160 Things to do in Cape Town: Our Family Bucket List

There are lots of places I want to see and explore while we live in this beautiful part of South Africa and so I decided to make a list, as the teacher in me likes to pick up a pen and start ticking:)  All of these items are in and around Cape Town.  I love this part of South Africa.  So much to see and do with children, this really is a city you can enjoy as a family.  I will keep adding things to my list as and when I find new places to explore.

1. Take a cable car up to Table Mountain
2.  2 Oceans Aquarium
3.  Afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson
4.  Cape Agullas is a must as it is the Southern most tip of Africa
5.  Ratanga Junction
6.  Iziko Planetarium
7.  Seal Island
8.  Noon Day Gun
9.   Castle of Good Hope
10.  Take a trip on a train
11.  Boulders Beach
12.  Explore Smitswinkel -done
13.  Enjoy a treat at Charly's Bakery - done

14.  Visit the best theatres of Cape Town:  The Baxter Theatre (done) , The Artscape Theatre (done), Masque Theatre, Theatre on the Bay, Kalk Bay Theatre
15.  The Cape Town Science Centre - done
16.  Fish and Chips in Kalk Bay - done
17.  Kirstenbosch Gardens
18.  Rhodes Memorial
19.  Biodiversity Park in Greenpoint
20.  Take the children to watch a cricket match at Newlands
21.  Watch a rugby match at Newlands Rugby grounds
22.  Go shopping at Green Market Square
23.  The Pottery Barn
24.  Butterfly World
25.  Horse riding on Noordhoek beach
26.  Hop on and Hop Off Cape Sightseeing Bus

27.  Kite Surfing
28.  Surf lessons at Muizenberg Beach with Gary's Surf
29.  West Coast National Park
30.  Ice Skating at Grandwest Casino
31.  Visit the quaint town of Franschoek
32.  Noordhoek Farm Village
33.  Scratch Patch Simon's Town
34. The Cape Town Diamond Museum
35.  District Six Museum
36.  Ceres Zipsliding- done

37. Cool Runnings
38.  Cape Town Ostrich Farm - done
39. Le Bonheur Croc Farm
40. The Giraffe House
41.  St James Tidal Pool
42.  Simon's Town Submarine Museum
43.  Gold of Africa Museum
44.  Iziko South African Museum
45.  Silvermine Dam
46.  Visit The Maze
47.  Jolly Roger Pirate Boat
48.  The Book Lounge
49.  Zip Zap Circus
50.  Blue Train
51.  Graceland Venues in Paarl
52.  Clay Cafe
53.  Fishing at Rooikrans
54.  Sea Point Prominade
55.  Monkey Town
56.  Picnic on Chapman's Peak
57.  Swimming at Fish Hoek Beach
58. Eat with chef Frank Dangeraux at the Food Barn
59.  Visit the Simon's Town Waterfront
60.  Ride the wheel at the V&A Waterfront
61.  Take a 7km walk on Noordhoek Beach
62.  Camel riding at Imnhoff Farm
63.  Open air concert at Kirstenbosch Gardens on a Sunday evening.
64.  Whale watching at False Bay Coast
65. Visit the toy museum in Simon's Town
66.  Walk in Bo-Kaap in the Cape

67.  A walk through Kalk Bay
68.  Walk along the Jagger walk between Fish Hoek and Sunny Cove
69.  Visit the fishing harbour in Kalk Bay
70.  Take a walk in Tokai forest
71.  Visit Masipumelele informal settlement
72.  Visit Peers Cave - a world famous site of stone age man
73.  Dinner at Mariners' Wharf in Hout Bay
74.  Visit Windmill Beach
75.  Lunch at River Cafe, Uitsig, Constantia
76.  Cycle tour of Cape Point
77.  Visit the Simon's Town Maritime Museum
78.   Thursday evening at Cafe Roux, Noordhoek
79.  Walk up Elsie's Peak, Fish Hoek
80. Snorkelling off Sunnycove, Fish Hoek
81. Shopping at Cavendish Square, Claremont
82.  Coffee and fresh baked cake at the Easy Dig Cafe
83.  Touch the cheetahs at Spier Wine Estate

