Weekend Activities for Kids in Hyderabad: A Parent's Guide

Hyderabad has enough for children to fill every weekend of the school year without repeating an outing. The shortlist: the zoo, the Birla Science Centre, Shilparamam, a boat on Hussain Sagar and Rashtrapati Nilayam for half days, and Ramoji Film City or Wonderla when you have a full one. This guide sorts the options by type, flags closed days and the best age for each, and ends with the seasonal events worth planning around. For dated workshops and shows, see our kids’ listings, updated daily.

Quick planner

Outing	Best for ages	Time needed	Closed on	Area
Nehru Zoological Park	3 and up	Half to full day	Monday	Bahadurpura
Birla Science Centre and planetarium	6 and up	3 hours	Check at the counter	Lakdikapul
Salar Jung Museum	8 and up	2–3 hours	Friday	Old City
Shilparamam	All ages	2–3 hours	Open daily	Madhapur
Boat to the Buddha statue	All ages	1 hour	Weather dependent	Hussain Sagar
Rashtrapati Nilayam	6 and up	2 hours	Monday	Bolarum
Golconda Fort	8 and up	2–3 hours	Open daily	Golconda
Ramoji Film City	5 and up	Full day	Open daily	Abdullapurmet
Wonderla	Height limits by ride	Full day	Check the calendar	Raviryal

Animals and the outdoors

Nehru Zoological Park

The zoo beside Mir Alam Tank is one of the largest in India, at about 380 acres, and has been open since 1963. Animals live in open, moated enclosures. Safari vehicles drive through fenced areas with lions, tigers and bears, and the nocturnal house reverses day and night so that its animals are awake when you visit. There is also an aquarium, a butterfly park, a dinosaur park and a toy train. Go when the gates open, do the safari first and use the battery vehicles if small legs tire. It is closed on Mondays.

Lakes and gardens

Boats leave Lumbini Park for the Buddha statue in the middle of Hussain Sagar, a short ride that most children love. NTR Gardens next door has rides and lawns, and Sanjeevaiah Park on the northern shore has space to run. On the IT-corridor side, the Durgam Cheruvu lakefront has a park under the cable bridge, and the Botanical Garden at Kondapur is a shaded morning walk. Our Hussain Sagar page lists events by the lake.

Rashtrapati Nilayam

The President’s retreat in Bolarum opened to the public in March 2023. Children can walk through a maze garden and a rock garden, look down into restored stepwells and see a tunnel painted with Cheriyal folk art. Slots run from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and are booked on the Rashtrapati Bhavan visitor website. On Saturdays and Sundays a cultural evening runs from 5 to 7 pm.

Science and museums

B.M. Birla Science Centre

On the hill beside Birla Mandir, the Birla Science Centre puts a planetarium, a science museum with hands-on exhibits, a dinosaur gallery and a space museum on one campus. The planetarium dates from 1985 and the space museum from 2019. Check the sky-show schedule and language at the counter first and build the rest of the visit around it. Weekday mornings are busy with school groups, so weekend afternoons can be calmer than you would expect.

Salar Jung Museum

Older children enjoy the Salar Jung Museum for a few specific things: the musical clock, where a small figure comes out to strike the hour, the marble Veiled Rebecca, and the galleries of arms, toys and clocks. Be at the clock ten minutes before the hour. The museum is open from 10 am to 6 pm, is closed on Fridays and charges ₹20 for children and ₹50 for adults.

Forts and palaces

Golconda Fort is a good climb for children of eight and above, with the clapping echo at the entrance to start them off and a sound and light show after dark. Chowmahalla Palace, near Charminar, has the Nizams’ vintage cars and is laid out around level courtyards. It is closed on Fridays.

Crafts and culture

Shilparamam

At the 65-acre crafts village in Madhapur, children can watch potters, weavers and toy-makers at work, walk through a rural museum of life-sized village huts and see folk performances in the evening. Festival weekends around Sankranti, Bathukamma and Dasara have the fullest programme. Guides list hours of 10:30 am to 8 pm, so late afternoon into evening works well.

Children’s theatre and workshops

Rangbhoomi Spaces in Gachibowli stages children’s plays and runs theatre workshops, Lamakaan in Banjara Hills hosts storytelling and craft sessions, and studios across Jubilee Hills, Madhapur and Kondapur run weekend pottery and art classes with children’s batches. Check the age band on each listing in our workshops section.

