactive displays, and even live experiments, can also be found here.
Address: Grey Street &, Melbourne St, South Brisbane
Check out your local South Brisbane library.
When it comes to free indoor fun for kids in south Brisbane, you really can’t go past a visit to your local library. Not only are there quiet, warm corners to snuggle down and read a book in, but there are also a wide range of free activities and workshops on offer most days.
Get crafty at the Plaster Fun House
Every kid loves to get a bit messy and a visit to Plaster Fun House in Carina will allow them to get their creative juices flowing with nothing for you to clean up afterwards. That’s a wet weather win in our books! With hundreds of cute plaster characters to choose from, they can take as long as they like to paint and decorate their chosen masterpiece before taking it home when they are done.
Address: 5/1396 Creek Rd, Carina
Learn about nature at an Environmental Centre
Rainy days are the perfect time to explore one of Brisbane’s many environmental education centres. On the south side, one of our favourites is the Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre, the biggest of its kind in Brisbane. Fresh, bright and jam-packed with interactive fun, the centre is spacious enough for kids to roam, and the activities more than enough to help them forget the rainy world outside even exists.
Address: 149 Acacia Road, Karawatha
Settle into a South Brisbane cinema
Even when the sun is beaming down, most Brisbane families love a trip to the cinema. When it is raining outside, though, and a hot bucket of butter popcorn awaits, checking out the latest blockbuster while nestled deep in a cushioned chair is even more tempting. Before you go check out our article on cheap movie tickets so you can save some money.
Enjoy some retro arcade fun
Arcade games of the past have seen a recent resurgence, with multiple venues dedicated to honouring the trend and lining their walls with both classic and new games. On the south side of Brisbane, your family can stop battling the rain and challenge each other to a game at places like 1UP Arcade at Morningside.
Address: 230 Lytton Rd, Morningside
Climb walls while rock climbing
If your kids are almost climbing the walls with boredom watching the rain come down outside, why not head to your local rock climbing centre and gift them the literal walls to scale? Crank Indoor Rock Climbing at Macgregor is one such place that springs to mind, which has not only rock climbing but also rope climbing, auto belays, and bouldering too.
Address: 537 Kessels Rd, Macgregor
Be inspired at GOMA
One way to get your kids minds off the weather outside is to immerse them in a little bit of culture and creativity. The Gallery of Modern Art in South Brisbane has art installations and exhibitions to capture their imagination, whilst their Children’s Art Centre usually houses fun and hands-on related activities for the kids too.
Address: Stanley Place, South Brisbane
See a live performance at QPAC
While you are in South Brisbane, why not look into what family-friendly shows are currently playing at QPAC? The Queensland Performing Arts Centre has a range of performances running all year round and nearly always have something playing that the kids will love.
Address: Cultural Precinct, Corner Grey and Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Visit a southside kid-friendly café
When the weather sets in there is nothing more welcoming thnn to share a warm meal in a cosy and dry café together. In south Brisbane there are a number of wonderful kid-friendly options, with menus that cater for the whole family and maybe even an indoor play area and games to keep them entertained too.
Be amazed by the Hologram Zoo
It doesn’t have to be raining outside for you to check out the ever-popular Hologram Zoo at Cannon Hill. Even so, it helps that this incredible zoo experience is completely indoors. Step inside and, through unique hologram projections and environments, be transported to other countries where you can meet exotic animals and experience incredible experiences.
Address: Shop 4/1177 Wynnum Rd, Cannon Hill
Try ten pin bowling
Pop on some warm socks and don a pair of trendy bowling shoes – ten-pin bowling with the family is an absolute winner when looking for something fun to do inside. Zone Bowling has numerous southside venues, such as Mt Gravatt, Capalaba, Loganholme and Garden City. More than just ten pin though, Zone also has laser tag and arcade games to play.
Chill out while ice skating
When you can’t beat them – join them! When it is rainy and cold outside, why not throw on some warm clothes and mittens and head to Ice World in Acacia Ridge. With lessons and helpful assists available, it doesn’t matter if you have ice skated before or not – you will be whizzing around that rink in no time! Afterwards, you can defrost with a warm hot chocolate from their cafe.
Address: 1179 Beaudesert Rd, Acacia Ridge
Unwind at a southside playcentre
Sometimes, the best way to beat a rainy day with young kids is to bundle the family up, arrange a catch-up with other friends or family with little ones, and head to one of the local play centres. It might be dull and wet outside, but inside places like Rainbow City Playcentre it is warm, inviting, colourful, and full of fun soft-play equipment for toddler and young kids to play on happily.
Address: Rainbow City Playcentre, 15 Lapis St, Underwood
Burn energy at an Indoor Adventure Centre
One of the best ways to keep kids entertained inside when they can’t go out is to take them to one of many indoor adventure centres in Brisbane. On the southside, we are super lucky to have venues like Area 51, which, with over 10,000 square metres of endless fun, leaves no room for feeling cooped up. With play areas for every age and ability, it is like an indoor playground, sports centre, recreation centre and Night Market all rolled into one.
Address: 51 Kingston Rd, Underwood
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