Best indoor activities in Brisbane for kids

School holiday breaks and family getaways are great opportunities to explore the city, but when wet weather or scorching heat hits, knowing a great indoor spot is essential. From high-energy play zones to low-stress indoor activities for toddlers Brisbane visitors and locals can enjoy together, the city boasts a world-class selection of rainy-day spots for every age group.

We have curated our favourite indoor activities for kids in Brisbane, ordered sequentially starting right from our doorstep in South Bank out to surrounding Brisbane areas.

 

Immerse Yourself in Culture

Located in the heart of South Bank Parklands‘ cultural precinct, just an 8-minute walk from Novotel, the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) offers a cool, sheltered retreat for creative minds.

The dedicated Children’s Art Centre inside QAGOMA collaborates directly with international artists to create interactive, hands-on projects. Children can spend hours drawing, crafting, and contributing to living gallery displays. General admission to both gallery spaces and the Children‘s Art Centre is free, though special major exhibitions occasionally require paid tickets. When staying with us, feel free to ask our reception team at Novotel for the latest events schedule or for help booking ticketed event passes.

 

Explore the Queensland Maritime Museum 

Positioned at the southern bend of the Brisbane River directly in South Bank, a pleasant 10-minute walk from Novotel, the Queensland Maritime Museum provides a fantastic covered venue for young boat lovers and aspiring sailors.

While the grounds feature outdoor heritage vessels, the vast indoor halls showcase historic ship models, navigational equipment, marine light towers, and the fascinating history of the Brisbane River. It is a fantastic option on light rainy days, allowing families to explore the spacious indoor galleries before taking shelter under the covered deck of the historic frigate HMAS Diamantina.

 

Spark Your Kid’s Curiosity

If your kid loves to ask questions on a holiday like “Are we there yet?” or “What time is lunch?”, then you’ll probably be looking for ways to redirect their curiosity! 

SparkLab at Queensland Museum (South Bank)

Just a 7-minute walk from our hotel front doors, SparkLab inside the Queensland Museum is an interactive science facility designed specifically for curious kids aged 6 to 13. Children can get hands-on with liquid dynamics, build electrical circuits, throw paper planes into vertical wind tubes, and watch live science demonstrations performed by museum staff. Booking tickets online ahead of time is recommended during peak school holiday periods.

The Cube at QUT (Gardens Point / Brisbane City)

If you wander a little further across the pedestrian-only Goodwill Bridge, a scenic 15-minute walk from South Bank, you will reach The Cube at QUT. The Cube at QUT has a bunch of digital learning programs to get them thinking about science and how the world around us works. Offering a unique, engaging and immersive digital experience, The Cube lets your child explore, discover and learn about science while also having fun. Program themes include ‘Dino Zoo’, where you can walk among life-sized digital dinosaurs (don’t worry – they don’t bite!), and ‘The Living Reef’, where you’ll be transported into our miraculous underwater world. Admission is free. Check individual screening times before visiting.

 

Get Active

When exploring high-octane indoor activities around Brisbane, getting your kids off the couch and away from their screens at an indoor adventure park is hard to beat. It’s also a great option if you have a particularly boisterous kid who needs to burn off some energy! 

Located approximately a 20-minute drive north of the hotel, BOUNCE (formerly Urban Xtreme) at Hendra is an indoor playground with a wide range of activities all under one roof, from indoor trampolining to rock climbing, parkour courses, and they even have a miniBOUNCE zone, making it perfect for children of all ages.

 

Play a Round of Indoor Mini Golf

Mini golf is a timeless family classic, and staying in South Bank places you right next to some of Brisbane’s best indoor courses.

Located right on Grey Street, just a 5-minute walk from Novotel, Hey Caddy offers an immersive indoor mini golf experience featuring creative, travel-themed holes that transport players around the globe. In the exact same building, older kids and teenagers can test their swing at X-Golf, which features state-of-the-art virtual golf simulators and arcade games, making it one of the many indoor kids’ activities Brisbane locals and visitors love.

For a short trip across the Victoria Bridge into Brisbane City, accessible via a 15-minute stroll, Holey Moley Golf Club inside the Wintergarden complex offers pop-culture-themed indoor mini golf paired with food and coffee for parents. If you are up for a day trip further north, Undersea Putt & Play in Redcliffe features a glow-in-the-dark, marine-themed indoor course complete with giant sea-creature displays.

 

Strike Up Some Fun

If you want to combine bowling, arcade games, and indoor activities for kids in Brisbane under one roof, Brisbane City offers incredible all-in-one entertainment venues.

Over at the Wintergarden complex on Queen Street (approx. 15 minutes on foot across Victoria Bridge or 5 minutes by taxi from Novotel), Strike Bowling delivers a complete indoor fun hub. Beyond their 10 bowling lanes with lane-side food and beverage service, the venue packs some of the best kids’ indoor activities Brisbane has to offer, including a 30-person laser tag arena with custom soundtracks, three immersive escape rooms, private karaoke rooms, and an arcade area. It is an ideal spot for parents looking to keep kids of all ages entertained during a rainy afternoon.

 

Unleash Their Creativity

Let your kids’ imagination and creativity run free at Plaster Fun House, where you can paint your own plaster piece and take it home immediately. Simply choose a plaster piece from the shelves and decorate it with paint, glitter and all that good stuff until you’re satisfied with your masterpiece. Located in Carina (approximately a 20-minute drive east of South Bank), it’s a fantastic option for indoor toddler activities Brisbane parents love, especially when looking for a hands-on creative outlet that won’t result in hours of cleaning up at home! Sessions run for 2 hours, with prices averaging between $10 and $15.

 

Revel In Some Nostalgia

This one’s for all of those big kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s. 1UP Arcade is a retro arcade that contains 140+ classic games and nostalgic throwbacks from your childhood, including Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong, to name a few. Introduce your kids to the games you loved to play and get a chance to finally beat that high score of yours. Located in Woolloongabba, just a 5-minute drive or a quick 2-stop bus ride on the South Bank Busway from Novotel, it makes for an easy, nostalgic inner-city day trip for the whole family.

 

Explore The Stars 

For a magical journey through Brisbane’s night sky, take a 15-minute drive west of the city to the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium at Mount Coot-tha. Inside the Cosmic Skydome, little ones and adults can sit back and relax as immersive, full-dome shows explore stars, planets and black holes. The foyer also features free astronomical displays and spacecraft models, making it one of the many stellar indoor activities for kids Brisbane visitors love.

 

Plan Your Ultimate Family Indoor Escape in Brisbane

Whether you are dodging a tropical summer storm, escaping the midday heatwave, or organising a fun day out during the school holidays, Brisbane offers an incredible range of indoor activities to keep toddlers, young kids, and teens entertained without stress.

By choosing a central base at Novotel Brisbane South Bank, you place your family within walking distance of world-class cultural institutions like QAGOMA and SparkLab, as well as Grey Street mini golf and nearby retro arcade gaming. Complete with spacious accommodation, custom-themed family suites, and welcoming on-site dining, everything you need for a memorable city break is right at your fingertips.

Ready to start planning your next family break? Browse our spacious accommodation suites or book your stay directly with Novotel Brisbane South Bank to secure the best rates for your next Brisbane family vacation.