Finding wine farms that children will enjoy can make a big difference to a day out in the Western Cape. Many estates offer dedicated play areas, open spaces, animals and relaxed picnic settings where families can spend a few hours comfortably.
This guide lists family-friendly wine farms across Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and surrounding areas, with practical details on what children can do at each location.
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Wine Farms in Durbanville |Wine Farms in Stellenbosch |Wine Farms in Franschhoek |Wine Farms in Paarl |Wine Farms in Wellington |Wine Farms in Somerset West |Wine Farms on the Cape Peninsula
Not all wine farms are just for adults.
These Western Cape estates offer space to play, child-friendly activities, animals, and open-air experiences, so families can enjoy a day out together. While adults taste wine, children can explore safely, making it a relaxing outing for everyone.
Wine and wine farming are integral to life in the Western Cape. The region’s rich viticultural heritage dates back to 1652, shortly after Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival, when the first vines were planted. There is a vine in Cape Town that still bears grapes today, believed to have been planted during that early period. This deep-rooted tradition is a source of pride for locals, and visitors can experience the best of it at the region’s many boutique wineries. These offer tastings and the opportunity to purchase wine directly from the source.
South African law permits zero alcohol in a driver’s blood, which has led to the rise of a variety of tour options for wine enthusiasts. From guided wine farm tours to the popular Franschhoek Wine Tram, and even the affordable yellow hop-on-hop-off bus, there are many ways to explore the Cape Winelands safely and enjoyably.
For families, there are babysitting services at many hotels, and trusted childminders can be arranged.
Wine farms offer far more than tastings. Many have expanded into lifestyle destinations, featuring restaurants, accommodation, landscaped gardens, hiking and biking trails, museums, event venues, and children’s play areas. Wine tasting experiences often include carefully curated wine pairings, and some farms have thoughtfully created child-friendly tasting experiences so that younger guests can participate too, offering grape juice pairings with pizza, chocolate, or cookies.
Many wine farms also offer petting zoos, play parks, and engaging children’s activities, making the Cape Winelands a family-friendly destination that welcomes visitors of all ages.
The following wine farms have facilities and/or tasting opportunities for children to enjoy.
Wine Farms in Durbanville
Bloemendal has a huge playground with jungle gyms, slides and treehouses in full view of the restaurant. They also do a juice and pizza pairing for a children’s tasting experience. The experience offers ice cream tasting with Smarties to put on top and a fruit juice. They can even choose a flavour!
At Nitida, Children get to mix their own strawberry milk and taste different juices, which are paired with lots of sweets. Visit Durbanville Hills Wine Estate. There are two pet-friendly restaurants. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are allowed.
Meerendal Wine Estate has a large lawn next to the family-friendly restaurant, bike trails, walking routes, and farm-to-table dining. Visit Durbanville Hills Wine Estate. Well-behaved dogs on leashes allowed
D’Aria Winery has a child-friendly playground, which can be booked as a party venue. CU Kids play park is fully equipped with swings and other apparatus
Find out about more to see and do in Durbanville
Wine Farms in Stellenbosch
Clos Malverne children’s tasting option involves 3 different drinks (creme soda, apple juice and strawberry milk) combined with a macaroni cheese ball, a small chicken burger and a cupcake for dessert
Spier has activities for children while adults enjoy the wine; there is a tasting option of two different grape juices and an educational activity sheet that highlights the role of insects in the vineyards. The estate includes a bird sanctuary with up-close interactions, including touching owls and foxes. There are beautiful, wide open spaces for special experiences like picnics by the lake. The Farm Cafe has a great selection of fresh goods. There are Segway tours and giant boulders to climb. There is a grape juice tasting for children to try
Neethlingshof’s activities for children include Crayons and colouring pages that are delivered while you wait for your tasting. The Adults’ wine tastings include a delicious flash food and wine pairing. The children’s taste pairing here consists of a red and white grape juice as well as a chocolate milkshake, which is paired with a savoury pancake, a slider-style cheese burger and a cupcake for dessert.
Bellevue has a pizza and wine, or a sliders and wine pairing for adults. A marshmallow and milkshake pairing for children, or one with fancy juices and sweet treats. Something sweet, salty and sour.
