Small but mighty. I love a good natural history museum that isn't all screens. The SA Museum is a…read morewonderland of exhibits - geology, history, biology etc. So much taxidermy (love it!)! An absolutely amazing room of Pacific Island and Indigenous art/artifacts! Minerals! And - it's free! We spent a few hours here and it was well worth our time.

This is an excellent spot to take your kids for enjoyment, particularly during school holidays. Our…read morefavorite activity is the scavenger hunt, where children can check off items from a list as they find them, one at a time. I personally love the collection of crystals and rocks, along with the large metallic meteorite at the entrance. My kids are interested in the room filled with bugs and bees. There's also a T-Rex skull nearby. There is no admission fee, but be ready to pay for parking and take a short walk to get there. It's truly worth it. Overall, I rate it five stars.

I only vaguely remember when this place was operation because I was only a kid, or rather a…read moreteenager, when this gaol was closed and turned into a museum. Actually, it's pretty cool, and not too pricey to go for a wander through as well. There is lots of information regarding the various walls, as well as grafitti that has been left over (if that happens to be prisoner grafitti). The thing I found most interesting, even though it was mentioned nowhere, is how the gaol was built as a panoptacon, that is with the guards in a central watchhouse where they can pretty much see all over the prison. It's quite interesting, especially seeing how gaols like this actually operated.

The Adelaide Gaol is a very eerie place, but don't worry it's pretty interesting! While I was…read morelooking into all the cells I got this feeling that I was being watched... but I didn't worry about it! You could go in the small library they had. You could go in the solitary confinement cells. Around the place was these plaques and you could read the stories of what happened. Wondering through the courtyards was cool and peeping through the cell bars was also cool. It's a massive place with a lot to offer. There's even ghost tours! Overall I would solidly recommend anyone to go there!

I was recently drawn to the Migration Museum just in time to attend the 25th Birthday celebrations…read more The Museum is FULL of information about Australia's history, from a purely Indigenous Australia right through to many cultures that make up Australia in the present day. One of the themes that reflected strongly was the sense of identity. What do Australian's associate with being Australian and how do we see ourselves in the bigger picture of Australia? I found the information within the Museum to be very respectful of the Indigenous Australian culture. The Museum sees many school groups through its doors which is fantastic. There are many interactive displays and is a great place to take children to learn about some of the wonderful cultures that now make up Australian society. This is a must see for anyone in Adelaide, whether they are permanent residents of not. Happy learning!

This museum is a must. It is a great look at migration into South Australia, and Australia as a…read morewhole, and it is very educational. There are three areas in this museum, well four if you include settlement square. When you come into the grounds of this museum, you are greeted by Settlement Square, this square is full of bricks with peoples names on them and where they emigrated from. They have been put their either by families who emigrated, or want a way to remember their families who emigrated. A few years ago, my Dad arranged to have a brick put into Settlement Square for his parents, and the family who emigrated from Sheffield. The interior of the museum is split into three areas, one of which pretty much stays the same all the time, it talks about Australia's migration history, from the first fleet through to our current (in my opinion, APPALLING) treatment of refugees. The other two areas of the museum are an ever changing array of exhibitions. This means that I quite often have a reason to visit the museum. On the weekend I went there with my Dad :) to visit the brick for his parents, but while we were there we had a look through the museum. The current exhibition in the front room was about the explorers, and therefore not really to my interest, so we decided to take a walk through the rest of the museum, which has not really changed that much. My Dad was on his mobility scooter, and at the end of the main exhibition there is a large step down into the courtyard, so we had to go back through the exhibition in order to get out. On the way back, we ran into a woman and her daughter who were in the area that talks about the White Australia Policy. This sparked up a conversation :) We got talking about all sorts of things. This is one of the reasons I love this museum, it is thought and conversation provoking. This museum is only the cost of a gold coin, and for that it is well worth the visit! If you are looking for something to do for an afternoon - I would suggest the Migration Museum :)

