April is a great time of year to be in Cape Town. The weather is mild, the end-of-year crowds have gone, and the combination of Easter and school holidays mean there’s lots of time to spend time with the family. Here are a few suggestions if you’re looking to keep yourself and your children entertained over the next month.
1. Take a (discounted) ride on the Flying Dutchman Funicular at Cape Point
From now until the end of May, all Wild Card and My Green Card holders can ride the funicular to the old lighthouse and back, for R30, which represents a R22 discount. Head over the Easter Weekend, and you might be lucky to get a free Easter egg from the Cape Point staff.
2. Visit the characters roaming at the Table Mountain Cableway
There will two characters roaming the Top Station between 10h00 and 12h00 each day of the school holidays who will provide a variety of entertainment, including magic shows, face painting, balloon sculpting and puppet shows. Don’t worry if the weather’s not perfect – if the Cableway is closed, you’ll still find the characters at the Lower Station.
3. Hunt for Easter eggs on Table Mountain
There will be an Easter egg hunt at the Top Station on Table Mountain on Sunday 20 April, from 10h00 to 13h00. Clues will be provided at four different points where children will get to interact with the Easter Fairy, Easter Bunny helpers and the Mad Hatter. A bit of magic will get the Easter Fairy to reveal her clue, while a spot of tea with the Mad Hatter will encourage him to tell the young ones where the Easter Bunny is hiding with a chest full of chocolate eggs. If the Cableway is closed due to the weather, the hunt will be moved to Monday 21 April.
4. Treat the family to a Groot Constantia meal
Simon’s and Jonkershuis restaurants at Groot Constantia offer amazing menus in sublime settings, and kids are always welcome at both. The green lawns adjacent to Jonkershuis are a firm favourite among energetic children, while the tranquil outside tables allow the older members of the family to watch them quietly.
5. Visit the Constantia Food and Wine Festival
The Constantia Food and Wine Festival takes place at Constantia Uitsig from Friday 11 April to Sunday 13 April. It’s a great day out for the whole family, and Groot Constantia will once again be represented amongst the other top estates from the region.
6. Explore South Africa’s political history
The school holidays are an ideal time to journey back into South Africa’s political past, and there are few places more significant in this regard than Robben Island. Weather permitting the ferries will be operating throughout the holiday and Easter period, and it offers a superb hands-on way to educate both young and old members of the family.
7. Enjoy a family picnic at Kirstenbosch
There are few better places in the Cape to sit back and picnic with the whole family than Kirstenbosch Gardens. The vast sprawling lawns offer plenty of room for large blankets and lavish feasts. Children can also run free while you watchthem, and a walk along the various pathways crossing Kirstenbosch is a great way to build up an appetite, or work off the meal.
8. Race the Lindt gold bunny at the V&A Waterfront
From Thursday 17 to Monday 21 April, children can participate in the free Lindt Gold Bunny Magical Race. The event takes place in the Centre Court at the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, between 11h00 and 14h30, and then again from 15h00 to 18h00. The race offers plush bunny rides for up to 20 kids at a time, and anyone between the ages of three and nine are welcome to participate. Kids will also receive treats from Lindt and have the chance to pose with the Lindt bunny for a photograph which they can take home.