Warwick Wine Estate has a jungle gym, miniature golf and picnic lawns by a little stream
Middelvlei Children can play in the sandpit, feed the farm animals or just run on the expansive lawns. Middelvlei offers a children’s juice tasting with a snack box.
Children get to race each other on an exhilarating downhill descent down mountain slopes and through the Middelvlei vineyards on non-electric gravity scooters. All tours are led by a qualified guide.
Le Pommier on the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch has children’s tasting pairings: 1) Juice and Pizza Pairing: Three different juices are paired with mini pizzas for the savoury side, and a Flavoured Milk and Sweet Surprise Pairing: Four different types of flavoured milk paired with Kit-kats, marshmallows, Speckled Eggs, and jellybeans
Skilpadvlei has an indoor kids’ playroom with a slide, swing, Lego and much more. A Tasting experience for children includes the option to decorate biscuits with different coloured icing and sweets. Red and white grape juice or a flavoured milk is paired with chocolate, biltong, caramelised popcorn, pink milk and a chocolate.
Koelenhof also has a great outdoor children’s play area with a jungle gym. The tasting experience includes sweet and savoury treats that can be enjoyed by young and old. The sparkling red and white grape juices are paired with delicious sweet and savoury treats such as biltong, chocolate, dipping pretzels, and crisps. A fun activity sheet for children is included
Boschendal has a playground with jungle-gyms, slides and treehouses, Acorn hideouts, slides, walkways, platforms, mushroom pods and pyramids.
Eikendal: Many local children run around and enjoy the play area. There is a great children’s milk & cookie pairing, which involves them decorating their own cookies., There is also a tractor ride
Blaauwklippen Vineyards has a bike park and a play park with jungle gyms. The tasting room offers a wide variety of sweet and savoury pairings for adults, and children can snack on three mini pizzas paired with an Appletiser.
Weltevreden is a popular destination for families. The Carnival playground offers a variety of activities, including trampolines and jungle gyms. There is a build-your-own-pizza station. The estate also has a great restaurant and a wine-tasting room.
Mont Marie. This is especially good for young children (2–8 year olds), with lots of wooden jungle gyms and tables in an enclosed area. The restaurant overlooks the dam and the mountains. This is a great venue for a children’s birthday or a kitchen tea in the Cape Winelands!
Middelvlei has a vast lawn and sandpit. Children can feed animals and roast their own marshmallows. There is also a children’s juice tasting with gummies and activity pages provided. 021 883 2565
At Laborie, Children have ample space to run and play. The estate is spread out with beautiful gardens. The estate offers family-friendly lunch and sunset picnics.
Koelenhof has a variety of activities for all ages. The KOEL-tainer & Play Area is great for children to play, while their parents relax with a glass of wine – 021 865 2020
Hazendal has a lot to keep children entertained with huge lawns and garden areas, and an amazing interactive and immersive edutainment centre.- 021 903 5034
Tokara has a fantastic children’s play area with four sandpits, swings and scooters, treehouses with ladders, a slide, a climbing net and a rubber shock-absorbing floor. There are even roaming peacocks.
Find out about more to see and do in Stellenbosch
Wine Farms in Franschhoek
At Babylonstoren, young children can play in the waterways, feed the animals and explore the garden, while older children can hike, swim, row on the dam, or explore the farm by bicycle. Other activities include collecting eggs, rowing on the dam or harvesting fruit and veg, or trying gelato made from estate produce – 021 863 3852.
Allée Bleue Wine Estate. Children can play on the lawns under the oak trees or on the jungle gym. Enjoy your picnic on the property. We have a special picnic menu for children.
