Best Indoor Activities in Sydney on Rainy Days

The Royal Botanic Gardens offers a daily Aboriginal Heritage Tour that shows visitors how the local Aboriginal peoples use the land and plants, taste bush foods (in season) and learn more about indigenous culture. You all have a chance to get involved on this cruise, and it is lots of fun no matter how old you are. Sydney is the largest city in Australia and it has plenty of family activities, including both indoor and outdoor activities to suit kids and families.
Their facilities are consistently well-maintained, with wall-to-wall interconnected trampolines, foam pits, slam dunk zones, and a dedicated “Mini BOUNCE” area for children under 6. Flip Out operates larger-format venues in Penrith, Prestons, and Castle Hill, offering best indoor activities sydney ninja warrior courses alongside their trampoline floors. Sky Zone brings dodgeball courts, freestyle zones, and a SkyLadder climbing challenge to their Alexandria and Macquarie Park locations.

Council libraries run free storytime sessions for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers throughout the week. Many museums offer free entry for kids under certain ages, and the Royal Botanic Garden is always free. BOUNCE, Flip Out, and Sky Zone all offer party packages that combine bouncing time with a private party area.
Council-run vacation care is the most affordable option, often subsidised through the Child Care Subsidy. Finding play spaces that genuinely cater to toddlers and babies is one of the most common requests we get from Sydney parents. While most large play centres have a “toddler area,” the quality varies enormously. Some are genuinely thoughtful spaces with age-appropriate sensory elements, soft climbing structures, and proper separation from older kids. Others are an afterthought — a small cordoned-off corner with a few plastic toys that your 18-month-old will lose interest in within five minutes. Toddlers will enjoy the slide and hourly wave pool action on weekend afternoons.

It also houses a wide range of vessels and marine artefacts to explore, so even younger kids will enjoy their visit. If you thought Taronga Zoo was conveniently close to the city, this is even closer and a quicker experience if you’re short on time and don’t have a full day to dedicate to a zoo trip. Here you will find educational fun displays related to natural history and anthropology. The museum also hosts exhibits featuring indigenous artwork and cultural events that showcase various cultures worldwide. It does get crazy busy but the food alone is worth the visit and the fun photo opportunities make it an exciting dining experience for the whole family. Best of all, they often have great deals for kids to climb at a discount during school holidays.
You and your kids can interact with lifelike wax replicas of your favourite celebrities, sports legends, and historical icons. It’s also the 5th oldest natural history museum in the world so that alone makes it a pretty cool place to visit. This is a great option if you’re looking for rainy-day activities in Sydney. The Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is one of the most popular Sydney attractions for kids. There is also a big space playground for older kids, plus a wet play area. Taronga Zoo is one of the most well-known zoological parks in Australia.
If you're keen to burn the kids energy out, challenge them to a game of laser tag and rest assured that they'll sleep all night. The cheapest time to skate is Mon-Fri 4pm-5pm, when tickets are $20 for adults and $19 for kids (including skate hire). Whether it's a lingering drizzle or a downpour for the ages, you don't want to get caught out in the city when it rains, nevermind with little ones in tow. It pays to have a few wet-weather tricks up your sleeve for when the cartoons and colouring-in book at home just aren't cutting it anymore. The “Boy” Charlton pool is a saltwater pool located adjacent to the Botanic Gardens and overlooking Woolloomooloo. This pool is named after one of the country’s most successful swimmers who won five Olympic medals during the 1920s.

I like to walk from North to South, so the Opera House remains in view the entire way. A little over a km long, it should take you about 30 minutes, given how many times you will stop to take photos and watch the traffic. The current exhibition is Alchemy of a Rainforest and features more than 18,000 plants. You can also check out the largest living green wall in the southern hemisphere. While there is a chance you will come across some Aussie wildlife on your travels, it is tough to find a platypus in the wild, so do not miss this chance! Taronga is a world-class zoo with some of the best views in Sydney.
In fact, there’s even a reality TV show based around this popular Sydney beach – Bondi Rescue, following some of the rescues and unusual situations the lifeguards of Bondi encounter. You can do a self-guided audio tour that can be purchased for a few dollars at the visitor centre. Queens Park is 26 hectares, with sports fields, playgrounds, free BBQ facilities and great views of Sydney. Although not as old as its Melbourne counterpart in St Kilda which opened in 1912, the two parks are quite similar, right down to the iconic smiling face entrance. Many of the cruises include lunch or you can do a twilight dinner cruise. Are also cruises that stop at some of the unique harbour city attractions, such as historic Goat Island in Sydney Harbour National Park.

Once you arrive, there is plenty to do in Manly and this should be a fun day for everyone. We have put together our Sydney with kids bucket list with the help of the members of our community who have shared what worked best for them on their visits, combined with our detailed local knowledge. Sydney is an easy city to get around, with heaps of different transport options for families. There are day trips by coach from Sydney as well or consider staying for a night or two so you can explore a little deeper. Here you can ride the world’s steepest passenger rail, the steepest cableway in the Southern Hemisphere and ride the cable car between the mountains.
The park has a playground that is perfect to burn your little ones’ energy. They also have free hands-on school holiday programs during the NSW school break. This is a good option for older kids who have an interest in the local history as it tells the story of The Rocks from their pre-European days to the present time. There are also playgrounds for the kids in each of them, including Centennial Homestead Playground, Paddington Gates Playground and nearby Moore Park Rotunda Playground to name just a few of the play spaces.

Visitors can opt to play five, ten or all 15 games, with the full course taking about two and half hours to complete. Each of the individual courses of five games contains a puzzle, a ball pit and a trick shot game, so if you’ve only got time to visit a few of the rooms you won’t be short-changed on the fun. Once you’ve tested your mettle against the challenge rooms, you’re bound to be in need of some refreshment. The Hijinx bar offers a range of fun signature drinks, both for thirsty kidlets and parents in need of an adult drink or two (don’t miss the Bubblegum Martini complete with bubblegum scented smoke bubbles). Prices range from $15 to $30 per session depending on the activity and location. Play cafes typically charge $12 to $18 per child for unlimited play, with many including a coffee for the accompanying adult.
Using flying foxes, watch the kangaroos, koalas, and emus go about their day from your bird’s-eye view. Suitable for kids over three years, the younger riders will have two courses allowing them to view koalas and possums. The zoo has a bunch of free shows every day, but the two that are always a hit with younger kids are the farm walk and the pat a pet talk. I suggest you check the schedule the day before and plan your day around the talks you want to join. See the world’s largest collection of marine life at Sea life Sydney Aquarium including  the beautiful giants on Dugong island.
Art is for everyone, but the kids will be particularly fond of the ceramic-painting workshops at Jenny’s Painted Pots. You can decorate ceramic mugs, plates, animals or signs and lettering starting from $15, and they supply all the arty equipment. It’s also home to a traditional lolly shop, so you can scoff old-timey sweets while you paint. It’s a great way to keep the kids entertained when it’s grizzly outside and it could be a prime opportunity to procure some sentimental stocking-fillers for the family.