A Great South African Holiday Destination for Families
Port Elizabeth is a great Family Holiday Destination!
Port Elizabeth is an excellent destination for families looking for a seaside holiday with activities to keep restless little ones entertained. PE’s beaches are fantastic, and swimming is safe in most areas, but there are plenty of other forms of entertainment and activties for families with young children within the Port Elizabeth city limits…
Great Beaches for Kids
If long happy days on golden beaches appeal, and you have kids, King’s Beach in central Port Elizabeth is a safe swimming beach and well manned with life-guards, and also has one of the best indoor water park resorts right behind the beach as a bonus! Splash Waterworld features a number of water rides for children of all ages. A number of other beaches feature an irresistible combination of rock pools and high sand dunes, and activities such as snorkeling, dune boarding, surfing and body-boarding are popular.
One of PE’s most famous attractions was the ‘Dolphinarium’ Bay World, which also featured a small Aquarium, Snake Park, Natural and Cultural Museum (with a Dinosaur Display) and Souvenir Shop. There are no longer dolphins there, but the other sections are still open and you can still see African Penguins and Seals, with talks on the marine animals and conservation conducted daily.
Outdoor Attractions for the Family
You can take a drive through the small but wildlife rich Kragga Kamma Game Park within the suburban environs of PE, and see a great variety of wildlife from cheetahs to rhinos. The park has good roads and you are invited to drive through in your own car, but 2 hr safaris in an open vehicle are conducted daily, and children are welcome! There are vast herds of antelope, giraffe and zebra, and the kids won’t be disappointed.
There are quite a few small animal parks and touch farms in Port Elizabeth where children can interact directly with animals, and one of the best of these is the Holmleigh Farm where children are invited to hold bunnies & guinea pigs. There are many other animals on the farm, including ostriches & a variety of birds, so it’s a great day out for the whole family, with close-up viewing and experiences guaranteed. There are also horse rides & tractor rides on offer, as well as a charming little restaurant area under the trees, where you can safely watch your little ones whilst they play on the jungle gyms, swings, and there’s even a boat & bus to play in!
The funfair at the Boardwalk Casino & Entertainment World offers a great day out for the whole family, complete with a games arcade, video arcade and online games supported by winningball.co.uk and fun park, as well as a movie theatre & putt putt course – promising lots of laughter, sweets, candy-floss, magic and excitement. The complex also boasts a variety of restaurants, snack bars & shops, as well as a world class casino.
Plenty of things you can do with Children in PE
Port Elizabeth is a small city, but it’s a city nonetheless, and there are more things to do with children of all ages than can be mentioned here, and many shopping centres and restaurants have facilities to keep children entertained. If you are visiting from Europe, it is worth mentioning that we don’t have the kitted out parks you might be used to, nor regular theatre productions aimed at children, but who needs them when you can play with lions or do a township tour to experience African culture…or build sandcastles on pristine beaches!
There are many activities suitable for the whole family such as boat trips, horse-riding, movies, an observatory and paintball to name a few. See Family Activities in our Events & Entertainment Section to find out what’s on offer in PE during your visit. For older children and adults, PE offers many watersports opportunities and lessons, as well as other outdoors sports, activities and adventures.