{"id":688,"date":"2017-01-09T03:34:34","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T03:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/the-best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-with-kids\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:22:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:22:04","slug":"best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-with-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"The best things to do in Melbourne with kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Travelling teaches you to really appreciate what you have on your own doorstep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/Melbourne.d178283.Destination-Travel-Guides?brandcid=blog.melbournewithkids.author.mumwithwings_291216\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Melbourne<\/a> is my home city, I grew up here and I am bringing up my own children here. The city has so much to offer, so I\u2019m not surprised it keeps winning the title of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Most Liveable City\u201d. Here are my tips for a great day out in Melbourne with kids.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Transport<\/strong>: Avoid the gridlock and park just outside of the CBD. From there, use our world famous trams to get around. My kids love doing this, it&#8217;s such a novelty and it saves lots of money. We come from the south, so always park at the great value <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artscentremelbourne.com.au\/your-visit\/car-parking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arts Centre Melbourne carpark<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Gallery Victoria (NGV)<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Our first stop is usually the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ngv.vic.gov.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NGV<\/a> in Melbourne\u2019s Arts Precinct. Right from the outset my children are entertained, with the iconic water wall at the entrance exciting kids for generations. Once inside, there are always different kids&#8217; exhibitions, but they get a kick out of looking up at the stained glass roof. The best part is it\u2019s all free!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Arts Centre Melbourne<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Still in the Arts Precinct on St Kilda Road, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artscentremelbourne.com.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arts Centre Melbourne<\/a> often hosts fantastic children\u2019s shows. It\u2019s best to book in advance. Also at the Arts Centre is The Barre, a great bar with a fantastic outdoor area for kids to run around while the parents relax.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Federation Square<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>We like to wander over the road to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fedsquare.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fed Square<\/a> as it\u2019s always a hub of activity. This area hosts many festivals and events throughout the year, most of which have free entertainment and activities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Australian Centre for the Moving Images (ACMI)<\/strong>: The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmi.net.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ACMI<\/a> is towards the back of Fed Square and has lots of free interactive displays to join in.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Street Art<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>Over the road is Hosier Lane, home to Melbourne\u2019s famous <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thatsmelbourne.com.au\/Placestogo\/PublicArt\/Pages\/StreetArt.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Street Art<\/a>. Explore the ever-changing laneway, which is one of the most photographed locations in Melbourne. Other great locations nearby are AC\/DC Lane, Duckboard Place and Rutledge Lane.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lunch outside:<\/strong> If the weather is agreeable, my kids love having a picnic lunch in the beautiful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rbg.vic.gov.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Royal Botanic Gardens<\/a> or sitting at caf\u00e9 along <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thatsmelbourne.com.au\/Placestogo\/Precincts_Neighbourhoods\/Southbank\/Pages\/Southbank.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Southbank<\/a> watching the buskers and boats on the Yarra River.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Melbourne\u2019s History: <\/strong>There are a couple of fantastic options to learn about Melbourne\u2019s diverse history. A trip to the <a href=\"https:\/\/museumvictoria.com.au\/immigrationmuseum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Immigration Museum<\/a> is a great way to teach kids about their heritage and the many cultures that make up this amazing city. There is also the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Old Melbourne Gaol<\/a> that gives an interactive walk through the city\u2019s darker side.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Melbourne Aquarium<\/strong>: The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.melbourneaquarium.com.au\">Melbourne Aquarium<\/a> is a great way to spend a few hours, especially if the weather isn\u2019t suitable for outdoor activities. Melbourne often has four seasons in one day!<\/li>\n<li><strong>City Circle Tram<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>I have only scratched the surface of what Melbourne has on offer. To take in a lot of the city sites without pushing or dragging your children along, you could jump on the free and iconic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yarratrams.com.au\/using-trams\/visitors-new-users\/city-circle-tram\/\">City Circle Tram<\/a>. Note that the tram route will link up all of the locations on my list.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Find and book suitable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/Melbourne-Hotels.d178283.Travel-Guide-Hotels\">places to stay in Melbourne<\/a> with kids on Expedia.com.au!<\/p>\n<p><i>Expedia compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site, such compensation may include travel and other costs<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Travelling teaches you to really appreciate what you have on your own doorstep. Melbourne is my home city, I grew up here and I am bringing up my own children here. The city has so much to offer, so I\u2019m not surprised it keeps winning the title of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Most Liveable City\u201d. Here are&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-with-kids\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The best things to do in Melbourne with kids<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,331,6,2,3,14],"tags":[41,428],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-australia","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-interests","tag-melbourne","tag-mum-with-wings","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The best things to do in Melbourne with kids - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-with-kids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The best things to do in Melbourne with kids - Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Travelling teaches you to really appreciate what you have on your own doorstep. Melbourne is my home city, I grew up here and I am bringing up my own children here. The city has so much to offer, so I\u2019m not surprised it keeps winning the title of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Most Liveable City\u201d. 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