Theme parks and full days out

Ramoji Film City

Ramoji Film City at Abdullapurmet covers about 2,000 acres and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest film studio complex. Hop-on buses take visitors through permanent sets, gardens and the Baahubali sets, with live shows, a bird park and rides for younger children. It is a long day, with the drive on top, so leave by 8:30 am. Ticket packages and festive events are listed on the official booking site.

Wonderla

Wonderla at Raviryal, beside Exit 13 of the Outer Ring Road, combines land rides with a water park, and one ticket covers both. Rides have height limits, so check them before promising a particular coaster. Carry swimwear in nylon or a similar synthetic, as the park requires it for the water zone.

Malls and indoor play

When it is too hot or too wet for anything else, the big malls do the job. Sarath City Capital Mall in Kondapur has an indoor amusement zone and the AMB Cinemas multiplex. Inorbit Mall in Madhapur and Lulu Mall in Kukatpally run free craft sessions, character meet-and-greets and festive carnivals at weekends and in school holidays. More rainy-day ideas are on our indoor things to do page.

Seasonal events worth planning around

When	Event	Why children like it
Until 18 October 2026	Bathukamma	Flower stacks, singing and the lakeside immersion
8 November 2026	Diwali	Diya-painting workshops and mall carnivals in the weeks before
11–13 December 2026	Hyderabad Comic Con	Cosplay, comics, gaming
Late December	Christmas	Mall markets, carols, Santa visits
1 January – 15 February 2027	Numaish	Rides, the toy train, food courts
Mid-January 2027	Kite festival	Giant kites and sweets at Parade Grounds
22–24 January 2027	Hyderabad Literary Festival	Storytelling and sessions for young readers

Numaish deserves a note. The exhibition at Nampally is a rite of passage for Hyderabad children, and a weekday evening visit soon after the gates open is far easier than a weekend. Our Numaish guide has the details. The kite festival’s 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing; in 2026 it ran from 13 to 15 January.

Three sample days

Under six. Do the zoo at opening time, using the toy train and the battery vehicles. Go home for lunch and a nap, then spend an hour at NTR Gardens or on the boat to the Buddha statue before sunset.

Six to ten. Start with a sky show and the dinosaur gallery at the Birla Science Centre. After lunch, head to Shilparamam to watch the potters, and stay for the evening performance.

Eleven and up. Climb Golconda Fort in the morning, see the vintage cars at Chowmahalla Palace after lunch, and end at the Salar Jung Museum in time for the musical clock. Pick a day other than Friday, when both the palace and the museum are closed.

Tips by season

• October to February: the best months for the zoo, Golconda, Shilparamam and the lakes. Mornings can be cool in December and January.
• March to May: keep outdoor outings before 10 am. Use the planetarium, museums and malls in the afternoon.
• June to September: rain arrives in the evenings. Plan indoor backups and leave extra travel time.
• Always: carry water, caps and a change of clothes, and fix a meeting point at large venues.

For this weekend’s dated events, see kids’ events this weekend and the kids and family hub.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I take my kids in Hyderabad this weekend?

Nehru Zoological Park, the Birla Science Centre and planetarium, Shilparamam, the boat to the Buddha statue from Lumbini Park and Rashtrapati Nilayam are dependable half-day outings. Ramoji Film City and Wonderla need a full day.

Which day is the Hyderabad zoo closed?

Nehru Zoological Park is closed on Mondays. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays.

What are good indoor places for kids in Hyderabad?

The Birla Science Centre, the Salar Jung Museum, mall play zones and the indoor amusement area at Sarath City Capital Mall are the main ones, and studios run weekend art and pottery workshops for children.

Which kids' places in Hyderabad are closed on Fridays?

The Salar Jung Museum and Chowmahalla Palace are closed on Fridays.

What are the big family events in Hyderabad this season?

Bathukamma until 18 October 2026, Diwali on 8 November, Hyderabad Comic Con on 11–13 December, Numaish from 1 January to 15 February 2027, the Sankranti kite festival in mid-January and the Hyderabad Literary Festival on 22–24 January 2027.

Sources checked

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehru_Zoological_Park
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birla_Science_Museum
• salarjungmuseum.in/Hours-and-admission.html
• www.chowmahalla.in/visit/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Nilayam
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilparamam
• traveltriangle.com/blog/shilparamam-in-hyderabad/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramoji_Film_City
• www.ramojifilmcity.com/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarath_City_Capital_Mall
• rangbhoomispaces.com/
• digital.lamakaan.com/
• www.hydlitfest.org/faq
• www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/telangana/comic-con-to-debut-at-bharat-futu
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numaish
• www.siasat.com/international-kite-festival-kicks-off-at-hyderabads-parade-

Researched and written by the hyderabad2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.