Kid-Friendly Places in Pietermaritzburg

12 family-friendly venues — parks, play centres, beaches, museums and more

Looking for things to do with kids in Pietermaritzburg? We've gathered 12 venues from across KwaZulu-Natal — from parks, zoo and botanical garden, including KZN National Botanical Garden (PMB) and Mountain View Entertainment Centre. Each one is filtered for genuinely child-appropriate experiences.

Botanical Garden

Hiking

Parks

Acrobranch Pietermaritzburg — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

Acrobranch Pietermaritzburg

Parks

Acrobranch Pietermaritzburg offers a high-flying, tree-top adventure where kids (and even the grown-ups who are brave enough!) can literally swing through the trees.

African Raptor Centre — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

African Raptor Centre

Parks

The African Raptor Centre in Pietermaritzburg offers families a captivating opportunity to connect with South Africa’s magnificent birds of prey.

Bisley Valley Nature Reserve — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

Bisley Valley Nature Reserve

Parks

Bisley Valley Nature Reserve is not your manicured park, but rather a proper slice of untamed bushveld right on Pietermaritzburg’s doorstep, offering families a robust…

Pietermaritzburg Model Engineering Society — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg Model Engineering Society

Parks

The Pietermaritzburg Model Engineering Society provides a focused and engaging experience centered on miniature railways and other scaled engineering creations.

Queen Elizabeth Park — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

Queen Elizabeth Park

Parks

Queen Elizabeth Park in Pietermaritzburg offers families a truly expansive and invigorating escape right within the city.

The Fairytale Express & Fairytale Flippers Swim School — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

The Fairytale Express & Fairytale Flippers Swim School

Parks

The Fairytale Express & Fairytale Flippers Swim School in Pietermaritzburg offers a unique and well-regarded family experience, earning a perfect 5.0 Google rating.

The PlayClub Pietermaritzburg (Previously Know Le Petit Playhouse) — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

The PlayClub Pietermaritzburg (Previously Know Le Petit Playhouse)

Parks

The PlayClub Pietermaritzburg, previously known as Le Petit Playhouse, offers a vibrant, purpose-built environment designed entirely around the joy and development of…

WICKED KARTING (LIBERTY MIDLANDS MALL AND CORNUBIA MALL) — kid-friendly venue in Pietermaritzburg

WICKED KARTING (LIBERTY MIDLANDS MALL AND CORNUBIA MALL)

Parks

Forget about screens and getting stuck in traffic; Wicked Karting, found conveniently inside Liberty Midlands Mall in Pietermaritzburg and also at Cornubia Mall up the…

Zoo

Family Guide to Pietermaritzburg

Planning a family day out in Pietermaritzburg is easier when you know where to start. Our directory currently lists 12 kid-friendly venues across KwaZulu-Natal, weighted toward Parks, Zoo, Botanical Garden and Hiking.

Venues are spread across Pietermaritzburg and other neighbourhoods, so a short drive between two stops usually works without backtracking. If you're new to Pietermaritzburg, the category filter above lets you focus on the type of outing your kids will actually sit still for.

If you only have time for one stop, the parks category is the deepest part of our Pietermaritzburg directory (8 venues). Listings are reviewed by South African parents and updated as readers send corrections.