9 Best Sights in Adelaide, South Australia

These magnificent formal gardens include an international rose garden, giant water lilies, an avenue of Moreton Bay fig trees, acres of green lawns, and duck ponds. The Bicentennial Conservatory—the largest single-span glass house in the southern hemisphere—provides an environment for lowland rain-forest species such as the cassowary palm and torch ginger. The Santos Museum of Economic Botany contains fascinating exhibits on the commercial use of some species, and on-site Restaurant Botanic utilizes many plants grown on-site in exquisite degustations. In summer the Moonlight Cinema series (www.moonlight.com.au) screens new, classic, and cult films in Botanic Park, adjacent the garden at sunset; if you forget a picnic blanket you can hire one as well as buy drinks and snacks. Tickets sell fast, so plan ahead. Check the website for workshops, events, and concerts in the park.

Located just 11 km (7 miles) from the Adelaide city center, palindromic Glenelg is a busy seaside suburb known for its sandy beach, historic jetty, serene marinas, bustling shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, and The Beachouse entertainment complex. Trams lead the way to the beach, carrying passengers from the city along Jetty Road while pedestrians weave in and out of the various retail outlets that line the strip. A day trip to Glenelg is a must, but the easygoing beach vibe encourages everyone from backpackers to more discerning travelers to make it their Adelaide base. The beach is large and sandy with a very gentle slope, and the waters are calm. Expect to see large crowds on hotter days and, depending on the season, seaweed can be a problem. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Australia's second-oldest zoo still retains much of its original architecture. Enter through the 1883 cast-iron gates to see such animals as the giant pandas, Sumatran tigers, Australian rain-forest birds, and chimpanzees housed in modern, natural settings. The zoo is world renowned for its captive breeding and release programs, and rare species including the red panda and South Australia's own yellow-footed rock wallaby are among its successes. In 2008, the Australian government and Adelaide Zoo signed a cooperative agreement to help secure the long-term survival of the giant panda, and in 2009 Wang Wang and Fu Ni arrived on loan from China to become the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere, and the first to live permanently in Australia. Special VIP panda tours are also available, as are Keeper For A Day tours that let you go behind the scenes and interact with a range of animals. Ask at the ticket office about feeding times, and consult the website for opening times for specific areas of the zoo.

Many famous Australian painters, including Charles Conder, Margaret Preston, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Russell Drysdale, and Sidney Nolan, are represented in here. Extensive Renaissance and British artworks are on display, and the atrium houses Aboriginal pieces. There is usually a visiting exhibition, too. A café and bookshop are also on-site.

Between 1855 and 1897 this sprawling colonial structure was the home of Sir Henry Ayers, South Australia's premier and the man for whom Uluru was originally named Ayers Rock. Most rooms—including the unusual Summer Sitting Room, in the cool of the basement—have been restored with period furnishings and the state's best examples of 19th-century costumes and lifestyle. Entrance is free on weekends and volunteers lead guided tours when they're available.

The beach in this quiet coastal suburb offers white sand, gently lapping waves, summer entertainment, and a square known for popular dining spots. You'll find families spread out along the sand, and there's plenty of space on the wide lawns to enjoy a picnic or fish-and-chips. The jetty is perfect for walking or fishing—drop a line in the water and try your luck. During summer, Henley Beach Square comes alive with live music and festivals while eateries along Henley Beach Road bring the world to your plate—Asian, African, Mediterranean, and Indian mix with local cuisine and incredible gelato. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; sunrise; sunset; walking; windsurfing.

Steam-train buffs will love this collection of locomotives and rolling stock in the former Port Adelaide railway yard. The largest of its kind in Australia, the collection includes enormous "mountain"-class engines and the "Tea and Sugar" train, once the lifeline for camps scattered across the deserts of South and Western Australia. For an additional cost take a ride on the historic Semaphore to Fort Glanville Tourist Railway; it runs every Sunday and public holiday from October to end of April and more frequently during school holidays. There are covered outdoor eating areas with tables and chairs at the museum, where visitors may bring their own food and drink.

Inside a restored stone warehouse, this museum in Port Adelaide, a 20-minute drive from central Adelaide, brings maritime history vividly to life with ships' figureheads, shipwreck relics, and intricate scale models including a ketch you can walk through. In the basement you can see a bunk bed aboard an 1840s immigrant ship and hear passengers telling of life and death on their journeys to South Australia. In addition to the warehouse displays, the museum includes a lighthouse (worth climbing the 75 steps up to see the view), and tours of the historic quarantine are sometimes available (if that's not too real). The surrounding suburb of Port Adelaide has plenty of antiques shops to visit, and nearby Semaphore has a street lined with cafés leading to a lovely beach.

This museum's Aboriginal Cultures Gallery houses the largest collection of Indigenous Australian cultural material in the world. Old black-and-white films show traditional dancing, and touch screens convey desert life. Also in the museum are an exhibit commemorating renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, after whom Australia's main Antarctic research station is named; an Opal-Fossils Gallery housing the world's most expensive opals and the fantastic opalized partial skeleton of a 19-foot-long plesiosaur; and a biodiversity gallery. There's also a café overlooking a grassy lawn. If you are traveling during local school holidays, there are fantastic interactive craft and education activities for children for a small fee.