Finding fun places to go to and things to do with your children during the holidays is easier and cheaper than you think. All it takes is a bit of planning and a change of attitude.
Holiday fun and games
For many families the perfect holiday means braving the dreadfully dangerous highways and rushing down to the nearest coastal resort. However, it usually comes at a price that many South African families can’t afford! The good news is that there are many other, less expensive fun places to visit and things to do, some closer to home than you think.
Ten fun places to go and things to do
Here are some suggestions you may want to explore.
- Take a new look at your own or nearest town or city. Take the family on an organised hop-on, hop-off sightseeing trip. The children will love sitting in the open-top upper deck while rambling through well and lesser-known areas of the city. Alternatively, book a walking tour and cover the city on foot.
- Explore the largest garden in your town or city. Visit the nearest botanical garden. Not only will the children have ample space to run around but they will also be thrilled to see the many smaller animals such as rock rabbits and guinea fowl that roam around freely. Top the day off with a picnic.
- Get out of doors. Kids love to be out of doors and apart from the dangers of too much sun will love any trip that takes them out into the fresh air. Fortunately many hiking, biking and walking trails are available. (Just remember to apply the sunscreen!) Many cities also have their own nature reserves to explore and, if living on the coast, there’s always the beach.
- Play Tarzan for a day. Tree top adventures are all the rage. For example, Acrobranch; near Melrose Arch, has the longest zip line (200 metres) in Africa. Here’s your opportunity to go from tree to tree doing fun exercises that test your balance, strength and focus.
- Take the whole family to an outdoor rugby, cricket or any other big sporting event, flee-market or open-air exhibition.
- Make a bee-line for the closest stretch of water. Where there’s water, there’s the opportunity for fun activities such as picnics, fishing, boating and water sport.
- Go where the wild (and not so wild) things are. Outings to the zoo are fun and educational and most also offer other interesting and inexpensive activities such as night game walks, bird identification courses, etc. Private zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and animal rehabilitation and breeding centres such as the Lion Park and the Cheetah breeding centre in Gauteng, the Hartbeespoort Dam Elephant Sanctuary and the World of Birds wildlife sanctuary in Hout Bay, are well-known examples and worth a visit. A visit to a local petting zoo will be remembered for ever, especially by the younger members of the family.
- Visit a working farm. It’s always a great treat for children to visit a real, working, farm. Many offer day trips as well as week-end and longer holiday stays. Some offer hands-on participation in the farming activities.
- Introduce children to a bygone era’s mode of travel. Take your family on a steam train trip. In Pretoria you can board the steam train to the historic diamond mining village of Cullinan and back, while Joburg residents have the option of travelling to Magaliesburg and back with time for a leisurely picnic thrown in too!
- Attend a festival or feast. Attending one of the many South African feasts and festivals held throughout the year offers a unique opportunity for a short family break or even a day trip. The Dullstroom (a fly fishing mecca) Winter Festival, annually held in July is one of the more well-known. The Ficksburg Cherry Festival that occurs in November is the oldest and offers cherry and asparagus tastings, tours, picnics, music, and the Miss Cherry Blossom and Miss Cherry Pip competitions.
Sources
Jarvis, R. 2014. 31 fun things to do In Johannesburg under R200. Retrieved from:
http://www.travelstart.co.za
Show me Pretoria. Retrieved from; http://showme.co.za
South Africa family holidays. Retrieved from: http://www.places.co.za