The Samstag is considered to be one of, if not the leading University Galleries in the country…read morebecause of the excellent facility and the amazing work it manages to find and exhibit. Through the year there are a range of exciting exhibitions that challenge just about all the notions of art you can imagine. This is the very purpose of contemporary work as well as pushing the boundaries of fine art and arts practise. The drive behind the gallery is so forceful it tends to gain a greater reputation each year and it is always worth visiting to see what extraordinary events are taking place. In recent times the works exhibited have included photographs by Bill Henson, and artist and photographer who has created a whole new controversy with his photographs of children, begging the question where is the line between pornography and art drawn in today's world? Giant chess boards with fantasy chess pieces feature in the photographs I've taken to go with my review, and other amazing work I've seen in the gallery has included incredible new Chinese art that looks like a giant has dropped her knickers and is shamelessly walking the streets somewhere bare arsed for all to see; so there is a healthy sense of humour in the work that has been brought in here. Adelaide is remarkably lucky to have such a dynamic space dedicated to contemporary art in exhibit.

A friend of mine is an art and graphic design student. He studies at Uni SA and has had to visit…read morethis place a few times. I was wandering aimlessly around the city, a meanderthal, when I ran into him on his way there. I've never quite gotten the hang of visual art appreciation. I know the concept of learning how appreciate art is a silly one, but to me (and to the postmodernist, I guess), there's no different of worth between a Monet and a city-street cartoonist. My friend too me around the rooms and levels and told me what he thought about the visual art present. It really helped me to enjoy and admire everything. I particularly like this one dark room displaying what appeared to be a still image, but what revealed itself to be a film if you watched it for a long enough duration. It depicted deserted city streets, which my friend and I ended up identifying as Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Now I return to the Samstag every few months to see what's new. It's a great place. Hell, if you want a place to take a date, take him/her here. It'll make you look cultured and sophisticated.

If you enjoy the way buildings look and you like to see blueprints, if you are fascinated with the…read moreephemera surrounding the interior design world or the area of architecture; maybe you want to do some research into who lived in what building in historic Adelaide? Possibly you are interested in engravings, photographs, diaries and notebooks all concerning architecture. If you are that way inclined then call the Collections manager Dr Julie Collins and make a date to visit this most delightful museum. If you have time on your hands and are looking for something to do that is truly fascinating this is a very interesting way to spend some time. I become quite enthralled with the drawings and pictures and I'm not an architect nor have I ever had any ambition to become one, but I do like looking at interesting things. Take yourself for a day out and I suspect you will want to make a return visit just to continue looking at the greater part of the iceberg you will have observed the tip of. It is a free service based in the school of design and architecture as part of the University of South Australia, but it is also a public museum and a total treat for anyone with interests in history, research and obviously buildings; town planning and social development students even set design students will also find this really interesting and if you are one of the rare breed who want to etch, mark metal as an artistic pursuit and print etchings that you can ask people to come up and see... as in "come up and see my etchings..." this is an unmissable cache of treasures you will take great delight in. Costs nothing but the phone call to warn Dr Julie you are on your way; and she will be pleased as a punch drunk bricklayer believe me. Oh and don't worry, Dr Julie will not hang over you as if you shouldn't be there - she loves visitors to her pride and joy. Best collection of materials on architecture you could hope for in the state.

During history month in May, the Lithuanian association had introduced us to it's culture, history,…read morestory of migration and food! This is the first time they have participated for history month and we all appreciated what they have shared with us. We had a lesson in learning the pronounciation of the alphabets, basically very similar to Spanish which derived from Latin. History of the country and finally the independence. We had a good description of their traditional costume and some of us had the opportunity to dress up! We toured the museum and the library and I think it was mentioned that it is the only Lithuanian museum in Australia?! The ex-president gave us a good account how she migrated to Australia and it was great to learn of her migration first hand. Finally we finished with a sumptuous lunch, there were 3 choices, a traditional potato dumping stuffed with veal and there's vegetarian version which had been stuffed with mushroom. The dumplings were well seasoned and make sure you taste before seasoning! The dessert was a cake which is normally served at weddings and it was a spectacular sight towering up, well presented! Finally, the club is licensed and the beer is worth trying.

