Whatever your teenager is into, there are so many options for entertaining this demographic. In fact, the hardest thing will be narrowing down your activity list! If anything, if you are in our beautiful city on holidays, it just means that you’ll have to keep coming back for more! Here are some ideas to get your planning underway.

Roll on

Whether their preference is for a skateboard or scooter, rollerblades or roller-skates, there are so many very popular skate parks dotted right across our city for those teens who like to roll. For skaters, heaven on (Gold Coast) Earth will be Pizzey Park Skatepark at Miami. It’s been around for ages and the great thing about that is that maybe you, too, have skated Pizzey in your childhood years? What a walk down memory lane it will be to take your offspring to the park where you landed your first kick flip or successfully dropped into your first big bowl?

Another thing the Gold Coast does well is concrete pathways. So, if a skatepark doesn’t appeal, there are literally kilometres of the smooth grey stuff, parallel to the coastline, to let your teen get the wind in their hair. Hire a bike and you will be able to keep up with them. It’s actually one of the greatest ways to experience the best of the Gold Coast!

Shop your heart out

If your teen likes to spend their spare time in a little more low-key way, hit the GC’s various weekend markets, suburban shopping strips or the shopping Mecca that is Pacific Fair. We really have the full spectrum of shopping experiences here on the coast. For a great outdoor market experience, try The Village Markets on the first and third Sunday morning of each month, in the grounds of Burleigh Heads State School. At the other end of the scale, Pacific Fair offers the likes of Hermes, Prada, Gucci and Tiffany & Co alongside teen faves City Beach, Culture Kings, Vans, Mecca Maxima, H&M and Zara. You’ll be able to easily eat and shop your way around this centre for a full day.

Salt, sand, sun, repeat

It’s the obvious activity on any Gold Coast to-do list - your teen simply must hit the beach! If they like their beach day a little more active, head to any of the patrolled sections and set up ‘camp’ nearby the flags so they can swim and take on the waves in complete safely. Otherwise, if your teen is more about relaxing on the sand with their digital device and some AirPods, pitch your family beach shade literally anywhere you like! Our beaches are clean and golden right along the coast. But we’d suggest finding a stretch of sand beachside a nice little café so you can refuel with ease. Or seek out some sand right alongside one of the coast’s various surf clubs for equal parts Gold Coast vibe and convenience.