Weekend Activities for Kids in Surat: 12 Family Outings
Updated 2026-10-12 · 7 min read · by the surat2go team
The best weekend outings for children in Surat are run by the municipal corporation and cost very little: the Science Centre and its planetarium, the zoo at Sarthana and the restored Surat Fort, with Dumas Beach for the evening. Add a Sunday art session at a café in Vesu and you have a full weekend. This guide covers 12 outings with ages, prices and timings checked against official pages in October 2026. For this weekend’s children’s events, see our live kids and family events page.
Two warnings up front. The Science Centre, the zoo and the fort are all closed on Mondays. And the city’s aquarium was listed as temporarily closed when we checked.
The outings at a glance
| Place | Best for ages | Cost per child | Closed | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science Centre | 5 and up | ₹40 (ages 5–18) | Monday | 2–3 hours |
| Power of Play gallery | 3–12 | ₹40 | Monday | 45 minutes |
| Planetarium | 6 and up | Ticketed separately | Monday | 40-minute show |
| Sarthana Nature Park | All ages | ₹20 (ages 3–12) | Monday | 2–3 hours |
| Surat Fort | 6 and up | ₹50 (ages 3–16) | Monday | 1–1.5 hours |
| Dumas Beach | All ages | Free | Open daily | An evening |
| Art workshop, Vesu | 5 and up | Varies by session | Mostly Sundays | 90 minutes |
1. The Science Centre
The Science Centre on City Light Road is the easiest answer to “what shall we do today”. The Surat Municipal Corporation opened it in 2009, and it holds hands-on science galleries where children push, pull and spin their way through physics, a Diamond Gallery about the city’s best-known industry and the Khoj museum.
Entry to the Science Centre and Diamond Gallery is ₹60 for adults and ₹40 for ages 5 to 18. The Khoj museum is ticketed separately at the same rates. The centre is open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, but the counter stops selling tickets at 3 pm, so arrive by early afternoon. It is closed on Mondays and on major holidays, including Uttarayan, Dhuleti, Diwali and Christmas Day.
2. The Power of Play gallery
Inside the Science Centre, this gallery is built for younger children, aged 3 to 12, and costs ₹40. It is the part to head for if your child is too small for the main exhibits.
3. The planetarium
On the first floor of the same building, the planetarium has a 16.3 m dome and 140 seats. Shows run through the day in Gujarati, Hindi and English, each about 40 minutes long, so ask at the counter which language is next before you buy. The Science Centre also announces public night-sky observation sessions with a telescope through the local press.
4. Sarthana Nature Park
Sarthana Nature Park is Surat’s zoo, spread over 81 acres between the Surat–Kamrej Road and the Tapi, about 10 km from the city centre. It opened in 1984 and has bred lions, royal Bengal tigers and Himalayan bears. The corporation’s pages also mention leopards, crocodiles, gharials and hippopotamuses.
Tickets are ₹30 for anyone aged 12 and above and ₹20 for children aged 3 to 12. Children aged 3 to 12 get in free during Wildlife Week and on World Environment Day, 5 June. Visitors are admitted from 10 am to 5 pm, and the park is closed on Mondays. Sitilink route 12 ends at the gate. Go when it opens, wear walking shoes and carry water, because the paths are long.
5. The Surat Fort
A fort with a moat and a working drawbridge is an easy sell. The Surat Fort at Chowk Bazar was completed in 1546 to defend the port against the Portuguese, and it reopened in 2022 after a long restoration. Children can walk the bastions and see the galleries inside, which now show the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Museum’s collection, according to the corporation.
Entry is ₹50 for ages 3 to 16 and ₹100 for adults. The fort is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, but entry stops at 4:10 pm. Go in the morning, before the bazaar around it gets crowded.
6. Gopi Talav
A short auto ride south of the fort, this 16th-century lake was revived by the corporation and reopened in 2015 with a fountain plaza, an amphitheatre and boating. It is at its best in the evening. Charges for entry and rides are set by the operator, so check at the gate.
7. Dumas Beach
The default Sunday evening for half the city. The sand is dark, the sea is for looking at rather than swimming in, and the promenade sells bhajiya and roasted sweetcorn. It is free and open from dawn to dusk. Keep a firm hold of small children near the water and around the animals that give rides on the sand. It is about 21 km from the centre; Sitilink route 216 runs from Chowk.
8. A Sunday art session in Vesu
The Bungalow Cafe in Vesu fills its Sunday afternoons with guided workshops, and several are for children. Listings for late October 2026 included a Kids Art Party, face painting, a mandap-and-Ganesha making session, phone-case painting and terrarium building, mostly in 90-minute slots from 2 pm. Check each listing for the age range and whether a parent needs to stay. Current dates are in our workshop listings.
9. VR Surat on a hot or wet day
When the weather rules out everything else, VR Surat on the Dumas Road has a multiplex, a Hamleys toy shop and restaurants under one roof. It is also the most convenient place in the city with a baby: there are baby-care rooms on the ground, first, second and third floors, and prams and wheelchairs at the information desk.