I didn't really know much about Lithuania until my friend Mike took me to the Lithuanian House for…read morelunch one Sunday. I still don't really know much about Lithuania, but I enjoyed the experience. Ok so, Lithuania is a small country in the north of Europe, near Poland and Russia. It's really, really cold. The Adelaide Lithuanian House is located in Norwood in a dark little building on a residential street. It houses a little eatery, the Lithuanian community group and a Lithuanian Museum. Many of the Lithuanian community in Adelaide came here after World War II, and have stayed here ever since, contributing to the wider South Australian community. It was a summer day, so maybe the weather wasn't best for heavy Lithuanian food, but I enjoyed it anyway. There was three dishes on offer - a big stuffed potato dumpling, a Borscht (beetroot) soup, and a vegetable ham hock soup. The Zeppelini was the star of the show - like a giant gnocchi stuffed with bacon and swimming in a creamy sauce. I can't quite decide if I loved it or hated it - so thick and chewy, and meaty and creamy. Overwhelming. The eating hall is decorated with traditional LIthuanian prints, wood-carvings and wood-grain light-fittings, all very beautiful. I didn't get to have a look at the museum, but I would go back for this if I was in the Norwood area one Sunday, particularly to see the traditional arts and crafts items.

This site out in the residential area of Prospect is where R M Williams first started. I only…read morereally know this because I used to live on the same street. It used to be the original R M Williams factory, but now it houses a small historical museum and a retail outlet. If you're really into the legend of the Australian bushman, you'll probably like this place. It covers the basic history of R M Williams, as well as some Australian 'bush' history. I wouldn't say it is worth the trip out to Prospect unless you live nearby or are really into buying R M Williams stuff. Or maybe if you are interested in fashion and shoe-making. If you *are* really into buying R M Williams stuff, you should definitely come here. They do pretty damn good sales here. My parents have both picked up bargains, and neither of them are big R M Williams wearers. You can get some nice pants or some good quality boots.

Located inside the Glenelg Town Hall in Moseley Square is the Bay Discovery Centre. If you're a…read morehistory buff and you like to see what life was like in the early days of settlement in the colony - especially at Glenelg - then go and take a look inside the centre. It's a well set out place filled with interesting bits and pieces about our history. Most of the displays are interactive meaning a good time for the kids - both big and little - as they get the opportunity to have some hands on fun and learning at the same time. The building housing the Bay Discovery Centre is the Glenelg Town Hall which was designed by Edmund Wright and built back in 1875. The building was initially built minus both the clock and the clock tower with both added several years later. A little over a decade after construction, the building was purchased by the local council and it became the Town Hall. In 1977 when the Brighton and Holdfast Bay councils merged to form the Holdfast Bay Council the Town Hall was left empty and that's when they came up with the idea of the Bay Discovery Centre. 'The Bay' is of course a reference to Holdfast Bay which was the original name for Glenelg. If you're wondering where that name came from, apparently the arrival of the Buffalo was closely followed by the arrival of three other ships, The Cygnet, The Rapid and The Africaine. They say The Rapid got stuck or held fast on arrival and thus evolved the name of Holdfast Bay. Cool story. On the mezzanine floor of the Discovery Centre is an art gallery with an ever changing display of the works of local artists. Admission to both the gallery and the Discovery Centre is free and its open from 10am to 5pm daily.

I had a bit of time to kill, so I ended up wandering around here one afternoon not that many weeks…read moreago now. I must say, I am impressed with many of the exhibitions I saw. The one that sticks in my mind the most was about Sir Douglas Mawson's expedition. There's also plenty of history about the local area. Like everyone else said, it's a gold coin donation. I ended up throwing in a few extra bucks, as I was really impressed with the work that the volunteers do, and I know how hard it is to keep places like this not only open, but also interesting.