Top 12 Family Friendly Activities to do whilst staying at Rydges Southbank

Anyone with a family would understand how challenging it can be to find a destination that will keep the entire family happy.. without costing an arm and a leg! Although we are locals, we love taking our two young kids on a staycation at Rydges Southbank. In fact it has become a bit of a ritual for us, having stayed here every year for the last 4 years! While the kids are safely occupied, it’s a great chance for the parents to also enjoy a well-deserved luxe break.

There are lots of things we love about Rydges Southbank, from their in-house offerings to their star location. Here are our top twelve:

1. Proximity to Southbank Parklands. Rydges Southbank is mere minutes’ walk from the Southbank pool, lagoon, water park and playground. Take the stress out of packing the car and simply walk down from your newly refurbed room. 
2. Rydges Southbank is super family friendly and they cater for young kids. We love that we can order an in-house tray of goodies for the kids, select a movie for them and enjoy a couple hours of peace. I can’t begin to tell you how much our kids enjoy this – big screen, big bed and they don’t have to worry about chores!
3. Take a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane. A Brisbane icon that is a walk away from Rydges Southbank. Seeing the sights from up high and pointing out landmarks is a fun activity for everyone!
4. Have a leisurely lunch. Southbank is brimming with food choices. Many are kid-friendly, and you can find great deals around the area on dining out apps. Perfect after a morning of play. 
5. Swim at the Soleil pool. Enjoy the music playing, order some snacks for the kids, a cocktail for you and watch the kids swim. Better yet, join them and take in the open-air vibes.
6. Play tourist in your own city. Walk along the river, or take the free City Hopper and float around the Brisbane River. The City Hopper runs 7 days a week, every half hour from 6 am… it is perfect for the little early risers! This ferry can get very popular so make sure to get there a few minutes early. 
7. Watch a movie on the iMax screen. Although there are no longer iMax projectors, everyone can still experience this mega screen at affordable prices.. and there’s no need to park the car!
8. Order room service. Rydges Southbank has a great kids menu, named after famous movies. The kids get a thrill when their order arrives. And the best thing is.. no cleaning up!
9. Are you staying the whole weekend? Support local businesses and browse through the Collective Markets. We’ve found some great goodies here including a well-made fedora hat for our youngest and cute swimsuit for our eldest. The Collective Markets are on every Friday night to Sunday.
10. Head down to GOMA or the State Library of Queensland. Our kids love the museum and state library and can spend hours there. GOMA has kids-approved exhibitions, especially during the school holidays. The library has a kid’s corner where kids can create, learn and dance to the music!
11. Have a sleep in, then head down to Bacchus for brekkie. The breakfast here is one of the best in Brisbane. I mean.. it includes pink milk! Need I say more!!
12. Train spotting! Our 4-year-old is obsessed with trains. We’ve been lucky in that every time we’ve stayed at Rydges Southbank, we’ve had a view of the train bridge so he happily train spots out the double-glazed window. If you do have a train enthusiast, I’m sure Rydges would be more than happy to accommodate a request for views.