10. Amaazia water park
Amaazia, at Parvat Patiya in the south-east of the city, is Surat’s water and amusement park, and it has its own Sitilink terminus on the routes to Althan and Sarthana. We could not confirm its current timings and prices from an official page when writing this, so check with the park before you set out.
11. Sneh Rashmi Botanical Garden
A riverside garden at Ugat, beyond Rander, with more than 1,000 plant species according to Gujarat Tourism. It is closed on Mondays. It works well for a slow morning with younger children.
12. Festival outings
Surat’s festivals are good with children if you pick the right version.
- Navratri (11–19 October 2026). Take children to a society garba, which is free and relaxed. The big ticketed grounds usually require a ticket from the age of five and do not admit under-fives.
- Diwali (8 November 2026). Look for diya-painting and rangoli workshops in the fortnight before; they will be on our Diwali page.
- Uttarayan (14–15 January 2027). Children love the kites, but terraces need supervision. Keep them away from the edge, and never let them chase a cut kite into the road.
- Christmas week. Malls and schools run carnivals and Santa meet-and-greets.
The aquarium: check first
The Jagdishchandra Bose Municipal Aquarium on the Adajan–Hazira Road, with its shark pool and turtle touch pool, would normally be on this list. In October 2026 the corporation’s own page said it was temporarily closed for civil maintenance work and gave no reopening date. When it is open, entry is listed at ₹40 for children aged 3 to 17 and ₹100 for adults.
Plans by age
Under 5. The Power of Play gallery, a short zoo visit first thing in the morning, the fountains at Gopi Talav and an early evening at Dumas.
5 to 10. The full Science Centre with a planetarium show, the fort’s bastions and drawbridge, and a Sunday art workshop.
11 and up. The Diamond Gallery and the Khoj museum, the fort’s galleries, the colonial cemeteries at Katargam as part of a heritage walk, and a telescope night if the Science Centre announces one.
A ready-made weekend
Saturday: Science Centre at 10 am, with a planetarium show before lunch. After lunch nearby, drive to Dumas for the late afternoon and stay for sunset.
Sunday: Zoo at 10 am sharp. Lunch on the way back. Art session in Vesu at 2 pm, or the fort if your children prefer walls to paint; just be at the gate before 4:10 pm.
Tips for parents
- Avoid Mondays. All three big municipal attractions are shut.
- Respect the cut-offs. Tickets stop at 3 pm at the Science Centre and 4:10 pm at the fort.
- Carry cash. The Science Centre’s published guidance says tickets are same-day only, and card acceptance is not guaranteed at municipal counters.
- Plan around the heat. Surat is hot and humid for most of the year. Do outdoor things early or late.
- Check festival closures. The Science Centre and the fort shut for five days around Diwali in 2025.
More ideas are in our list of things to do in Surat this weekend, and the live calendar is on kids’ events.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best places to take kids in Surat?
The Science Centre and planetarium on City Light Road, Sarthana Nature Park (the zoo), the Surat Fort, Gopi Talav and Dumas Beach. For a hands-on afternoon, cafés in Vesu run children's art sessions on Sundays.
What are the Science Centre's timings and ticket prices?
It is open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with tickets sold until 3 pm. The Science Centre and Diamond Gallery cost ₹60 for adults and ₹40 for ages 5–18. The Power of Play gallery for ages 3–12 is ₹40.
How much is the zoo ticket in Surat?
Sarthana Nature Park charges ₹30 for visitors aged 12 and above and ₹20 for children aged 3–12 and seniors over 65. Admission is from 10 am to 5 pm, and it is closed on Mondays.
Is the Surat aquarium open?
In October 2026 the Surat Municipal Corporation's site listed the Jagdishchandra Bose Municipal Aquarium as temporarily closed for civil maintenance work. Check the corporation's page before you go.
Which family attractions in Surat are closed on Mondays?
The Science Centre, Sarthana Nature Park and the Surat Fort are all closed on Mondays, and all three also close on some festival days.
Can children go to garba nights in Surat?
Society garba is open to children of all ages. Large ticketed grounds usually require a ticket from the age of five and do not admit children under five, so check the listing.
Sources checked
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/ScienceCentre/ScienceCentreHome
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/TicketRates
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/FAQs/ScienceCenter
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_Centre
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/NatureParkHome
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/FAQs/NaturePark
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarthana_Nature_Park
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/SuratFortHome
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/TheCity/SuratFort
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/MuseumHome
- www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Services/AquariumHome
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopi_Talav
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumas_Beach
- www.gujarattourism.com/south-zone/surat/dumas-beach.html
- www.gujarattourism.com/south-zone/surat/sneh-rashmi-botanical-garden.html
- www.vrsurat.com/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surat_BRTS
- allevents.in/surat/kids
- allevents.in/surat/workshops
- allevents.in/surat/kids-art-party/3900030732528227
- allevents.in/surat/yashvi-navratri-30-ft-purva-mantri/4100030693765456
- www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?year=2026
Researched and written by the surat2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