84.  World of Birds, Hout Bay
85.  Visit the Reptile park at Kommetjie
86. Sea Kayak from Simon’s Town to Boulders Beach
87.  Indoor Karting at Kenilworth race track
88.  Walk up to Just Nuisance grave in Simon’s Town
89.  Take a helicopter flip around the Peninsula
90. Shopping at Greenmarket Square
91. Great White Shark safari from Simon’s Town Harbour
92. Maynardville / Spier / Oude Libertas open-air concerts at night
93. 6 course lunch at Boschendal, Franschoek
94.  Walk to the waterfall at Silvermine
95. Sundowners on Cape Town’s Lions Head
96. Take a walk up Long Street and eat at Long Street Café
97.  Visit the Bo Kaap Museum
98.  Rondevlei Nature Reserve for bird-watching
99. A Site-seeing Carriage tour through the streets of Cape Town

100. Breakfast at Cape Town International Airport while watching the planes land and take off

101. Buy a bunch of flowers from the Adderley Street Flower Sellers
102.  Pick Roses at Chart Farm in Wynberg
103.  Dragon Boat Racing
104.  Visit Nobel Square and learn more about South Africa's 4 Nobel Laureates
105.  A Cruise around Cape Town's historic harbour
106. Swim at Long Street Baths

107.  Go climbing at City Rock.
108.  Visit the Cape Town Holocaust Centre
109.  Climb to the top of Lion's Head 

110.  Go shopping at Green Point Flea Market
111. Visit the Association for Visual Arts (AVA)
112.  Eat at the Brass Bell while watching the waves crash on the windows.

Source: New Release

113.  Art Jamming
114.  Take a walk up Government Avenue
115.  Attend a parliamentary session (from January to June)
116.  Action Paintball
117.  Visit the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville
118.  Shop and tea at the Cape Quarter

119. Giovanni's Deliworld in Green Point

120.  Irma Stern Museum
121.  LaserQuest
122. Join a drumming session at The Drum Café at the Pumphouse
123. Klein River Cheese Farm
124. Night tour of the Cape Town Astronomical Observatory
125.  Visit the Cape Medical Museum
126.  Go and visit Misty Cliffs Beach.

127  Watch Penguins and Sea Birds being fed and cared for at SANCOB
128. Mostert's Mill in Rosebank
129.  Go to a market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock

130.  Visit some of the best food markets in Cape Town - The Stellenbosch Slow Food Market, and Tokai’s Porter Estate
131. Victorian village of Matjiesfontein
132.  South African Jewish Museum
133.  A visit to the Company Gardens
134.  St George's Cathedral
135.  Bugz Family Play Park
136.  Greenpoint Stadium
137.  Intaka Island

138.  City Hall
139.  Koopman's De-Wet House
140.  Rhodes Cottage Museum
141. Groote Schuur Estate
142. Rococoa - done
143. Church Square and the Slave Lodge
144. Eagle Encounters
145. Drakenstein Lion Park

146. Whale Museum in Hermanus

147. Toy and Miniature Museum

148.  Nature Discovery Tours on a quad bike in Grabouw

149. Feed the squirrels in Government Avenue
150. Deer Park Café
151. Stellenbosch Botanical Garden
152. Franschhoek Motor Museum
153 Wijnland Auto Museum
154. spend a day at Scarborough beach
155. Putt-Putt at Muizenberg
156. Muizenberg water-slide
157. Strawberry picking
158. play park at Stodels
160 Build a bear

I have already started on my list and once I have been there, you will find a link to the article about our experience there as a family- in the meantime it's just the best links we could find for each one.  Finding things to do with children is always a challenge because not everything or everywhere is child friendly, but I know my kids are going to love this list.  I have my task cut out considering this is about half a year's worth of excursions and that's if I go to places in Cape Town every day!  If you think I have left something off, feel free to let me know but having spent hours researching online for activities to do with kids, this is the list I have so far.

I think another challenge is doing as much as you can with a limited budget and thank goodness there are lots of things on the list which you can do for free, (though I suppose it never is quite free, as you still have to pay to get there- but as free as it can get).  I am looking forward to a season of exploration and adventure - and having the privilege of travelling around my own city like a tourist.