Take the Family to Marvelous Melbourne

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Your family is going to love Melbourne with its sandy beaches, fabulous shopping and dining, and great attractions. If you have young kids, there are a plethora of activities from Legoland to the zoo to enjoy. There are water parks with huge slides, theme parks with exciting rides, and adventure parks for thrill-seekers.

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Melbourne also has a variety of fun museums that are great for kids of all ages and parks with unbelievable playgrounds, water activities, and sports. You can find something for everyone in this capital city. But make sure you drop off your backpacks and bags at a Melbourne suitcase storage facility first, to see all the sights hands-free.

Beaches

• St. Kilda Beach Melbourne’s most popular beach, St. Kilda, is over 2,300 feet long with golden sand and clear turquoise water. Protected from the ocean swell, this is one of the best beaches for kids. Besides swimming, you and the kids can enjoy snorkelling, surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, or just build a sandcastle. 

            

• Phillip Island Adventures

Phillip Island is full of fun with penguins, koalas, and seals as well as a fantastic beachfront. Visit the Penguin Parade or the Koala Conservation Center to see some of the island’s wildlife or take a cruise out to Seal Island. Ride the go-karts, visit the chocolate factory, or see a world of illusions at A Maze N Things.

• Williamstown Beach

This beach has an amazing view across Port Phillip Bay and a wide sandy beach to enjoy on a warm summer day. Even if it’s too cold to swim, you can stroll along the beach and look for shells, fish off the pier, or grab a bite to eat at one of the cafés nearby. The park there also has several great playgrounds. 

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Theme Parks 

• Legoland Discovery Centre 
  Going on a quest to save the kingdom, spending the day as Merlin’s apprentice, or watching a movie in the 4D cinema are just a few of the fun things you and the kids can enjoy at Legoland. Be sure to get the factory tour where you can all make your own mini-figure and build your own Lego cars to race each other. 

• Luna Park
  Opened in 1912, Luna Park has been entertaining kids for over a century with 20 rides, including two roller coasters. Take a ride on the second oldest roller coaster in the world, the Great Scenic Railway, or take a spin on the Supernova. The Ghost Train is fun too. Don’t forget to grab some souvenirs from the gift shops.

• Funfields Theme Park 
  Whether you come for the waterslides or the fun carnival rides, Funfields has something for everyone. Race each other on the go-karts, get a thrill from the Voodoo 360, or challenge each other at mini golf. The alpine toboggan slide is also fun. They even have three World Record ProSlide Water Slides. 

Animal Adventures

• Melbourne Zoo
  Found in Royal Park, the Melbourne Zoo has over 5,100 animals in 320 species. Visit the meerkats in the wild, say hi to the gorillas in the rainforest, watch the elephants, and then stop at the carousel park for the playground. Then visit the seals at the wild sea exhibit before trekking through the Australian bush.
• Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium Start out on the ground floor to see the penguin playground, bay of rays, seahorse pier, and conservation cove. Upstairs, you can see the crocs and rainforest or eat at the Upper Deck Café. Downstairs you will find the coral caves, mermaid garden, shipwreck explorer, and ocean discovery fun.  
  
  
• Werribee Open Range Zoo
  Get up close and personal with wildlife at Werribee Open Range Zoo where you can take an off-road safari or personal safari to see servals, zebras, giraffes, and rhinos. Or you can get a closeup with the koalas, feed the giraffes, or make friends with a number of wild animals like cheetahs, gorillas, and meerkats.

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Museum Hopping

• ScienceWorks
  This cool museum is full of fun with hundreds of interactive exhibits. From the lightning room where you can see how to make a lightning bolt to the outdoor labyrinth, you will all enjoy ScienceWorks. The planetarium is amazing with a full-dome projection system that runs shows all day long. 
• Melbourne Museum Located in the Carlton Gardens, Melbourne Museum has won Best Tourist Attraction for its 17 million items from Indigenous Australians to the Pacific Islanders. Zoology, technology, society, paleontology, geology, and even a 3-D IMAX theatre, it’s all covered in this museum. And they have some awesome food too!
• Interaxcity Museum Interaxcity is a unique way for kids to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Your kids can choose whatever they want to do from actor to zookeeper. They can be a pilot, doctor, mechanic, or even a scientist. Or maybe they would like to be a chef, deliver the mail, or work at the grocers. 

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Take a Foodie Tour

• Sugar Buns
  Sugar Buns has a huge variety of shakes from bubblegum to caramel crunch and they all come with candy, cookies, and other delights on top. Get a salty caramel with a slice of caramel, cocoa puffs, and other candy toppings. And the Unicorn shake has so many colors and candy you won’t believe it. 
• Three One 2 One This unique café is fun for the kids and has delicious food as well. The burgers are outstanding and the tiger prawn skewer with garlic sauce is superb. For dessert, they also have crazy shakes including the Neverland with cookies n cream ice cream and topped with Tim Tam, lollipops, gummies, and fairy floss.
• Ten One Ate Another great eatery with a fun name, Ten One Ate has a variety of foods from burgers to fish n chips and the kids’ menu has eggs, cheese toasties, burgers, or fish n chips. But yes, they also have the crazy shakes (they are all over Australia), including the Unicorn with rainbow ice cream, sour candy, and lollipops. 

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Melbourne is a fun place to visit whether you are in for a weekend or a week. There is so much to do and see for everyone, you will need all the time you have to spare and then some. In fact, you will have to keep going back year after year. Now all you need to worry about is what to pack in your bags (and don't forget to check out luggage storage in Melbourne for any storage needs you might have whilst traveling too).

Have you ever been to Melbourne or is it on your bucket list of places to visit? Let me know in the comments below.

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