Galleries and Museums

• Art Gallery of South Australia This art gallery is not as large as those belonging to other Aussie state capitols, but the collection is interesting and varied, plus, it's free! It’s located between the SA Museum and the University of Adelaide, and it's open daily from 10am-5pm.
• South Australian Museum A five level natural science and history museum with displays such as Aboriginal and Pacific Cultures, Ancient Egypt and World Mammals. Entry is free and it's open daily from 10am-5pm.
• South Australian Maritime Museum For all you boat buffs out there! Adult tickets are $8.50, children $3.50 and family $22.
• Migration Museum This small museum highlights the many different cultures that make up Adelaide's community. It also explores the more challenging aspects of the city's immigration history, such as the impact immigration had on Indigenous people. It's located behind the State Library and open 10am-5pm weekdays and 1pm-5pm on weekends.

Shop

• Rundle Mall provides the best shopping in the city, having over 800 shops to wander amongst. All the cool places are here!
• Central Market offers fresh produce and a range of goods, with cheap multi-storey parking. It's closed Mondays and Sundays and located between Grote St and Gouger St, west of Victoria Square.
• Chinatown A pedestrian-only area on Moonta St, adjacent to Central Market.
• Westfield Marion Shopping Centre is Adelaide's largest shopping centre with over 400 shops. There are buses direct from the city centre.

Beaches

Adelaide has a long stretch of beaches along its coast. The most popular of these is Glenelg Beach which is clean, safe for families and surrounded by the cafes and culture of the Glenelg esplanade. There are other beaches in the Glenelg area also including Aldinga Beach and Brighton Beach.

Henley Beach is also popular due to its proximity to the city and is a wonderful spot to have a dip when the temperature soars. If you prefer to surf, Boomer Beach in Port Elliot is the go, but be aware of its strong currents and large waves. You can also whale watch there in the Winter.

Parks

Adelaide Botanic Gardens are free to enter, quiet and serene, even though they're in the heart of the city. They contain many large grassed areas ideal for relaxing, and just outside the gardens are the city parklands where ballgames and picnics can be held. There is a cafe in the gardens and also The Bicentennial Conservatory which isn’t free, but it is a worthwhile visit, simulating a tropical rainforest with mist falling from the roof!

Belair National Park is 11 km south of the city. It has trails for bushwalking, tennis courts and a good quality adventure playground for children (and those willing to embarrass themselves). Old Government House is located within the park. A vehicle entry fee applies to cars entering, otherwise its western parts can be accessed from the Belair line train, a 35 minute journey from Adelaide city. The park gates are open daily from 8am to sunset. 

Cleland Conservation Park is located 20 minutes from the city. Home to the Cleland Wildlife Park, visitors can wander at their leisure among kangaroos, wallabies, Emus and waterfowl, visiting dingoes, reptiles, Tasmanian devils, wombats and echidnas, and be photographed holding a koala! There is also an Aboriginal cultural tour.

Morialta Conservation Park is 10 km north-east of the city and has walking trails of varying difficulty, including ones that pass by three major waterfalls and provide panoramic views over Adelaide! However, the waterfalls only flow in the winter months and are usually completely dry by Christmas. It also has a popular rock climbing area.

Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary This small sanctuary allows visitors to get up close and personal with well known animals like the kangaroo, platypus, Tree kangaroo, quoll, bettong, potoroo, pademelon, bandicoot, bilby and possums. It runs tours so check the website to see what interests you.

Events and Festivals

March. March is the time to be in Adelaide. (Being aware, however, that it’s when everyone else is in Adelaide too!) The city is a teeming shiny mass of culture and cultures, with most of the city’s events and festivals being held at this time. If you wish to go around this time, book accommodation waaaaay ahead.

• Adelaide Festival of Arts brings the city alive with music, arts, dance and culture from all over the world. It’s held on every ‘even’ year (i.e. 2010, 2012 and not 2011).
• Fringe Festival is a crazy bunch of people doing crazy performance things. The botanic gardens are turned in to a burlesque circus and the city gets lit with lights and lanterns - an absolute must see! It runs from Feb to March every year.

• Adelaide Film Festival is Australia’s premier film festival. It on at the same time as the arts festival for 11 days.
• Adelaide Festival of Ideas is held in the alternate year to the Adelaide Festival and aims to open debate on the leading issues of our times, and maybe offer a few innovative solutions in the process!
• WOMADelaide is a four day World Music festival held in the botanic gardens every year. It’s a great experience and features interesting acts from all over.
• Clipsal 500 Supercar is a V8 Supercars racing event which uses the city streets as its circuit, a shortened form of the former Australian F1 Grand Prix track. It sports (pardon the pun) massive street parties, huge concert line-ups and many fanatic Adelaidians. ‘Loud’ is a word that comes to mind.

There are tons more festivals and events, including a Cabaret Festival in June!

Glenelg

The historic beachside suburb of Glenelg is 11 km from the city. It's a very popular tourist spot, and people flock there to walk along its ancient old jetty, have a latte by the sea, dine in any of the myriad restaurants, have a beer at the Grand Hotel and peruse the shops along Jetty Road. To get there you can catch one of the charming old trams from the CBD (they run weekends and holidays), or the new slightly less rickety 'light rail' trams.

Haigh's Chocolate Factory

Go on the free Haigh's Chocolate Factory tour. Established in 1915, Haigh's is one of the best chocolates in Australia. Located just five minutes from the CBD, the factory tour will give you a glimpse on how this fine chocolate is made, as well as free samples! Tours run Monday to Saturday at 11am, 1pm and 2pm, bookings essential.

Coopers Brewery

Take a tour of the Coopers Brewery the only remaining large family owned brewery in Australia, well known around the world for their bottle conditioned ales. Founded by Thomas Cooper in 1862, the Brewery is currently run fifth generation Tim and Glenn Cooper. All proceeds from the tours go to charity.

Sport

During the summer months get down to the Adelaide Oval for a cricket match. Australia plays host to a couple of touring nations each summer and they will play a few matches at this beautiful ground which is just minutes from the city centre. Tickets for internationals tend to be snapped up quickly, but domestic matches are frequent and equally exciting. The local sport is Australian Rules Football. Home games for the local teams the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power are played at AAMI Stadium in West Lakes. Getting tickets shouldn't be a problem - check out the AFL website for more details.

Tours

Check out these awesome online Adelaide tour offers. They're easy to book, great value and everything will be organised with just a click of a button:

• Adelaide City Morning Sightseeing Tour A morning coach tour of the city and surrounds, with the option of including a river cruise and a visit to Adelaide Zoo. It starts at $63 per person.
• Adelaide Highlights and Hahndorf Afternoon Sightseeing Tour A four hour guided coach tour visiting Chinatown, St Francis Xavier Cathedral and Victoria square, then through the Adelaide hills and onto Handorff. It starts at $66 and includes afternoon tea.
• Murray River Riverboat Tour including Lunch A delightful day touring the countryside by guided coach, with a pause for lunch an old-timey riverboat at it cruises down the scenic Murray River. It starts at $142 per person.
• Coorong Wilderness Tour from Adelaide Travel south-east of the city through seaside towns to the coastal Coorong wetlands where you'll enjoy guided walks and a cruise, stopping at some wineries on the way. It's a full day tour, costs around $200 and includes hotel transfers and meals.