The Spice Route is a scenic attraction with a dedicated playground with swings, sandpit, mini-bike track, and lawn space for running around, large trees and awesome mountain views. There is plenty for children to enjoy. Highlights include the chocolate and ice cream. For adults, there are craft beer, spirits and wine tastings. With many local artisanal shops and restaurants
The Ricketty bridge pairing for children consists of an apple juice, Créme Soda and strawberry-flavoured milk, paired with Smarties, sour worms, and wine gums. 3 different choices of sweets and juices. 021 876 2129
Franschhoek Cellar has an enormous covered play area right alongside their outdoor patio seating. It isis that it’s gated and there are full-time staff supervising the area
Find out more to see and do in Franschhoek
Wine Farms in Paarl
Under Oaks: has stunning views, little tables for children, and a play area, plus delicious wood-fired pizza
Perdeberg has several wine pairings designed for children. There is a pairing that includes three shortbread cookies, with icing prepared in an icing bag so children can decorate the cookies themselves. These are paired with three flavours of milkshake.
Simonsvlei. At Simonsvlei, there are two different grape juice pairings for children. These are the Frozen Delight Pairings with a grape juice, ice cream, and chocolate-dipped cookies. The Sweet & Salty Tasting. includes grape juice, crunchy biscuits and droewors
Rhebokskloof can host children’s parties in the gardens during summer, where there is a great playground with jungle gyms and mini bikes and in winter, there is an indoor venue. For older children, there is quad biking, horse riding, hiking, trail runs or MTB rides on their tracks.
Fairview is a wonderful farm for both parents and children to visit. resident goats, a great restaurant, and beautiful gardens with a children’s cheese tasting experience on offer
Nederberg has an amazing play area with zip lines and swing bridges, as well as lawn Jenga to try. A tasting/pairing experience for children includes a choice of different flavoured milk or different flavoured hot chocolate to mix with your cookies.
Find out about more to see and do in Paarl
Wine Farms in Wellington
Dunstone Country Estate has indoor and outdoor play areas. Indoors, there is a large soft play area, a Lego table, a climbing wall and a mini kitchen. Outside, there are jungle-gyms, trampoline, putt putt, and sand pit, or they can visit the farm animals
Find out about more to see and do in Wellington
Wine Farms in Somerset West
Vergenoegd is famous for its daily runner duck parade, where ducks theatrically waddle across the vineyards. Kids love this spectacle, plus the estate has picnic lawns and a small deli – 021 843 3248
Vergelegen. There are playgrounds for the children and family-friendly restaurants. A Saturday market, or on a Sunday, join MyRun, a 2.5 or 5km run or walk with a pram, dogs on leashes or children on their bikes. Children’s parties can also be arranged. 021 847 2100
Wine Farms on the Cape Peninsula
Buitenverwachting, in the Constantia Valley, is a beautiful terrace next to a huge lawn. Children can play while their parents trawl the wine list. There is a great coffee shop and a restaurant on the grounds. 021 794 5190/1
Steenberg in Tokai is great for children, offering an extensive child-friendly menu and a lovely lawn for children to run about. 021 713 2211
Constantia Uitsig features a bike park for cycling enthusiasts. Families will enjoy the child-friendly amenities like the playgrounds and entertainment for all ages. There are several with multiple restaurants on the estate with pet-friendly areas. Well-behaved dogs on leashes allowed.- 0769870743 (Whatsapp only)
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FAQs about child-friendly wine farms
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Are there wine farms that offer tastings for children?
Yes. Several family-friendly farms offer juice, grape must, or ice cream tastings designed for children. -
What do children taste during these “tastings”?
Depending on the farm, options include fresh grape juice, fruit juice blends, or sweet treats like chocolate or ice cream pairings. -
Do children’s tastings happen at the same time as wine tastings?
Usually yes — children can join their own tasting while adults enjoy the wine version. -
Do you need to book children’s tastings in advance?
Some farms require advance bookings, especially during weekends or holidays. -
Is there an age limit for children’s tastings?
No, but most activities are designed for children aged 4 and older. -
Are the children’s tastings alcoholic?
No. All drinks in children’s tastings are alcohol-free, often made from fresh juice or grape must. -
How much do children’s tastings cost?
Prices vary, but they usually range between R40 and R100 per child. -
Do any wine farms pair the tastings with food?
Yes. Some farms include biscuits, chocolates, or small snacks that match the juice flavours. -
Are the tastings held indoors or outdoors?
It depends on the estate — some have dedicated children’s tasting rooms, while others use shaded outdoor areas. -
Can parents and children do tastings together at the same table?
Most farms allow this, so the whole family can enjoy a shared experience.
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